Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Kings · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
Verſ. 1. THen the word of the Lord came to Jehu the ſonne of Hanani, againſt Baaſha.] This Jehu was the ſame Prophet that afterwards was ſent to Jehoſhaphat, to reprove him for his league with Ahab, 2. Chron, 19.2. and that wrote a book of the Chronicles of thoſe times, 2 Chron. 20.34. and his father Hanani was he that reproved Aſa for ſeeking to Benhadad for aid againſt Baaſha, 2. Chron. 16.7. ſo that the father and the ſonne were both at the ſame time the known Prophets of the Lord.
Verſ. 7. And alſo by the hand of the prophet Jehu the ſonne of Hanani, came the word of the Lord againſt Baaſha, &c.] Some conceive that this hath reference to the judgement denounced againſt Jeroboam by Ahijah, chap. 14.6. &c. as if it had been ſaid, as the word of the Lord came by Ahijah againſt Jeroboam; ſo alſo by Jehu againſt Baaſha. But I rather think that the meaning of this clauſe is onelyonly this; that before the death of Baaſha, Jehu did his meſſage as God had commanded. The ſame words are here again repeated, which we had before, verſ. 1. but there they are to ſhew what God gave in charge to the Prophet, here their drift is to ſhew, that accordingly the Prophet delivered his meſſage, as the Lord had enjoyned him; and that for all the evil that he did, &c. in being like to the houſe of Jeroboam, and becauſe he killed him: that is, his lord Nadab, the ſonne of Jeroboam, as is expreſſed before, chap. 15.27. for though Baaſha did herein what God had decreed, yet he had no command from God for it, but did it onelyonly to get the kingdome; and therefore it was treaſon now in him, as it was afterward alſo in Jehu, when he ſlew Ahabs poſterity; becauſe he aimed onelyonly at himſelf therein, though he had a command from God, Hoſ. 1.4. And it ſhall come to paſſe at that day, that I will break the bow of Iſrael, in the valley of Jezreel, and will avenge the blood of Jezreel, upon the houſe of Jehu: And indeed, that the judgement which fell upon Baaſha, was partly for his murdering of Nadab, we may ſee by the Lords dealing with him, juſt as he dealt with the houſe of Jeroboam; for as he ſlew the ſonne of Jeroboam, when he had yet ſat in the throne of Iſrael not full two complete yeares; and that whileſt he was laying ſiege againſt Gibbethon, and then immediately, deſtroyed all the reſt of his family, chap. 15.27, 28, 29. ſo Zimri ſlew the ſonne of Baaſha, when he had reigned not full two complete yeares, as is ſaid here verſ. 8. and that too, whileſt his army lay encamped againſt Gibbethon, verſ. 15. and then immediately cut off all the reſt of his family and friends, verſ. 11.12.
Verſ. 8. In the twenty and ſixth yeare of Aſa king of Judah, began Elah the ſonne of Baaſha to reigne over Iſrael in Tirzah, two years.] But not fully complete; for he began to reigne in the ſix and twentieth yeare of Aſa, and was ſlain in the ſeven and twentieth yeare of Aſa, verſ. 15.
Verſ. 9. And his ſervant Zimri (captain of half his chariots.) conſpired againſt him as he was in Tirzah, &c.] His forces lying then encamped againſt Gibbethon, verſ. 15. whereby he gave ſuch an advantage againſt himſelf, as was not by Zimri neglected.
Verſ. 11. And it came to paſſe when he began to reigne, as ſoon as he ſat on his throne, that he ſlew all the houſe of Baaſha, &c.] That is, he ſlew all his family, kinsfolks, and friends, that there might be none to avenge his death, and that preſently, that he might not be prevented; as indeed he had been, if he had not done it ſpeedily; for within few dayes he himſelf came to an untimely end, verſ. 18.
Verſ. 13. In provoking the Lord God of Iſrael to anger with their vanities, &c.] That is, with their idols; for ſo the idol-gods of all idolatours, are uſually called in the Scripture; partly, becauſe they have nothing of a God in them, their deitie wholly conſiſting in the idolatrous vain opinion: We know that an idol is nothing, ſaith the Apoſtle, 1. Cor. 8.4. and partly, becauſe they can do neither good nor evil, 1. Sam. 12.21. Turn ye not aſide, for then ye ſhall go after vain things that cannot profit; for they are vain.
Verſ. 15. In the twenty and ſeventh yeare of Aſa king of Judah, did Zimri reigne ſeven dayes, &c.] Accounting, as is moſt likely to the time that Omri was proclaimed king in the camp, as is related in the following verſe.
Verſ. 18. He went into the pallace of the kings houſe, and burnt the kings houſe over him with fire, &c.] That ſo, firſt, Omri might never enjoy that ſtately palace of Tirzah: and ſecondly, that neither living nor dead, he might fall into the hands of his inſulting adverſaries.
Verſ. 19. For his ſinnes which he ſinned in doing evil in the ſight of the Lord, in walking in the way of Jeroboam, &c.] For though he reigned but ſeven dayes, ere Omri was proclaimed by the ſouldiers, yet perhaps it was longer ere he was forced to burn himſelf; and beſide, within the ſpace of thoſe ſeven dayes, he might by his edicts make known to the people his reſolution to continue the worſhip of Jeroboams calves.
Verſ. 21. Half of the people followed Tibni the ſonne of Ginath, to make him king; and half followed Omri.] It ſeems the people (miſliking that the ſouldiers ſhould take upon them to chooſe their king) choſe this Tibni to be their king; between whom and Omri, there was continuall warres for three years, and upward; each party ſtriving to aſſure the crown to him whom they had elected, till at length Omri prevailed.
Verſ. 23. In the thirtie and one yeare of Aſa king of Judah, began Omri to reigne, &c.] That is, then he was fully and peaceably ſettled in the kingdome: in the ſeven and twentieth yeare of Aſa was he firſt choſen king by the army at Gibbethon, verſ. 15, 19. but for well nigh foure years after, Tibni that was choſen by the people, ſtrove with him for the kingdome; ſo that till the one and thirtieth yeare of Aſa, he was not ſettled in the throne of Iſrael: yet becauſe he was firſt made king when he ſlew Zimri, therefore it is added, he reigned twelve yeares: to wit, from his firſt election; for otherwiſe, if we account his reigne from the one and thirtieth yeare of Aſa, when he was ſettled in the throne, to the eight and thirtieth yeare of Aſa when he dyed, and his ſonne Ahab ſucceeded him, verſ. 29. it is manifeſt then, that he reigned according to that account but eight yeares.
Verſ. 24. And he bought the hill Samaria, &c.] This is given as the reaſon why it is ſaid in the foregoing verſe, that he had reigned but ſix yeares in Tirzah: it was becauſe Zimri having burnt the royall pallace in Tirzah, Omri bought the hill which was called Samaria of Shemer the owner of it, and thereon built the citie Samaria, which he made his royall citie, the metropolis of his kingdome; and ſo the other ſix yeares of his reigne he lived there.
Verſ. 26. For he walked in all the way of Jereboam, &c.] If he onelyonly continued in the ſinnes of Jeroboam, how is this rendered as a reaſon of that which is ſaid before in the former verſe, that he did worſe then all that were before him: ſurely, becauſe having ſeen ſuch fearefull effects of Gods wrath againſt the former kings of Iſrael for this their idolatry, he notwithſtanding continued obſtinately therein, as it were purpoſely to provoke the Lord; yea and happely did, with more violence, force and preſſe the people to that idolatry: whence we ſee there is mention made, Mich. 6.16. of the ſlatutes of Omri; to wit, concerning that their idolatrous worſhip of the golden calves.
Verſ. 31. He took to wife Jezabel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and ſerved Baal, &c.] This wife of Ahabs proved a moſt wicked wretch, and a cruell ſcourge to the people of God: we ſee Jehu complained of her witchcrafts and whoredomes, 2 Kings 9.22. and it is often mentioned, that ſhe was the great perſecutour of Gods prophets, and the great promoter of the idolatry of Baal in the land; and therefore it is that S. John cals that falſe propheteſſe, that in his time in the Church of Thyatira, had ſeduced many to uncleanneſſe, and idolatry, Jezabel, Revel. 2.20. Baal it ſeems was the god of the Zidonians; and ſo Ahab, marrying a wife from thence, did ſoon ſet up his wives god in the land of Iſrael: Now this idolatry was farre worſe then that of Jeroboams; for in that though they had idols, to wit, the golden calves, yet in them they pretended the worſhip of the true God: but in the other they worſhipped Baal as their god; as is evident in that of Elijah to the Iſraelites, chap. 18.21. If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him: and ſo again, verſ. 27. Cry aloud, for he is a god, &c.
Verſ. 34. In his dayes did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho, &c.] This is here added to ſhew, how many yeares after the curſe which Joſhua denounced, was accompliſhed, Joſh. 6.26. and that happely the rather, as an inſtance of the horrible profaneneſſe and contempt of God in theſe dayes of Ahab: for though Jericho belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, yet it was at this time, it ſeems, under the power of the king of the ten tribes. Hitherto Jericho had continued a heap of rubbiſh, no man daring to hazard that curſe, by rebuilding of it; but now this bold wretch Hiel the Beth-elite: that is, that dwelt in Beth-el, undertook the work, and paid dearly for it, as Joſhua had threatned. See the note, upon Joſh. 6.26.