_Famine. God disposes of all things. (Calmet) --- Famine, &c., are his executioners. (Du Hamel) --- This dreadful visitation took place before the siege of Samaria, (Salien) and had even commenced when Eliseus raise the child to life; (chap. iv. 38.) so that we might translate, "Eliseus had spoken,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lands, which others had seized. (Du Hamel)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Giezi was not yet infected; (Salien; Menochius) or if he was, (Haydock) the king spoke to him at a distance, overcoming his natural repugnance, in order to know some particulars of the life of Eliseus. (Calmet) --- This he would more readily do, if Giezi had brought the glad tidings of plenty. (Tir... [ Continue Reading ]
_Restore. " Restituere est possessorem facere fructusque reddere. " (Caius.) --- Some think that the lands had been confiscated to the king, as being abandoned; or his authority was requisite, at least, to make the present occupiers give them up._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Damascus, the territory, (ver. 8.) to announce the king's death, and to anoint Hazael, as God had ordered Elias, 3 Kings xix. 15. (Calmet) --- Sick, at the ill success of his late expedition. (Josephus) (Tirinus)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Camels. It does not appear that Eliseus rejected these presents. (Menochius) --- Thy son. The kings of Israel and Juda styled the prophet father, and this title was given by Christians of antiquity to bishops and priests._... [ Continue Reading ]
Tell him: Thou shalt recover. By these words the prophet signified that the king's disease was not mortal: and that he would recover, if no violence were used. Or he might only express himself in this manner, by way of giving Hazael to understand that he knew both what he would say and do; that he w... [ Continue Reading ]
_Blush. This may be referred either to Hazael, who was astonished at the words and looks of the prophet, (Haydock) or to Eliseus. (Menochius) --- Septuagint (Complutensian), "and Hazael stood before his face, and he displayed the presents before him, till he blushed, and the," &c. Though this has th... [ Continue Reading ]
_A dog. He speaks with indignation, as if he could not be so brutal; (Tirinus) or he could not yet think that he should be king. (Calmet) --- He afterwards proved as cruel as the prophet had signified, chap. x. 32., and Amos i. 3. (Calmet)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Blanket. Hebrew macber, a word which the Septuagint retain. (Haydock) --- It denotes a hairy coverlet, pillow, &c. Tiberius and Frederic II met with the like fate. (Calmet) --- some think that Hazael was only guilty of imprudence; (Menochius) or that Benadad killed himself; as the Hebrew might be r... [ Continue Reading ]
_Fifth. Houbigant would read "third," p. 100. See chap. i. 17. (Haydock) --- Josaphat. That is, Josaphat being yet alive, who some time before his death made his son Joram king; as David had done before by his son Solomon. (Challoner) --- The words are omitted in some copies of the Septuagint (Du Ha... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER VIII.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Achab, Athalia. She led her husband into all wickedness. (Tirinus) (2 Paralipomenon xxi.)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Light, or lamp, posterity and regal power, 3 Kings xi. 36. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_King. The one under Josaphat was dependant, chap. iii. 9., and 3 Kings xxii. 48. Thus the prediction of Jacob was verified, (Genesis xxvii. 40.; Calmet) and Joram punished. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Seira, or Idumea, Genesis xiv. 6. --- Defeated. The Syriac and Arabic explain it in a contrary sense, as the Hebrew may well signify, and the sequel seems to prove, as the Edomites became independent. Hebrew, "He rose....and attacked Edom that surrounded him, (with superior numbers) and the princes... [ Continue Reading ]
_Day, when Jeremias, the author lived. (Tostat) --- Lobna, a frontier town bordering on Idumea. It was a strong place assigned to priests; but strangers had probably again taken possession of it, and caused it now to revolt. The kings of Juda had retaken it when Sennacherib laid siege to the place.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Slept, after a lingering and painful illness of two years' continuance. Joram was not buried in the tomb of the other kings, nor were perfumes burnt over his corpse; (Calmet) as his memory was abhorred, 2 Paralipomenon xxi._... [ Continue Reading ]
_Twelfth, more correctly than "the eleventh," chap. ix. 29. (Houbigant)_... [ Continue Reading ]
Twenty. In 2 Paralipomenon xxii. 2., we read forty, by mistake of the transcribers, as Ochozias, (Joachaz, or Azarias, 2 Paralipomenon xxi. 17.) would thus be older than his father, who died at the age of forty, 2 Paralipomenon xxi. 20. All the original versions, and many copies of the Septuagint re... [ Continue Reading ]
_Galaad. The same city had proved fatal to Achab, 3 Kings xxii. Joram took it, but received (Calmet) many wounds; so that he left Jehu to attack the citadel. The latter was anointed king, and acknowledged by the army. He immediately proceeded to Jezrahel, and put his master to death. (Haydock)_... [ Continue Reading ]