Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Chronicles 9:29
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, [are] they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
29. the book of Nathan ] Cp. 1Ch 29:29.
Ahijah the Shilonite ] 1Ki 11:29; 1Ki 14:2 ff.
Iddo ] Heb. Jedai or Jedo (probably a mis-spelling); cp. 2Ch 12:15 ; 2Ch 13:22.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
29 31 (= 1Ki 11:41-43). The Epilogue
An important section of 1 Kin. (2Ch 11:1-23) giving an account of Solomon’s patronage of idolatry and of the troubles of his reign is unnoticed by the Chronicler.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The book of Nathan … – On the books here mentioned, see the introduction to Chronicles, the second note.
We hear nothing of Iddo in Kings: but he is mentioned below twice 2Ch 12:15; 2Ch 13:22. In the latter of these passages he is called not the seer, but the prophet. He seems to have been the author of three works:
(1) Visions against Jeroboam;
(2) A book of genealogies; and
(3) A commentary or history.
According to some, he was identical with Oded, the father of Azariah, who prophesied in the reign of Asa (see the 2Ch 15:1 note).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 29. Nathan the prophet] These books are all lost. See the account of Solomon, his character, and a review of his works, at the end of 1Kg 11:43.
I. By the kindness of a learned friend, who has made this kind of subjects his particular study, I am able to give a more correct view of the value of the talent of gold and the talent of silver than that which I have quoted 1Kg 10:17, from Mr. Reynold’s State of the Greatest King.
1. To find the equivalent in British standard to an ounce troy of pure gold, valued at eighty shillings, and to a talent of the same which weighs one thousand eight hundred ounces troy.
The ounce contains four hundred and eighty grains, and the guinea weighs one hundred and twenty-nine grains, or five pennyweights and nine grains.
(1) As 129 grains : 21 shillings :: 480, the number of grains in an ounce : 78.1395348s. or 3l. 18s. 1d. 2.69767q.; the equivalent in our silver coin to one ounce of standard gold.
(2) As 78.1395348 shillings, the value of an ounce of standard gold, : 80 shillings, the value of an ounce troy of pure gold, :: 80 shillings : 81.9047619 shillings, the equivalent in British standard to one ounce of pure gold.
Instead of the preceding, the following proportions may be used: –
(1) As 21.5 shillings : 21 shillings :: 80 shillings : 78.1395348 shillings. This multiplied by 1800, the number of troy ounces in a Hebrew talent, gives 140651.16264s. or 7032l. 11s. 1d. 3.8q., the equivalent to one talent of standard gold.
(2) As 21 standard : 21.5 pure :: 80 pure : 81.9047619 standard. This multiplied by 1800 gives 147428.67142s. or 7371l. 8s. 6d. 3.4q., the equivalent to one talent of pure gold.
2. To find the equivalent in British standard to a talent of pure silver, which is valued at four hundred and fifty pounds sterling, or five shillings the ounce troy.
The pound troy is 240 pennyweights; and our silver coin has 18 pennyweights of alloy in the pound. From 240 pennyweights take 18, and there will remain 222 pennyweights, the pure silver in the pound.
Now as 240 pennyweights : 222 pennyweights :: 20 pennyweights, the weight of a crown piece, : 18 1/2 pennyweights, the weight of the pure silver in the crown.
Then, as 18.5 pennyweights : 6 shillings :: 36000, the number of dwts. in a talent,: 9729.729729729729 shillings, or 486 9s. 8 3/4d., the equivalent in our coin to a talent of pure silver.
Example 1. To find the equivalent in British standard to the one hundred and twenty talents of gold which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon, 2Ch 9:9.
147428.57142s. equivalent to one talent of pure gold,
120 number of talents [as found above. _____________ 17691428.5704 = 884,571 8s. 6 3/4d., the equivalent to
120 talents. Example 2. To find the equivalent in British standard to Solomon’s two hundred targets of beaten gold, each six hundred shekels; and to his three hundred shields, each three hundred shekels, 2Ch 9:15-16.
A talent is three thousand shekels; therefore six hundred shekels are one-fifth, and three hundred are one-tenth of a talent.
5)147428.57142s. equivalent to one talent.
____________
29485.71428 equivalent to one target.
200 the number of targets.
____________ 2|0)589714|2.856
____________
294,857 2s. 10 1/4d. equivalent to 200 targets. One-tenth of a talent is 14742.857142 = one shield.
300 number of shields.
_____________
2|0)442285|7.1426
______________
221,142 17s. 1 1/2d. = 300 shields. Example 3. To find the equivalent in British standard to the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year, independently of what the chapmen and merchants brought him.
147428.57142s. = one talent.
666 number of talents.
____________
88457142852
88457142852
88457142852
________________
2|0)9818742|8.56572
________________
4,909,371 8s. 6 3/4d. equivalent to 666 talents. Example 4. To find the equivalent in British standard to the hundred thousand talents of gold, and to the million of talents of silver, which were prepared by David for the temple, 1Ch 22:14.
THE GOLD
147428.57142s. = one talent.
100000 number of talents.
____________
2|0)1474285714|2
____________
737,142,857 2s. the equivalent. Or, seven hundred and thirty-seven millions, one hundred and forty-two thousand, eight hundred and fifty-seven pounds, two shillings sterling, for the gold.
THE SILVER
9729.729729729s. = one talent.
1000000 number of talents.
_______________
2|0)97297297219.729
________________
486,486,486 9s. 8 1/2d. the equivalent. Or, four hundred and eighty-six millions, four hundred and eighty-six thousand, four hundred and eighty-six pounds, nine shillings, and eightpence halfpenny sterling, for the silver.
II. I have referred, in the note on 2Ch 9:17, to a curious account of Solomon’s throne, taken from a Persian MS. entitled [Persian] beet al mukuddus, the Holy House, or Jerusalem. It has already been remarked, in the account of Solomon at the end of 1Kg 11:43, article 12, that among the oriental writers Solomon is considered, not only as the wisest of all men, but as having supreme command over demons and genii of all kinds; and that he knew the language of beasts and birds, c. and therefore the reader need not be surprised if he find, in the following account, Solomon employing preternatural agency in the construction of this celebrated throne.
“This famous throne was the work of the Deev Sukhur; it was called Koukab al Jinna. The beauty of this throne has never been sufficiently described; the following are the particulars: –
“The sides of it were pure gold; the feet, of emeralds and pearls, intermixed with other pearls, each of which was as large as the egg of an ostrich.
“The throne had SEVEN steps; on each side were delineated orchards full of trees, the branches of which were composed of precious stones, representing ripe and unripe fruits.
“On the tops of the trees were to be seen fowls of the most beautiful plumage; particularly the peacock, the etaub, and the kurgus; all these birds were artificially hollowed within, so as occasionally to utter a thousand melodious notes, such as the ears of mortals had never before heard.
“On the FIRST step were delineated vine-branches, having bunches of grapes, composed of various sorts of precious stones; fashioned in such a manner as to represent the different colours of purple, violet, green, and red, so as to exhibit the appearance of real fruit.
“On the SECOND step, on each side of the throne, were two lions, of massive gold, of terrible aspect, and as large as life.
“The property of this throne was such, that when the prophet Solomon placed his foot upon the FIRST step, all the birds spread their wings, and made a fluttering noise in the air.
“On his touching the SECOND step, the two lions expanded their claws.
“On his reaching the THIRD step, the whole assembly of deevs, peris, and men, repeated the praises of the Deity.
“When he arrived at the FOURTH step, voices were heard addressing him in the following manner: Son of David be grateful for the blessings which the Almighty has bestowed upon thee.
“The same was repeated on his reaching the FIFTH step.
“On his touching the SIXTH step, all the children sang praises.
“On his arrival at the SEVENTH step, the whole throne, with all the birds and other animals, became in motion, and ceased not till he had placed himself in the royal seat; and then the birds, lions, and other animals, by secret springs, discharged a shower of the most precious musk upon the prophet; after which two of the kurguses, descending placed a golden crown upon his head.
“Before the throne was a column of burnished gold; on the top of which was placed a golden dove, which had in its beak a roll bound in silver. In this roll were written the Psalms of the prophet David, and the dove having presented the roll to King Solomon, he read a portion of it to the children of Israel.
“It is farther related that, on the approach of wicked persons to this throne for judgment, the lions were wont to set up a terrible roaring, and to lash their tails about with violence; the birds also began to erect their feathers; and the whole assembly of deeves and genii uttered such loud cries, that for fear of them no person would dare to be guilty of falsehood, but instantly confess his crimes.
“Such was the throne of Solomon, the son of David.”
Supposing even this splendid description to be literally true, there is nothing here that could not have been performed by ingenuity and art; nothing that needed the aid of supernatural influence.
In another MS., on which I cannot now lay my hand, the whole value of this throne, and its ornaments, is computed in lacs of rupees! The above description is founded in the main on the account given here, 2Ch 9:17-19. The SIX steps, and the footstool of the sacred writer, make the SEVEN steps, in the above description. The twelve lions are not distinguished by the Mohammedan writer. Other matters are added from tradition.
This profusion of gold and precious stones was not beyond the reach of Solomon, when we consider the many millions left by his father; no less a sum than one thousand two hundred and twenty-three millions, six hundred and twenty-nine thousand, three hundred and forty-three pounds, eleven shillings, and eight pence halfpenny, besides what Solomon himself furnished.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Iddo the seer, mentioned also 1Ch 12:15, supposed to be the same who is called Obed, 2Ch 15:1. This, and the other prophets mentioned, were also historians, and wrote some annals or histories of their times; out of which these sacred and canonical books were taken, either by these or other prophets.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
[See comments on 1Ki 11:41]
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Conclusion of Solomon’s history. – 2Ch 9:29. Sources; see the introduction .
2Ch 9:30-31 The length of his reign, his death and burial, and his successor, as in 1Ki 11:42.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
See note on 1Ki 11:41
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(c) REFERENCE TO DOCUMENTS.CLOSE OF THE REIGN (2Ch. 9:29-31). (Comp. 1Ki. 11:41-43.)
(29) Now the rest of the acts of Solomon.Or, story, history; literally, words. (Comp. 1Ch. 29:29.)
First and last.Or, the former and the latter. Instead of this, Kings has, and all that he did, and his wisdom.
In the book.Or, history. For the sources named here, see the Introduction. Kings has simply, are they not written in the book of the history of Solomon? His name conveyed the idea of peace to the Hebrew ear. But there is no doubt that it was originally identical with Shalman (Assyrian Salmnu), the name of a god. Tiglath-pileser II. mentions a Salamnu king of Moab. This name exactly corresponds to Solomon.
Ahijah the Shilonite.See 1Ki. 11:29-39; 1Ki. 14:2-18.
Iddo.Hebrew, Ied or Ied. This seer is not mentioned in Kings. (See 2Ch. 12:15; 2Ch. 13:22 for further references to his works.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Ch 9:29. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, &c. According to Abarbanel there were two books of the acts of Solomon: one containing an account of the beginning of his reign, written by Nathan the prophet; and the other an account of what passed in the latter part of his life, written by Ahijah the Shilonite, and Iddo the Seer. Antiquity scarcely produces a more illustrious (though I must not say a more holy) personage than Solomon: wise, wealthy, magnificent, peaceful; honoured like his father to be the penman of a considerable and useful part of the inspired writings; by which he has made great compensation to the church of God for the offence he has given to all good men by the sad apostacy of his advanced years. That he was a figure of the Messiah seems evident, from what God said concerning him by the prophet Nathan; which is applied by a New Testament writer to Jesus Christ; (I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son;) from what David says in the 72nd Psalm, and from the Song of Songs, which is generally supposed to refer to the marriage of Christ with his church; nor is it difficult to find out several things in Solomon’s character and history, which greatly resemble the character and history of a far greater personage than he.
REFLECTIONS.1st, The account of the queen of Sheba has been considered, 1 Kings 10. It remains only to observe, (1.) That they who know the value of divine truth will account no pains too great to search after it. (2.) They are truly great, whose piety and zeal for God distinguish them. (3.) Whatever gifts we enjoy, they are lent us for the edifying of the body of Christ, and to be employed diligently. (4.) We have abundant cause to bless God for the useful instruments that he is pleased to raise up for the service of his church, and especially for those who have been made instruments of good to our own souls. (5.) Great souls are ever generous. (6.)
Though for a time absence from home may be needful and profitable, yet we must, whatever pleasing engagements intervene, remember that there is our post, and hasten our return.
2nd, 1. Solomon appears in the zenith of his grandeur. Wealth flowing in upon him like a river; surrounding potentates courting his favour with the most noble presents, and eager to hear his wisdom; and his magnificence, palaces, guards, throne, &c. all tended to excite the admiration of his neighbours, and the reverence of his subjects. Note; (1.) Great was the glory of Solomon; but our Prince of Peace shines with glory infinitely more transcendant: before his throne all human magnificence vanishes, as the stars lose their lustre before the meridian sun. (2.) It will be our happiness as well as duty to pay our grateful homage at his feet; and offer, not the gold of Arabia, but that more valuable present, our bodies, souls, and spirits, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable service.
2. Solomon is laid low in the grave. Mors aequa pede pulsat, &c. No greatness bars death from entering. A veil is here drawn over his former miscarriages, of which, no doubt, he had repented; and which, being forgiven, shall not be mentioned any more against him. His sun sets in glory; but his crown descends to a son whose folly quickly tarnishes all this greatness. Note; (1.) The faults of great good men should be forgotten, and their virtues remembered for imitation. (2.) One foolish son will quickly run out all the acquisitions of his wise and illustrious ancestors.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Pause, Reader! and in the account of the death of Solomon, learn to make a true estimate of human life. Alas! what can be the real intrinsic value and importance of all things here below, bounded as they are within the transitory existence of threescore and ten years, and those years liable to be cut short by numberless causes every moment! Oh! Lord, teach me, teach every Reader that gracious lesson, so to number our days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom. Psa 90:12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
IV
THE SCHOOLS OF THE PROPHETS
The more important passages bearing on this subject are 1Sa 3:1-4 ; 1Sa 10:5 ; 1Sa 10:9-12 ; 1Sa 18:13-24 ; 1Ki 19:18 ; 1Ki 19:20-21 ; 1Ki 20:35 ; 2Ki 2:3-5 ; 2Ki 4:38 ; 2Ki 6:1 ; 1Ch 29:29 ; 2Ch 9:29 ; 2Ch 12:15 ; 2Ch 13:22 and other chapters in that book I do not enumerate. The last one is Amo 7:14-15 . The reader will understand that I give these instead of a prescribed section in the Harmony. These constitute the basis of this discussion.
Let us distinguish between the prophetic gift and the prophetic office , and give some examples. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, his seventy elders, Balaam, Joshua, and others before Samuel’s time had the gift, but not the office; perhaps we may except Moses as in a measure having the office. After Samuel’s time, David, many of his singers, and particularly Daniel, had the gift in a high degree, but not the office. Moreover, the high priests from Aaron to Caiphas in Christ’s time, were supposed to have officially the gift of prophecy that is, to hear and report what the Oracle said but Samuel is the first who held the office.
The distinction between a prophet and a son of a prophet is this: A son of a prophet was a candidate for the office, ministering to the prophet, a disciple instructed by him, consecrated to the work, and qualifying himself to perform the services of the office with the highest efficiency. A prophet is one who, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, speaks or writes for God. In this inspiration he is God’s mouth or pen, speaking or writing not his own words, but God’s words. This inspiration guides and superintends his speech and his silence; what is recorded and what is omitted from the record. The gift of prophecy was not one of uniform quantity nor necessarily enduring. The gifts were various in kind, and might be for one occasion only. As to variety of kinds, the revelation might come in dreams or open visions, or it might consist of an ecstatic trance expressed in praise or song or prayer. If praise, song, or prayer, its form was apt to be poetic, particularly if accompanied by instrumental music.
As to the duration of the gift, it might be for one occasion only, or a few, or many. The scriptures show that the spirit of prophecy came upon King Saul twice only, and each time in the form of an ecstatic trance. In his early life it came as a sign that God had chosen him as king. In his later life the object of it was to bar his harmful approach to David. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12-14 inclusive, explains the diversity of these gifts and their relative importance.
There are two periods of Hebrew history in which we find clearest notices of the schools of the prophets, the proofs of their persistence between the periods, and their influence on the nation. The notices are abundant in the time of Samuel, and in the time of Elijah and Elisha, but you have only to study the book of Chronicles to see that the prophetic order, as an office, continued through these periods and far beyond. Later you will learn that in the time of persecution fifty of these prophets were hidden in a cave and fed regularly. The object of the enemy was to destroy these theological seminaries, believing that they could never lead the nation astray while these schools of the prophets continued. Their object, therefore, was to destroy these seats of theological education. Elijah supposed that every one of them was killed except himself, but he was mistaken.
Samuel was the founder of the first school of the prophets, and the scripture which shows his headship 1Sa 19:20 , where Saul is sending messengers to take David, and finally goes himself and finds the school of the prophets, with Samuel as its appointed head. The reason for such a school in Samuel’s time is shown, first, by an extract from Kirkpatrick’s Commentary on 1 Samuel, page 33. He says:
Samuel was the founder of the prophetic order. Individuals in previous ages had been endowed with prophetic gifts, but with Samuel commenced the regular succession of prophets which lasted through all the period of the monarchy, and did not cease until after the captivity. The degeneracy into which the priesthood had fallen through the period of the judges demanded the establishment of a new order for the religious training of the nation.
For this purpose Samuel founded the institutions known as the schools of the prophets. The “company of prophets” at Gibeah (1Sa 10:10 ) and the scene at Ramah described in 1Sa 19:18 ff., imply a regular organization. These societies are only definitely mentioned again in connection with the history’ of Elijah and Elisha but doubtless continued to exist in the interval. By means of these the Order was maintained, students were educated, and common religious exercises nurtured and developed spiritual gifts.
Kirkpatrick’s is a fine commentary. The priests indeed were instructors of the people, but the tendency of the priesthood was to rest in external sacrifices, and to trust in a mere ritualistic form of sacrifice. That is the trouble always where you have a ritual. And after a while both priest and worshiper began to rely upon the external type, and on external conformity with the ritual. God needed better mouthpieces than those, hence while in the past there was a prophetic gift here and there, he now establishes the prophetic school, or society, in which training, bearing upon the prophetic office, should be continuous. The value of these schools of the prophets is also seen from Kirkpatrick, page 1 Samuel 34:
The value of the prophetic order to the Jewish nation was immense. The prophets were privy-counsellors of kings, the historians of the nation, the instructors of the people. It was their function to be preachers of righteousness to rich and poor alike: to condemn idolatry in the court, oppression among the nobles, injustice among the judges, formality among the priests. They were the interpreters of the law who drew out by degrees the spiritual significance which underlay ritual observance, and labored to prevent sacrifice and sabbath and festival from becoming dead and unmeaning forms. Strong in the unshaken consciousness that they were expressing the divine will, they spoke and acted with a fearless courage which no threats could daunt or silence.
Thus they proved a counterpoise to the despotism of monarchy and the formalism of priesthood. In a remarkable passage in his essay on “Representative Government,” Mr. John Stuart Mill attributes to their influence the progress which distinguished the Jews from other Oriental nations. “The Jews,” he writes, “had an absolute monarchy and hierarchy. These did for them what was done for other Oriental races by their institutions subdued them to industry and order, and gave them a national life. . . . Their religion gave existence to an inestimably precious institution, the order of prophets. Under the protection, generally though not always effectual, of their sacred character, the prophets were a power in the nation, often more than a match for kings and priests, and kept up in that little corner of the earth the antagonism of influences which is the only real security for continued progress.”
I was surprised the first time I ever saw the statement from Mill. He was a radical evolutionist and infidel, but a statesman, and in studying the development of statesmanship among the nations, he saw this singular thing in the history of the Jews, unlike anything he saw anywhere else, and saw what it was that led that nation, when it went into backsliding, to repentance; what power it was that brought about the reformation when their morals were corrupted; what power it was that was the real light of the nation and the salt of the earth, and saw that it was this order of prophets which was the conservator of national unity, purity, and perpetuity. I have the more pleasure in quoting that passage, as it comes from a witness in no way friendly to Christianity, just as when I was discussing missions I quoted the testimony of Charles Darwin to the tremendous influence for good wrought by the missionaries of South America.
Particularly in this case of the schools of the prophets we find their value, by noting very carefully the bearing on the case under Samuel. We have already noticed the corruption of the priesthood under Eli, Hophni, and Phinehas; how the ark was captured, the central place of worship desecrated; how Samuel, called to the office of prophet, needed assistance, and how he instituted this school of the prophets. He gathered around him the brightest young men of the nation and had the Spirit of God rest on them, and in order that their instruction might be regular he organized them into companies, or schools; he would go from one to another, and these young “theologs” were under the instruction of Samuel and for twenty years worked as evangelists in making sensitive the national conscience. It took twenty years to do it, and he could not have done it by himself, but with that tremendous power, the help he had, at the end of twenty years, he saw the nation repentant and once more worshiping God. I am for a theological seminary that will do that.
I give a modern example somewhat parallel: Mr. Spurgeon was called to the city of London, when about nineteen years old, to be the pastor of the old historic church of Dr. Gill, and in his evangelical preaching impressed a number of men to feel that they were also called to preach (if your preaching does not impress somebody else to preach, you may be sure that you are not called to preach), and it impressed the women and a multitude of laymen to do active Christian service. Therefore, Mr. Spurgeon organized what is called “The Pastoral College.” He wouldn’t let a drone be in it; he did not want anybody in it that was not spiritually minded. In other words, he insisted that a preacher should be religiously inclined, and should be ready to do any kind of work. He supported this institution largely through his own contributions, although the men and women all over England, when they saw what it was doing, would send money for its support. I used to read the monthly reports of the contributions and the list of donors that accompanied them.
Mr. Spurgeon determined to work a revolution, just as Samuel did, and he used this school of the prophets for that purpose. Consequently, hundreds of young preachers belonging to that school of the prophets preached in the slums of the city, in the byways, in the highways, in the hedges, in the mines, on the wharves to the sailors, and in the hospitals. Hundreds of laymen said, “Put us to work,” and he did; he had pushcarts made for them, and filled them with books and so sent out over the town literature that was not poisonous. He put the women to work, and established) or rather perpetuated in better form, a number of the almshouses for the venerable old women who were poor and helpless, following out the suggestion in 2 Timothy, and he erected a hospital. Then they got to going further afield. They went all over England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, crossed over into the Continent, crossed the seas to Australia, and the islands of the seas, and into heathen lands. I have always said that Spurgeon’s Pastoral College came nearer to the Bible idea of a seminary than any other in existence. There was not so much stress laid on mere scholarship as on spiritual efficiency.
It is important to note particularly what I am saying now, because it was burnt into my heart as one of the reasons for establishing a theological seminary. The nature of that society was that it was a school. They left their homes and came to stay at this school, with what we now call a mess hall in which all the theological students, by contributing so much, have their table in common. It was that way then; they had their meals in common. In preparing dinner one day for the sons of the prophets, somebody put a lot of wild gourds into the pot, and when they began to eat it, one of them cried out: “Ah, man of God, there’s death in the pot!” Once I preached a sermon on this theme: “Wild Gourds and Theological Seminaries,” to show that to feed the students in theological seminaries on wild gourds of heresy is to put death in the pot; they will do more harm than good, as they will become instruments of evil.
In determining what were their duties, we must consult quite a number of passages. We gather from this passage that they were thoroughly instructed in the necessity of repentance, individually and nationally, and of turning from their sins and coming back to God with faithful obedience. That lesson was ground in them. They were taught the interpretation of the spiritual meaning of the law, all its sacrifices, its feasts, its types, and therefore when you are studying a prophet in the Old Testament you will notice how different his idea of types and ceremonies from that of the priests. They will tell you that to do without eating is fasting, but the prophet will show that literal fasting is not true fasting; that there must be fasting at heart; that there must be a rending of the soul and not the garment as an expression of repentance; that to obey God w better than a formal sacrifice.
Another thing they were taught, which I wish particularly to emphasize, was music, both vocal and instrumental. In that school of the prophets started the tremendous power of music in religion so wonderfully developed by David, who got many of his ideas from associating with the schools of the prophets. And from that time unto this, every evangelical work, and all powerful religious work, has been associated with music, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament; not merely vocal, but instrumental music. The heart of a religion is expressed in its songs, and if you want to get at the heart of your Old Testament you find it in the hymnbook of the Hebrew nation the Psalter. It is indeed an interesting study to see what has been the influence of great hymns on the national life. There is an old proverb: “You may make the laws of the people, if you will let me write their ballads.” Where is there a man capable of measuring the influence of “How Firm a Foundation,” or “Come, Thou Fount,” or “Did Christ O’er Sinners Weep?” There is a rich literature on the influence of hymns on the life.
In the awful times of the struggle in England, Charles I against the Parliament, one faction of the nation held to ritualism, while the other followed spirituality, even to the extreme of not allowing any form, not even allowing any instruments of music. One of the finest stories of this period is the account of a church that observed the happy medium, using instrumental as well as vocal music, and congregational singing as well as the use of the choir; every sabbath somebody’s soul was melted in the power of that mighty singing. I can’t sing myself, but I can carry the tunes in my mind, and I can be more influenced by singing than by preaching. It was singing that convicted me of sin. It was on a waving, soaring melody of song that my soul was converted. I once knew a rugged, one-eyed, homely, old pioneer Baptist preacher, who looked like a pirate until his religion manifested itself, and then he was beautiful. I heard him one day when a telegram was put into his hand stating that his only son had just been killed by being thrown from a horse. While weeping, his face became illumined; he got up and clapped his hands and walked through that audience, singing, “O, Jesus, My Saviour, to Thee I Submit.”
John Bunyan wrote that song while in Bedford Jail. They had put him there to keep him from preaching, and looking out through the bars of the dungeon he saw his poor blind girl, Mary, begging bread, and he sat down and wrote that hymn. The effect of the old preacher’s singing John Bunyan’s song was a mighty revival.
The relation of the schools of the prophets to modern theological seminaries is this: The purpose was the same. And so in New Testament times, Jesus recognized that if he wanted to revolutionize the world by evangelism he must do it with trained men. He did not insist that they be rich, great or mighty men. He did not insist that they be scholars. He called them from among the common people, and he kept them right with him for three years and a half, and diligently instructed them in the principles and spirit of his kingdom. He taught them in a variety of forms; in parables, in proverbs, in exposition, illustrating his teachings by miracles, and in hundreds of ways in order that they might be equipped to go out and lead the world to Christ. You cannot help being impressed with this fact: That the theological seminaries in Samuel’s time and in Christ’s time were intensely practical, the object being not to make learned professors, but to fill each one with electricity until you could call him a “live wire,” so that it burnt whoever touched it.
This is why I called Samuel a great man, and why in a previous discussion, counting the men as the peaks in a mountain range, sighting back from Samuel to Abraham, only one other peak comes into line of vision, and that is Moses.
QUESTIONS
1. What are the more important passages bearing on the schools of the prophets?
2. Distinguish between the prophetic gift and the prophetic office and illustrate by examples.
3. Distinguish between a prophet and a son of a prophet.
4. What is the meaning of prophet?
5. In what two periods of Hebrew history do we find the clearest notices of the school of prophets, what are the proofs of their persistence between these periods, and what is their influence on the nation?
6. Who was the founder of the first school of the prophets?
7. What scripture shows his headship?
8. What was the reason for such school in Samuel’s time?
9. What was the value of these schools of the prophets, and particularly in this case, and what illustration from modern instances?
10. What was the nature of that society, and what was the instruction given?
11. What was the relation of the schools of the prophets to modern theological seminaries?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
XXX
THE FALL AND END OF SOLOMON
1Ki 11:1-43
See 1Ki 11:1-43 and 2Ch 9:29-31 , with which compare (1) Exo 34:16 ; Deu 7:3-4 ; Ezr 9:1 ; Neh 13:23 . (2) Deu 17:14-20 . (3) The two visitations of Jehovah, 1Ki 3:14 ; 1Ki 9:4-9 ; 2Ch 7:17-22 . (4) The whole book of Ecclesiastes.
1. When Solomon became old he fell away from Jehovah in heart and life.
2. He, himself, furnishes the motto for a heading of this part of his life, “Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition anymore” (Ecc 4:13 ).
3. And he, himself, fitly describes a miserable darkened old age, thus:
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say. I have no pleasure in them; before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain; in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets: before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. (Ecc 11:9-12:8 ).
4. The immediate occasion of his fall was the influence of his foreign idolatrous wives.
5. They led him astray on these lines: (1) The sensual indulgence of harem life sapped his physical vitality, enervated his mind and blunted the perception, and dulled the sensitiveness of all his moral faculties. (2) Being themselves idolaters, they induced him to provide temples for the idols of their own countries. (3) To suit their convenience they led him to locate these houses and altars of idolatry over against God’s holy Temple. (4) They finally led him to participate himself in this idol worship.
6. His sin consisted of these elements: (1) Primarily and mainly he sinned grievously against Jehovah, who had exalted him. (2) He grossly violated the kingdom charter. (3) He openly violated the Mosaic law of marriage.
7. His sin against Jehovah may be thus particularized: (1) It was open violation of both the first and second commandment of the decalogue. (2) It was against the light of two visitations from Jehovah, the second one particularly warning him against the sin. (3) In placing the idol houses over against the Temple it was flaunting an insult in Jehovah’s face. (4) It was a sin against Jehovah’s revelation, and an abuse of the wisdom given to seek through philosophy the chief good and chief duty of man, as he himself confesses he did in the book of Ecclesiastes. (5) It was a sin against Jehovah as the supreme and only satisfying portion of the soul to seek happiness by experiment in wealth, pleasure, luxury, and other ways as he confesses he did in the book of Ecclesiastes.
8. He sinned against the charter of the kingdom in these particulars: (1) The charter says, “He shall not multiply horses to himself,” it being against the divine purpose that his people should depend on cavalry and chariots. But this is what he did: “And Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen” (1Ki 4:26 ). (2) The charter said “Neither shall he multiply wives unto himself, that his heart turn not away.” But this is what he did: “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; of the nations concerning which Jehovah said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go among them) neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods; Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David his father” (1Ki 11:1-4 ). (3) The charter said, “He shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold,” but he filled his coffers with gold) silver, and jewels beyond computation in value. (4) The charter said, “His heart shall not be lifted up above his brethren,” but for display, and for the buildings of his wives and their extravagant support, he raised forced levies of workmen from his own people, and imposed onerous taxes which caused a revolt in the days of his son, Rehoboam, and the loss of ten tribes. (See 1Ki 4:6 ; 1Ki 5:13-14 ; 1Ki 7:19-23 ; 1Ki 11:28 ; 1Ki 12:4 .)
9. He sinned against the sanctity of the Mosaic law of marriage in taking wives from nations of the Canaanites and other idolatrous nations. (See Exo 34:16 ; Deu 7:3-4 , as interpreted in Ezr 9:1 and Neh 13:23 , and compare 1Ki 11:1-2 .)
10. We find somewhat of a parallel in Louis XIV of France, who reduced his nation to pauperism to support his extravagant displays and mistresses, so that in the days of Louis XVI came a revolution that painted hell on the sky.
11. The sin of Solomon greatly provoked Jehovah, who sternly denounced these penalties: (1) The greater part of the kingdom was rent from him and given to his servant, but for David’s sake, the execution was stayed till Solomon died (1Ki 11:9-13 ). (2) Adversaries were stirred up, ready to strike on the first opportunity. (3) These adversaries were Hadad, the Automat, who in David’s time had sheltered in Egypt; Rezon, the Syrian, who sheltered in Damascus and who abhorred Israel; Jeroboam, the Ephrathite, whom Solomon promoted, but who, having been informed by Jehovah’s prophet that he would rule over ten tribes, did not wait on Jehovah’s time but instantly revolted, but when Solomon sought to kill him, fled to Egypt and sheltered there.
12. The fearful consequences of Solomon’s sin were sweeping and far-reaching, as appears from these facts: (1) The contrast between the glorious unity when David was made king over all Israel (1Ch 11:1-3 ; 1Ch 12:23-40 ) and the disunion under Solomon’s son (1Ki 12:1-19 ). (2) This division resulted in the idolatry and destruction of the ten tribes except the elect remnants that returned to Judah, thus preserving and perpetuating all the tribes. (3) The idolatry of the ten tribes was communicated to Judah in Ahab’s day, threatening the blotting out of all the tribes. (4) The division made them weak in the presence of enemies to both, and their prestige and position among the nations were lost. (5) The destruction of the ten tribes resulted in the rise of the Samaritans, a mixed people who rejected all revelation except the Pentateuch, and established a rival temple, whose pretensions to superiority persisted till Messiah’s time (See Joh 4:20 ). (6) The precedent of seeking in speculative philosophy and in sinful experiment man’s chief end, chief good, chief aim, was taken up and followed by Greek and Roman philosophers Zeno, Epicurus, Lucretius, and Democritus, Gnostics, Agnostics and modern radical evolutionists even to this day all adopting his methods and denying his conclusions.
13. The question naturally arises: Was Solomon’s apostasy total and final, and is he today a lost soul? Adam Clark, the commentator, like nearly all Methodists, Arminian in doctrine, teaches that Solomon was finally and forever lost; from which position the author dissents for the following reasons:
1. The record expressly teaches that his apostasy was not total, but only that his heart toward Jehovah was not perfect as was the heart of David.
2. That his apostasy was not final seems evident from the repentance evidenced in the book of Ecclesiastes, which, after recounting all his experiments in turning from revelation to philosophy and all ending in vanity, comes back to the conclusion that to fear God and keep his commandments is the whole duty of man.
3. The promise of Jehovah to his father David expressly forbids the idea of his total and final apostasy in saying, “When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men, but my loving kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee” (2Sa 7:12-15 ). The contrast here between Saul and Solomon is very marked. Saul sustained no filial relation toward Jehovah, but Solomon did. Saul was punished as an alien; Solomon was chastised as a son. The Holy Spirit was withdrawn from Saul, but not from Solomon.
14. Solomon’s fall teaches many great lessons, among which may be named:
1. Sensuality in a man is like the dry rot which crumbles foundation-timbers.
2. A little child may learn from revelation in a day more about origin, character, destiny, the chief-end, the chief-good, and the chief-aim of man than all the speculative philosophers throughout the ages have discovered or will ever be able to discover.
3. Man himself, in his moral dignity, is more than all his learning, accomplishments, wealth, rank, or social position. The rank is but the guinea’s stamp, The man’s the gowd for all that.
4. God himself is the only satisfying portion of the soul. Tis no’ in titles nor in rank, “Tis no’ in wealth like London bank To give us peace and rest; If happiness ha’e not her seat And center in the breast, We may be wise, or rich, or great But never can be blest.
5. When kings live in splendor and luxury and irresponsibility to moral laws, maintaining vast, varied, and costly establishments, the people must groan under onerous taxation and servitude until revolution comes to paint hell on the sky.
6. Men professing themselves to be wise become fools (see Rom 1:22 ; 1Co 1:18-29 ).
QUESTIONS
1. At what period of his life does Solomon fall away from Jehovah?
2. What motto by himself would serve as a heading for his fall?
3. How does he himself describe an old age weakened and made miserable by sin?
4. What was the occasion of his fall?
5. How did these women lead him astray?
6. Of what particulars did his sin consist?
7. Particularize his sin against Jehovah.
8. Particularize his sin against the charter of the kingdom.
9. Particularize his sin against the sanctity of the Mosaic marriage law.
10. What parallel to Solomon, in his sin, in modern history?
11. How did Solomon’s sin affect Jehovah, and what penalties did he denounce?
12. What facts show the sweeping and far-reaching consequences of Solomon’s fall?
13. How do Arminians answer the question: Was Solomon’s apostasy total and final, and is he not a lost soul, and what the biblical reasons for dissent from this interpretation?
14. What great lessons from Solomon’s fall?
15. How do you reconcile 1Ki 11:3 ; 1Ki_11:2Ch 6:8 ?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
2Ch 9:29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, [are] they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
Ver. 29. Now the rest, &c. ] And worst. See 1Ki 11:41 .
First and last.
In the book of Nathan.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
prophet. seer. Hebrew. nabi. chozeh. See note on 1Ch 29:29.
against Jeroboam. So that he had warning from God.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ch 9:29-31
2Ch 9:29-31
DEATH OF SOLOMON
ACCESSION OF REHOBOAM
“Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? And Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. And Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.”
The important thing here is the Chronicler’s mention of several of his sources. (See our Introduction to this volume for a more complete list of these.) We reject as worthless the allegation of some critics that the Chronicler invented or composed much of his material; for it is quite evident that he followed all of his sources very accurately, a fact indicated by the truth that he was careful in the use of 1Kings, a source that we know he used.
As often noted, the only reason for the critic’s rejection of much of the material in Chronicles is the havoc that it plays with a number of their favorite fairy tales, such as (1) the gradual evolution of Israel’s conception of the person and nature of God, (2) the discovery of that alleged Deuteronomic document in the reign of Josiah, and (3) the late dating of the Mosaic Pentateuch.
The death of Solomon and the accession of his harem-bred son Rehoboam marked the end of the united kingdom and the beginning of a long chain of tragic events that would result in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and the Babylonian captivity of the People of God.
E.M. Zerr:
2Ch 9:29. There were many books written in the days of the kings that were never made a part of the Bible. But they were good histories, and were referred to very often for the benefit of the readers who might wish more detailed information.
2Ch 9:30-31. All Israel could be understood as a contrast with the partial rule of David. He had the rule over one tribe only for seven years, then received it over the whole nation. Slept with his fathers. See 1Ki 2:10.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
rest of
These books have perished. 1Ki 11:29.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
the rest: 1Ki 11:41-43
book: Heb. words
Nathan: 2Sa 7:1-3, 2Sa 12:1, 2Sa 12:25, 1Ki 1:8, 1Ki 1:10, 1Ki 1:11, 1Ki 1:22-27, 1Ki 1:32-38, 1Ch 29:29
Ahijah: 1Ki 11:29, 1Ki 14:2
Iddo: 2Ch 12:15, 2Ch 13:22
Reciprocal: 1Ki 13:1 – there came 2Ch 10:15 – Ahijah 2Ch 16:11 – the acts of Asa 2Ch 24:27 – story 2Ch 26:22 – first
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ch 9:29. In the visions of Iddo the seer Mentioned also 2Ch 12:15, and supposed by some to be the same person who is called Obed, 2Ch 15:1. This and the other prophets here mentioned were also historians, and wrote annals of their times, out of which these sacred books were taken, either by these or other prophets.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
9:29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, [are] they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer {o} against Jeroboam the son of Nebat?
(o) That is, who prophesied against him.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
4. Solomon’s death 9:29-31
The Chronicler omitted any reference to Solomon’s apostasy that resulted in the division of the kingdom (cf. 1Ki 11:9-11). By doing so, he was not trying to whitewash Solomon’s record. The Book of Kings was available to the postexilic community as were other records of Solomon’s reign, to which he referred his readers (2Ch 9:29). Iddo was a seer (cf. 2Ch 12:15) and prophet (2Ch 13:22) whose ministry apparently consisted primarily in writing books. No references to him depict him as involved in any other event. The writer chose to present only those aspects of Solomon’s career in which he provided a positive example of trust and obedience and consequent blessing. His purpose was to encourage his readers with a good example and to build hope for the future King, not to lament the past. The purpose of Chronicles thus emerges quite clearly. It was to preach a message for the present generation from the earlier historical records. It was not primarily to provide a parallel or supplementary historical record to what existed in Samuel and Kings.
Solomon modeled the ultimate Davidic temple builder. He was wise and prosperous. He built and dedicated the glorious temple, and he received the wealth of the Gentiles who sought his wisdom. [Note: Cf. Jeffrey Townsend, "The Purpose of 1 and 2 Chronicles," Bibliotheca Sacra 145:575 (July-September 1987):288.] David’s ultimate Son would do all of these things too. Solomon proved not to be the Son of David who would rule forever. Nevertheless, his reign helped the Jews of the restoration period know what they needed to do, and to what they could look forward.
"The Chronicler’s aim in his portrayal of Solomon is to show how God governed the events of history to impart to the kingdom of Israel, at least once, a splendour [sic] which was fit to symbolize his own. . . . The Kings and Chronicles accounts, taken together, become another testimony-alongside the whole biblical picture of David-to the way in which God deigns to use great sinners in the work of his kingdom, so much so that the OT’s latest picture of Solomon does not even remember his sins." [Note: McConville, p. 110.]
"The study of typology is an approach to the Bible that can readily be abused. But nothing could be more biblical than to hold that the Davidic monarchy is a type of the rule of Christ." [Note: Wilcock, p. 141.]