Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/322

258 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the hath destroyed thy works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish. And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Jehoram his son

Ophir: cp. ix. 21 (= 1 Kin. x. 22), note. In both passages the reading of Kings, "ships (or 'navy') of Tarshish," i.e. large sea-going ships (cp. Ps. xlviii. 7), is correct, because (1) Ezion-geber was a port for vessels sailing eastward, while Tarshish was in the west, (2) gold, the object of the voyage (cp. 1 Kin. xxii. 48), came from Ophir (viii. 18; 1 Kin. ix. 28, x. 11; Ps. xlv. 9).

Tarshish] Cp. 1 Chr. i. 7 (note).

Ezion-geber] Cp. viii. 17 (note).

37. Then Eliezer of Mareshah prophesied] Cook (Expos., Aug. 1906, p. 191) points out how suitable Mareshah is as the home of a prophet antagonistic to Jehoshaphat. The town was situated in the Shephelah (see xi. 8, note; and also Peters and Thiersch, Painted Tombs in the Necropolis of Marissa); and would be in close touch with the Philistine and Edomite (Arabian) districts, which were "stirred up" to revolt in the time of Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son. Note also the association of Mareshah in the tradition of Zerah's invasion in Asa's reign (xiv. 10). It is unlikely that the Chronicler would have "invented" Mareshah as the home of Eliezer; rather is it reasonable to infer that he is utilising an old tradition, independent of Kings and at least noteworthy for its consistency.

Dodavahu] The LXX. (Lucian),, indicates that the original form of the name was Dodiah , signifying probably "kinsman of Jehovah"; for euphemistic reasons this was softened to Dodavahu. The name therefore is almost certainly characteristic of an early period, and is not such as would naturally occur to the Chronicler's imagination. Here again then we find reason for thinking that the Chronicler was relying on the current form of an old tradition (see G. B. Gray, Hebrew Proper Names, pp. 62, 232).

2—4 (no parallel in Kings).&emsp;

2—4. Presumably the Chronicler has drawn the information given in these verses from traditional sources. The details of the names