Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/325

Rh fathers. Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, and led Judah astray. And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the, the God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah; but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and hast made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like as the house of Ahab did; and also hast slain thy brethren of thy father's house, which were better than thyself: behold, the will smite with a great plague thy people, and thy children, and thy

11—15 (not in Kings).&emsp;

11. in the mountains] So Pesh., but LXX., in the cities. The difference between the two readings in Heb. is very small.

made to go a whoring] a much used metaphor of Scripture, meaning led  into idolatry.

led Judah astray] Lit., drew or thrust away Judah, i.e. from the presence of Jehovah.

12. a writing] This is the only place in which any writing of Elijah is mentioned. Even in Jehoshaphat's reign Elijah seems to have been no longer among the living; cp. 2 Kin. iii. 11 (where Elisha seems already to have taken Elijah's place). That the writing was a prophecy of Elijah denouncing Jehoram in anticipation of his reign is not only utterly improbable, but the plain words of the Chronicler do not seem even to suggest it. It is possible to suppose that some adaptation of words of Elijah to suit Jehoram's case was placarded by an unknown hand outside Jehoram's palace; but again the explanation seems more elaborate than the simple statement warrants. It is more probable therefore that the Chronicler means plainly a letter from Elijah, and ignores the anachronism involved in supposing the prophet to have been alive in Jehoram's reign. So great wickedness seemed to him to require a rebuke from a well-known prophet, and it is put into the mouth of Elijah, who, as the great opponent of the idolatry of Ahab and Jezebel, seemed to be the most proper person to pronounce the denunciation. The style of the letter requires a late date, and the author is perhaps the Chronicler himself. See further the Introd. § 7, p. xlviii.

14. a great plague] For "plague" cp. vi. 28, 29. Jehoram's "plague" is described in verses 16, 17.