THE MISSIONARY JOURNEY OF PAUL

THE GREAT KING 4

forbidden to build— His immense preparations—In what sense the Temple was "exceeding magnifical"—Its substructions, walls, and cisterns, and the toil they involved—Embassy from Hiram of Tyre, and compact between the two kings—The levy or corvée—The burden-bearers and quarrymen—The Canaanites were the Helots of Palestine—The Giblites—The slaves of Solomon—Hiram of Naphtali—General form of the Temple and its measure- ments—Curious statements of the Chronicler—The Holy of Holies quite dark—Outer lattices of the Holy Place—The outer chambers—What a visitor would have seen—The outer court— The inner court—The brazen altar—The molten sea and the caldrons—Why the brazen oxen were permitted—The actual Temple—What was its external aspect?—Had it pillars within?— Jachin and Boaz—Theories about them—The Porch—The Sanc- tuary and its furniture—The Oracle; its doors—The Ark—TheCherubim— Built in silence—The general workmanship—Time that it occupied in building—Organization of Levitic ministry—The Temple a symbol of God's Presence—The actual building not used for prayer or public worship—The sacrifices, and what they involved—Water for ablutions—The Ceremony of Dedication— The old Tabernacle—The procession—Transference of the Ark to its rock—The staves—Splendour of the ceremony—The Cloud of Glory—Solomon's prayer; its spirituality—Stupendous thank- offering and festival—The fire from heaven—Prominence of the king in priestly functions—Second vision of Solomon—Intense affection and enthusiasm inspired by the Temple, as illustrated in various Psalms—Functions of the Levites.APPENDIX TO CHAPTER VIII.ON THE PLAN AND ASPECT OF THE TEMPLE 100Ideal reconstructions—Few remains—Scantiness of trustworthy information—Fancies of Josephus—Recent excavations—The Talmud—Size of the platform—Theories as to the style—I. Prof,CONTENTS.Wilkins and the Greek theory; now abandoned—2. Canina and the Egyptian theory—3. Fergusson, Robins, and others believe that the architecture was Asiatic and Phoenician; reasons forthis view—Analogous buildings—The Temple as restored on the Phœnician theory.PAGECHAPTER IX.SOLOMON'S OTHER BUILDINGS AND CITIES 107The passion for building—Solomon's palace, and its adjoining edifices—Obscurity of all details—The House of the Forest of Lebanon; its shields—The Porch of pillars—The Hall of Judg- ment—The Palace—The staircase to the Temple—Water supply- Gardens—Summer retreats—Works of national usefulness—For- tification of the city—A chain of fortress-towns—Hazor, Megiddo, Gezer — The Beth-Horons — Baalath — Store cities, and chariot towns—Roads—Tadmor in the wilderness.CHAPTER X.SOLOMON'S COMMERCE 114The ideal of peaceful wealth—Extended commerce: I. by land and II. by sea—I. Influence and splendour of Phoenicia: i.Land traffic with Tyre; Hiram and Solomon; Embarrassed con- dition of Solomon's resources; He alienates twenty cities; Scorn and dissatisfaction of Hiram; An obscure transaction; Inexplic- able conduct of Solomon; Prosperity of Hiram—ii. Land traffic with Arabia; Spices and precious stones—iii. Egypt and the Tanite dynasty; Land traffic with Egypt; Horses and chariots; Profits of the trade; Two great inland roads—II. Sea-trafficThe Phoenician traffic with Tarshish—ii. Traffic by the Red Sea to Ophir; Ezion-Geber—Theories about Ophir; identified by many with Abhîra at the mouths of the Indus— Beautiful and curious articles of export—i. Ivory (Shen habbîm)—ii. Apes (Kophîm)— Hi. Peacocks (tukkiîm)--iv. Almug-trees—Sanskrit origin of these words—Did the fleets circumnavigate Africa?—Result of the commerce—Losses—Intercourse with idolators—The Red Sea fleets a failure—The king's revenue—His enormous expenses — Advantages of the commerce, direct and indirect.CHAPTER XI.SOLOMON IN ALL HIS GLORY 129Visitors and presents—Royal state—Solomon, on a progress, as described by Josephus—As described in the Song of Songs—A nuptial psalm (Ps. xlv.)— Allusion to Solomon by our Lord— Other allusions—His ivory throne—Visit of the Queen of Sheba— Traditions about the Queen of Sheba—Legends of her visit and questions—Her admiration of his buildings and his magnificence—Interchange of presents—Naturalization of the balsam-plant- Our Lord's allusion—Summary of Solomon's wealth and grandeur.CONTENTS.CHAPTER XI I.PAGETHE DECLINE OF SOLOMON 139An unsubstantial pageant—Solomon's heart not "perfect"—Two deadly evils—What a king ought not to do: 1. The multiplication of horses; 2. Accumulations of treasure; 3. Polygamy—Numberof his wives—Evils of polygamy—Solomon's apostasy—Moral de- terioration—Influence of strange wives—Immoral tolerance:Worship of Ashtoreth; 2. Of Milcom; 3. Of Chemosh—Idol shrines on "the mount of corruption"—Evil effects of extrava- gant luxury—Grievous bondage felt by the people—Expense of maintaining the Court—A Divine warning—The growth of adver- saries--Degeneracy of the people, and of the youth—Illustratedin the advice of the "young men" to Rehoboam--Torpor of the priesthood—Silence of the prophets—Jeroboam, his early life, his rapid rise, his politic bearing—Ahijah the Shilonite—Symbol of the disruption of the kingdom Jeroboam begins to plot and is forced to fly into Egypt—Alienation of Egypt under Shishak I.— Close of the reign—Gifts and character of the king—Three stages in his career: I. His early prosperity; 2. The zenith of his glory;3. His decline—"Vanity of vanities"—Arabian legend of his death—His life less interesting than that of David—Doubts ex- pressed as to his salvation—Orcagna—Vathek—Dante—Services which Solomon rendered—The darker aspect of his reign—The true Jedidiah.CHAPTER XIII.THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON, AND BOOKS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM. 266Character of Solomon's wisdom — I. His interest in natural science—Admiration—Similitudes—Legendary magical powers— Importation of new forms of animal and vegetable life—2. Solo- mon as a poet —The One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Psalm— The Seventy-second Psalm—Changed intellectual tendency of his age—3. The Canticles—Date of the Book—Probably written by a Northern Israelite—Some characteristics of the Book—Its allusions to an age of luxury—Its allusions to nature—Difference of its tone from that of the Nature-Psalms—Not on the surface a religious poem—Supposed outline of the poem as an idyl of consecrated love—This view adopted by most modern critics—The poem allegorized by Rabbis, Fathers, and Schoolmen—Real subject of it—Specimens of the allegoric interpretation—Not an epithalamium—Difficulties of believing it to be intentionally allegoric—The allegoric application religiously tenable, though not to be regarded as primary—The sanctification of love—Human love as a symbol of Divine.CHAPTER XIV.THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES 182Due to the general impulse given to Jewish thought by Solomon, though it cannot have been written by him —The title Qoheleth- Conjectures as to the date of the Book—"Elohim"—A struggle with perplexity and despondeney—Outline of the Book: I. TheCONTENTS.Prologue; 2. The first section, personal experiences; 3. The second section; 4. The third section; 5. The fourth section, partial conclusion; 6. The Epilogue—A general summary—Pro- gressiveness of revelation—Doubts of some of the Rabbis—Twogeneral lessons—The emptiness of worldly pleasure—The teaching of bitter experience.PAGECHAPTER XV.THE BOOK OF PROVERBS. 192Solomonic proverbs—Three words—I. Mashal, "a parable"; Various applications of the word 2. Chîdâh, "a riddle"; Enigmas in the East; "Dark sayings" in the Proverbs—Prov.xxvi. 10-3. M'létzah, "a figure "—Outline of the Book: 1. The Introduction; A manual of moral guidance—2. The Wisdom section; How it differs from the rest of the Book; Conceptions of "wisdom" among the Hebrews—3. "The Proverbs of Solomon;" Their general structure; Their substance; Twofold beauty of tone: i. It is kindly; ii. It is religious—Few traces of the national religion—4. "The words of the wise"—5. Further "words of the wise"—6. Hezekiah's collection—7. Three appendices: α. The words of Agur; β. The exhortation of Lemuel; γ. The acrosticof the virtuous woman—General remarks : I. Cosmopolitan spirit—2. Had the Hebrews a philosophy? —3. Three phases of thought about difficulties in the moral government of the world: α. The' era of general principles; β. The era of difficulties; γ. The eraof acquiescence; δ. The final eschatological conclusion—4. Sapiential literature not Messianic, yet in one sense Christologi- cal—5. Exaltation of morality —6. Frequent references to the Book in the New Testament.CHAPTER XVI.LEGENDS OF SOLOMON 208Predominance of Solomon in legend—Knowledge ascribed to him—I. The Talmud: i. Solomon, the demon Ashmodai, and the worm Shamîr; ii. Solomon, Naama, and the ring; iii. The Hag- gada, Solomon and the demons—II. Legends in the Qur'ân-i. His power—ii. His early judgment—iii. The magic wind;The steeds; The hoopoe; Balkis, Queen of Sheba—III. Ethiopian legend—IV. The Angel of Death.INTRODUCTION.Chequered fortunes of David—His early prosperity as King—Hiscareer darkened—Uriah and Bathsheba—Joab's power over David—The birth of Solomon—Significance of David's remorse.FEW careers have been more chequered than that of David; few even of the lives recorded in the sacred volume are more deeply instructive. The ruddy shepherd-lad, who tended his few poor sheep in the wilderness, rapidly sprang into the great warrior, the darling and hero, the poet and ruler of his people. Gaining yearly as Saul lost, superseding even Jonathan in the favour of the multitude, he had been so openly regarded as the future wearer of the crown, that the king's jealousy drove him into outlawry, and repeatedly sought his life. Save from im- minent perils, and from incessant temptations to adopt a career of crime, he had shown such consummate tact and skill as the chief of a dangerous band, that on Saul's death he had been chosen king by the tribe of Judah, and solemnly anointed at Hebron. After he had reigned seven and a half years as King of Judah, the murder of Ishbosheth, son of Saul, left Israelfree to elect a successor, and David was unanimously invited to rule over the Twelve Tribes. Then began a period of un- exampled prosperity. He gained secure possession of the City of Jerusalem, and consecrated it by the translation of the Ark thither from Gath-Rimmon. He strengthened his throne by aCourt, a Bodyguard, and an Army. God "made him a great name like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth."1 He became the father of a large and beautiful family, He was recog- nized not only as a King, but also as a Psalmist and Prophet. At1 2 Sam. vii. 9.12 SOLOMON.times he even wore an ephod, and exercised many of the func- tions of the priestly office.1 On every border of his kingdom he drove back and subdued his hostile neighbours. The Philistines, the Moabites, the rising power of Syria, the predatory Edomites, and Amalekites, were thoroughly broken into submission. From a petty chieftain he became a great sovereign. With the Phœ- nicians in the north-west, he was in cordial and intimate alliance. One misfortune alone—a three years' famine—seems to have disturbed the brighter and earlier portion of his reign.Then calamity burst over him like thunder out of a clear sky, and his glory and prosperity were shattered by his own sin.The crime, the infamy, of one hour precipitated upon him for all the rest of his life a terrible load of disgrace and ruin.He had an officer named Uriah, who like many of those who served in his bodyguard, belonged to the old race of Canaan.He was by birth a Hittite, but had probably become a prose- lyte, and was, at any rate, conspicuous for his chivalrous bravery and austere sense of duty. Among his comrades was Eliam, a son of Ahitophe1,2 who, like himself, had risen by valour and conduct to be one of the thirty commanders of David's thirty companies. Eliam had a fair daughter named Bathsheba,3 andit was natural that he should have given her in marriage to a fellow-officer so distinguished as Uriah. The Hittite soldier loved her with a passionate tenderness.4 While he was absent in the war against the Ammonites, Bathsheba lived in hishouse, which was one of those which clustered under the shadow of David's palace on Mount Zion. One evening David, accord- ing to his wont, was walking on his palace-roof, after the burning1 2 Sam. vi. 13, 17, 18; I Chron. xvi. 42.2 2 Sam. xxiii. 34. Jerome ("Qu. Heb." on 2 Sam. ix. 3; I Chron. iii. 5) mentions the tradition, which he had learnt from the Rabbis who taughthim Hebrew, that these two Eliams—the son of Ahitophel and the father of Bathsheba—were one and the same person. Eliam's name is omittedfrom 1 Chron. xi., whence some have inferred that he lost his post, and was involved in his father's ruin, but perhaps he may be dimly indicated under the name of "Ahijah the Pelonite" (I Chron. xi. 36). Pelonî in Hebrew means "so and so," like the Spanish Don Fulano.3 2 Sam. xi. 3. It is a somewhat suspicious circumstance, due perhaps to Jewish falsification, that in I Chron. iii. 5, Eliam is disguised into Am- miel, and Bathsheba into Bathshua. Bathshua is a heathen name. "The daughter of Shua, the Canaanites" (I Chron. ii. 3; Gen. xxxviii. 2-12).4 2 Sam. xii. 3.INTRODUCTION. 3heat of day, when he saw Bathsheba, who was "very beautiful to look upon," washing herself in a cistern on the top of her house. Forgetful of all his past, and of all that was due from him as God's anointed, he made Bathsheba the victim of his guilty passion. There is no need to detail the fresh crimes in whichhe was entangled by the desire to hide his guilt. His attempt at concealment was frustrated by the fine feeling and honourable firmness of his unsuspecting soldier,1 and no way remained to escape the consequences of his misdoing except to plot the base murder of Uriah while he was fighting the king's battles before Rabbath-Ammon. David, whom God had chosen from the sheepfolds, to be the ruler of His people Israel, became the secret, treacherous assassin of his brave commander. The murdercould only be carried out by making Joab his accomplice.From that hour his peace was gone. It might have been said to him as to the chief in the great tragedy—"Not poppy nor mandragora, Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep Which thou owd'st yesterday."Joab, as commander-in-chief and nephew of the king, had already been too powerful for a subject, but from that time he became the complete controller of David's destiny, because he— and at first he alone—was master of his guilty secret. Ahito- phel too, hitherto David's most trusted counsellor, was now secretly his enemy. He may not, at first, have been aware ofthe murder of Uriah, but he was the grandfather of the woman whom David had so foully wronged.2That woman was the mother of King Solomon. The date of Solomon's birth cannot be ascertained with any certainty, be- cause we do not know the age at which he ascended the throne.1 That Uriah had become a proselyte we infer from his language in 2 Sam. xi. II.2 See Blunt's "Undesigned Coincidences," Pt. II. x. p. 145. Professor Blunt is usually credited with the first notice of this probability. It had, however, been pointed out in the commentary of David Qimchi, and heonly quotes it from earlier expositors (see Grätz, "Gesch. d. Juden." i. 263). In 2 Sam. xv. 31, David's prayer that God would turn the counsel of Ahitophel to foolishness seems to be a play on his name, "brother of foolishness" (?), though his advice was regarded as an "oracle of God''(2 Sam. xvi. 23).4 SOLOMON.He speaks of himself indeed at that time as "a little child," but the expression is metaphorical, and is only used as the language of deep humility.1 He succeeded to the crown in early man- hood. If so, he was probably born not long after the year B.C.1035 of the chronology which is most usually adopted, and which is, so far as we can discover, reasonably accurate.2But before we leave the tragic circumstances which accom- panied David's first introduction to the mother of Solomon, itis worth notice that the deadly wound which it inflicted on the king's conscience, and the indignation which it caused in the hearts of all to whom it became known, are proofsof that loftier morality and keener sense of sin which resulted from the Divine training of the Hebrew people. There were many of the surrounding nations among whom this crime of a brilliant and successful monarch would have been regarded as venial or indifferent. The subjects of a Pagan autocrat would have easily forgiven such an offence, and he would have found no difficulty in forgiving himself. Indeed it is doubtful whether any Egyptian or Assyrian subject would have ventured to in- quire into circumstances which were surrounded with mystery and doubt. But "the eye of the Lord is ten thousand times brighter than the sun," and it was by a holy inspiration that His prophets had been taught to look on sin "with such a glance as strook Gehazi with leprosy, and Simon Magus with a curse." The gaze of Nathan pierced through the precautions which veiled the guilty secret of the king, and his voice—the voice ofthe king's own conscience, and of the conscience of all the nation—awoke the offender to that burst of heartfelt penitence which expressed itself in language never to be forgotten in the Peni- tential Psalms. The king's repentance was as signal as had been his crime.1 I Chron. xxii. 5; xxix. 1. "Solomon my son is young and tender." But the same phrase is applied to Rehoboam, when he was forty-one (2 Chron.xii. 13; xiii. 7), unless that (מא) be a clerical error for twenty-one (כא).2 The systems of chronology vary. Ewald dates the reign of Solomon from 1025-986; Usher from 1017-977. Hales, Jackson, and Bunsen adopt other schemes.CHAPTER I.THE CHILDHOOD OF SOLOMON.Influences which surrounded the childhood of Solomon—His father—Evil effects of his fall—His family—Bathsheba— David's fondness for his children—The name Shelômôh—Jedidiah—Influence of Nathan—His retirement—Solomon comes to be secretly regarded as the heir to the throne—Claims of Absalom.THE brief sketch in the last chapter will suffice to show us some of the conditions of the Court and family into which Solomon was born.His father was a king who, in many respects, had fallen from his high estate. The golden dawn and glorious noonday of hisreign were over. He was no longer the pride and the idol of Israel and Judah. Not only had his administration ceased to be so vigorous as once it was, but the dark story of his relations to Bathsheba and Uriah was but an imperfect secret, and in proportion as it became known David lost ground in the affec- tions of his people. There was, indeed, no concealment in the intensity of his remorse, and God forgave him, and restored to him the clean heart and the free spirit. But the forgiveness of sins is not the same thing as the remission of consequences, and the consequences of sin are moral and spiritual as well as physical. They leave their scars upon a man's character. Re- pentance is less strong and less beautiful than his elder brother Innocence. No man can stain his soul with such crimes as those of David, and remain unscathed thereafter.His powers of resistance are weakened; his tranquillity becomes less secure. The intercourse of the boy Solomon with his father must have been intercourse with a gloomy and56 SOLOMON.saddened man, who was still capable indeed of flashes of his old nobleness, but whose recorded deeds show a marked dete- rioration from the splendid religious promise of his youth. He withdrew more and more into the pompous surroundings ofa Court, and the voluptuous seclusion of the harem. His judicial duties were so much neglected as to give strength to the complaints and promises of Absalom. The spell of his early ascendency was broken, and a deep indignation against him burned in many hearts. In a twofold way his evil example produced bitter fruit. On the one hand, it caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme; on the other, it acted asa spiritual empoisonment in the hearts of all who were unstable. It broke down in many minds the altar of confidence in the reality of virtue, leading them to say, "If he is not good, no one is good." His sons inherited from him the legacy of imperious passions, and they had also before their eyes the fatal example of a weakness in the Reason and the Conscience which, in David if in any one, ought to have sufficed to keep those passions under firm control. The transgression of the monarch tended to lower the morality of the entire nation.The influence of David over any of his sons now that he was weak and fallen, can hardly have been entirely beneficial, but itis probable that his intercourse with Solomon was small. Be- sides his daughters, David had at least twenty sons born of his numerous wives.1 Following the bad custom of polygamy which had only been practised to a very small extent by the early patriarchs of his race, or by his immediate predecessor, he had two wives during his wanderings, five during his reign at Hebron, and an unknown number at Jerusalem, besides the harem of ten or more concubines which was regarded as an almost necessary appendage of Eastern royalty. The number of his family, and the mutual jealousies between the separateestablishments, would naturally tend to diminish his intercourse with his sons; nor is it the custom in the East for fathers totake much part in the early training of their children, however fondly they may be beloved. Polygamy necessarily tends to break down domestic affections.To Bathsheba must have fallen the chief share in the educa-1 Seer 1 Sam. xxvii. 3; 2 Sam. iii. 2-5, v. 13-16; I Chron. iii. 5-8,4-7. There were also sons of concubines who are not named (2 Sam.16; 1 Chron. iii. 2).THE CHILDHOOD OF SOLOMON. 7tion of her child, and it is impossible to suppose that her influence could have been very good. We know but little of her, but that little is almost wholly to her disadvantage. If her name was originally Bathshua1 this may possibly imply that she was, in part at least, of heathen extraction; but whether this be so or not she must have had a deep share in David's guilt. In her son's reign, the young and beautiful maiden of Shunem could be faithful to her peasant lover inspite of the unequalled magnificence of the royal match which was so passionately pressed upon her.2 Not so Bathsheba.She seems to have offered no resistance to the far graver crime of adultery committed against a most tender and faithful hus- band. She came to David in secret. She must have acquiesced, at least with silent complicity, in the base plot by which the king would fain have concealed his guilt; and to that plot she seems to have opposed no remonstrance. Of Uriah's murder she may have known nothing, but, if he was sacrificed without her cognizance at the time, she can hardly have remained unaware of that which afterwards, in Court circles at any rate, became an open secret. Yet she was so far from turning with abhorrence from the hands which were red with her husband's blood, that directly the legal period of mourning for Uriah was over, she was content to add one more to the discreditable number of David's wives. We may make every allowance for the different views of morality taken by Eastern peoples in ancient days, but the fact remains—Bathsheba had been a willing adulteress, and she continued to enjoy till death the earthly fruits of her transgression. There is no certainty, and little probability in the notion of the Rabbis that she was "themother of King Lemuel," whose appeals to her son are preserved in the Thirty-first Chapter of Proverbs; but, if she were, those exhortations to chastity would have come with more weight from other lips.According to the order of names in I Chron. iii. 5, Solomon was the youngest of five sons born to David and Bathsheba.The eldest—the child of the adultery—died in infancy. The1 I Chron iii. 5.2 She is called the Shulamite, but Shunem was known as Sulem in the days of Eusebius and Jerome, and the village is now called Solam. See Robinson's "Researches in Palestine," vol. iii. p. 402. The only other Shunammite in Scripture is Elisha's hostess (2 Kings iv. 12).8 SOLOMON.other three were Shimea, Shobab, and Nathan, of wham the latter became the ancestor of Christ after the extinction of Solomon's line in the person of Jeconiah.1 Possibly, however, Solomon's name may only be placed last by way of emphasis, for in 2 Sam. xii. it is implied that Solomon was born first of the sons of Bathsheba after her legal marriage, and this is also distinctly stated by Josephus.2 David was a fond father to allhis children, but the circumstances of Solomon's birth tended to make him specially dear to the rapidly-ageing king. He was the son of a mother passionately, if guiltily, beloved, and his birth came to fill up the void caused by the death of the first child. David would naturally regard his birth and survival asa proof that God in mercy had accepted his prayers, and seen his remorseful tears.When Solomon was born, the kingdom was at peace. David had seen enough, and more than enough of war. The thoughtof all the blood which he had shed weighed heavily upon his conscience, and his enemies called him "a man of blood." His yearning for peace appears in the name Absalom—"Father of Peace"—which he had given long before to the son born to him in Hebron of Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. By this time it must have been still stronger, and he gave to his son by Bathsheba the stately name of Shelômôh, or "The Peaceful,"3 the name which is still so common in the East in the form Suleimân.4 Nathan was immediately in- formed of the auspicious birth, and the child was placed under his sponsorship and care.5 He, too, hailed the birth1 Luke iii. 31. Salathiel, the direct descendant of Solomon and Bath- sheba in the line of Nathan, was probably adopted by Jeconiah. Comp.Zech. xii. 12; and comp. I Chron. iii. 17; Jer. xxii. 30; Matt. i. 11, 12. Salathiel's real father was Neri (Luke iii. 27), of the house of Nathan. If "Assir" ("captive") was (as the Talmudists assert) a son of Jehoiachin, he died young, and the exiled king adopted his kinsman, Salathiel.2 "Antiq." vii. 7, 4,3 According to one reading in 2 Sam. xii. 24, Bathsheba conferred thename.4 Comp. the names Shelômith, Lev. xxiv. 11; I Chron. xxvi. 25;Numb. xxxiv. 27. So Frederick is Friedereich, "rich in peace." We speak of Solomon because the New Testament and Josephus translated Shelô- moh not by Σαλωμὼν), as is done by the LXX., but by Σολομών. The long vowel is retained in Salôme.5 2 Sam. xii. 25. The verse may either mean—" He (David) sent him (theTHE CHILDHOOD OF SOLOMON. 9of the child as a sign that God had restored to David the favour which had been promised to his repentance. He there- fore gave to Solomon, "because of Jehovah," the more sacredname of Jedidiah—"Beloved of Jah."1 David himself had been called by a name which meant "The Beloved," "The Darling"; but to Solomon the prophet desired to give a name expressive of something deeper than family affection.2 This name, how- ever, is never again referred to, for it was not meant to be used in common life. The name Solomon was like a prophetic inti- mation of the ideal and the history of the magnificent unwarlike king.3In Nathan we might have expected that the boy would have had a pure, wise, and faithful teacher; and such, we may trust, was to some extent the case. But it is impossible to overlook the fact that, after his one exhibition of fearless faithfulness, Nathan seems to have sunk into comparative apathy. He lived till Solomon's accession certainly, and perhaps late into the reign,of which he wrote the earlier annals.4 If the Jewish tradition mentioned by Jerome be correct, Nathan was the eighth, perhaps the adopted, son of Jesse,5 and the same as the warriorJonathan, who is called David's "uncle" in 2 Sam. xxi. 21.6 He has also been identified with the Nathan whose sons occupied high places in Solomon's Court,—on