chariot." His body was afterwards thrown into the field of Naboth, agreeably to the prediction of Elijah. Q. What became of Abaziah?

A. He was smitten in his chariot by Jehu's servants, in the way to Gur, and died at Megiddo.*

Q. What became of Jezebel?

A. Having tired her head and painted her eyes,† she appeared at the window, and as Jehu entered the city, accosted him with reproaches. Lifting up his face therefore to the window, he cried, Who is on my side ? and some eunuchs looking out, he commanded them to throw her down. "So they threw her down :—and he trod her under foot ;" and her body was devoured by dogs, according to the word of Elijah.

Q. What misfortune befel the house of Ahaziah at the same time?

A. While Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he met forty-two of the brethren of Ahaziah

* The unhappy consequences of forming bad connexions were never more strikingly displayed than in the evils entailed upon the family of good Jehoshaphat, by the alliance contracted with that of Ahab. It turned Jehoram from the ways of his father, and he not only died under the displeasure of God, but almost all his family was cut off. 2 Chron. xxi, 6, 12—17. xxii. 1-4. 7, 8, 10.

+ 2 Kings ix. 30. Not painted her face, but put her eyes in painting-tinged the eye lashes with a black powder, a custom referred to Jerem. iv. 30. Ezek. xxiii. 40. and still common in many parts of the east. According to Dr. E. D. CLARKE,

the powder used by the Syrian women is prepared from sulphuret of antimony.

going to salute the royal family, and caused them all to be put to death.

Q. Who was Jehu's particular friend ?

A. Jonadab son of Rechab.

Q. In what scheme did he assist Jehu ?

A. In his scheme to destroy Baal out of Israel. All the worshippers of this god being assembled on pretence of a great sacrifice, were slain by Jehu's army; and the images and temple of Baal destroyed.

Q. What remarkable thing is recorded of Jonadab? A. He commanded his posterity to drink no wine for ever, neither to build houses, nor to sow seed, nor to plant vineyards, but to dwell in tents all their days.*

Q. How was Jehu rewarded for his zeal?

A. The Lord assured him that his children of the fourth generation should sit on the throne of Israel. Nevertheless Jehu walked in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat; wherefore, in the latter part of his reign, "the Lord began to cut Israel short, and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel."

Q. How long did Jehu reign ?

A. He reigned twenty-eight years, and left the kingdom to Jehoahaz his son.

A. M. 3145. Q. Was the reign of this prince prosB. C. 859.

perous?

Joash 23. A. No: he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and was therefore delivered into the hands of Hazael, king of Syria, who reduced the army of Israel

* Jerem. xxxv.

Y

to fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for he "had made them like the dust by threshing." Wherefore Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord gave them some deliverance from their enemies.

A. M. 3161.

B. C. 843.

Joash

Q. How long did he reign?

A. He reigned seventeen years, and then 39. left the kingdom to Joash his son*.

Q. What prince made war on Joash ?

A. Amaziah, king of Judah, whom he defeated at Bethshemesh?

Q. What followed this victory?

A. Joash took Jerusalem and plundered the temple; and after taking hostages, and breaking down four hundred cubits of the wall, returned to Samaria.

Q. Was Joash always successful?

:

A. No he was sore oppressed by the Syrians. Therefore he went to visit Elisha, then on his death bed; and lamenting to him the fate of his unhappy country, the dying prophet promised him three victories over Syria.t

Q. Were his predictions fulfilled?

A. Yes Joash defeated Benhadad thrice, and recovered the cities of Israel.

Q. What occurred in the sepulchre of Elisha ?

* Joash began to reign in his father's life time.-See Chron. Tab. No. 4.

The arrow of deliverance by which Elisha symbolized the rescue of Israel from the yoke of Syria, 2 Kings xiii. 17. seems to refer to an ancient custom of throwing an arrow or a spear into a country as a declaration of war.-See HORNE's Introd. vol. iii. part 2. chap. 7.

A. A dead man being thrown into the sepulchre no sooner touched the bones of Elisha than he revived and stood on his feet.

A. M. 3175. Q. How long did Joash reign?

B. C. 829. A. He reigned sixteen years, and was Amaziah 15. succeeded by Jeroboam II.

Q. Did Jeroboam fear God?

A. No: "he did evil in the sight of the LORD:" nevertheless the Lord saved Israel by his hand; for he defeated the Syrians, captured Damascus, and "restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah,* the son of Amittai, the prophet, of Gath-hepher."

A. M. 3214. Q. How long did Jeroboam reign?

B. C. 790. 4. One and forty years his death was Uzziah 15. followed by an interregnum of two and twenty years.

Q. What testimony does the Spirit bear to the religious condition of Judah and Israel generally, about this time?

A. "Ephraim," saith the Lord, "compasseth me about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit ; but Judah yet† ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints."

"Jonah is reckoned the most ancient of the prophets, usually so called, whose writings are preserved in the canon of Scripture."-Bp. NEWTON's Dissertation.

+ Hosea xi. 12.

Q. What particular mission was Jonah commanded to undertake about this time?

A. He was commanded to go and prophecy against Nineveh but instead of obeying the Lord, he went down to Joppa, and embarked for Tarshish to go from the presence of the Lord.

Q. What happened on the voyage?

A. A violent storm arose; and the mariners, after calling in vain upon their gods, and chiding Jonah for sleeping in the midst of danger, cast lots to ascertain for whose cause they were thus threatened with destruction; and the lot fell on Jonah. Being questioned by the mariners, he confessed himself a Hebrew who had fled from the presence of the Lord. They were, therefore, exceedingly afraid; but consulting him as to the means of averting the impending calamity, he told them that if he were cast into the sea, a calm would ensue.

Q. Was his counsel followed?

A. Not at first: "the men rowed hard to bring the vessel to land:" finding every effort unavailing, after praying the Lord not to lay innocent blood to their charge, they took Jonah and cast him into the sea, which immediately ceased from raging. "Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD and made vows."

Q. What became of Jonah ?

A. "The LORD had prepared a great fish* to swallow

*Fishes sixty feet long have been seen in the Mediter ranean. "Exactly in the same part of the sea where the