History of the Jews, Vol. 1 (of 6)Graetz, Heinrich
History
History of the Jews, Vol. 1 (of 6)
Graetz, Heinrich
Jews -- History
After Jehoiada's death, however, a contest arose between his son and
successor Zachariah and the king, which cost the former his life. The
details have not reached us; it has only been stated that at Joash's
command some princes of Judah stoned the son of Jehoiada in the
Temple courts, and that the young high priest, in his dying moments,
exclaimed, "May God take account of this and avenge it!"
In every other respect, the overthrow of the house of Omri, which had
caused so many differences and quarrels in Samaria and Jerusalem, had
resulted in the internal peace of both kingdoms. The present condition
was tolerable, except that private altars still existed in the kingdom
of Judah, and that the God of Israel was still worshipped under the
form of a bull in the kingdom of the Ten Tribes. The worship of Baal
was, however, banished from both kingdoms.
From without, both lands were harassed by enemies. Jehu, the bold
chief of horsemen, who had destroyed the house of Omri in Jezreel and
Samaria, did not display the same energy against powerful foreign
enemies. Hazael, the Aramæan regicide, who was daring in warlike
undertakings and eager for conquest, attacked the land of Israel with
his troops, took the citadels by storm, burnt the houses, and spared
neither children nor women. He also conquered the towns on the other
side of the Jordan. The entire district of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben,
from the mountains of Bashan to the Arnon, was snatched from the
kingdom of the Ten Tribes. Many of the inhabitants were crushed to
death under iron ploughshares; the survivors were reduced to a state
of semi-bondage. Jehu was not in a position to hold his ground against
Hazael, perhaps because he also met with opposition from the king of
Tyre, whose relatives and allies he had slain.
Matters fared still worse under his son Jehoahaz (859-845). The land
had been so hard pressed by Hazael and his son Ben-hadad, and the
Israelites had been so reduced in strength, that their available
forces consisted of but 10,000 infantry, fifty horse-soldiers, and ten
war-chariots. From time to time the Aramæans made inroads, carried
off booty and captured prisoners, whom they treated and sold as
slaves. Jehoahaz appears to have concluded a disgraceful peace with
the conqueror, to whose troops he granted free passage through his
lands. Thereupon Hazael overran the land of the Philistines with his
warriors, and besieged and conquered the town of Gath. He then intended
to advance against Jerusalem, but Joash submitted without a stroke and
bought peace. Either popular discontent was aroused by his cowardice,
or he had in other ways caused disaffection; at all events, several
nobles of Judah conspired against him, and two of them, Jozachar and
Jehozabad, killed him in a house where he chanced to be staying.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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