Bible -- Commentaries; Bible -- Feminist criticism; Women in the Bible
It seems to me that it would puzzle a disinterested person to decide
which of those savage deeds was more "satanic" than the other, and to
imagine why Jezebel is now dragged forth to "shake her gory locks" as a
frightful example to the American women who ask for recognized right to
self-government. I submit, that if Jezebel is a disgrace to womankind,
our dear brethren at any rate have not much cause to be proud of
Elijah, so, possibly, we might strike a truce over the character of
these two long-buried worthies. It may be well, though, to note here
that the now most offensive epithet which the English translators
attached to Jezebel's name, originally signified nothing more than that
she was consecrated to the worship of a religion, rival to that which
ancient Israel assumed to be "the only true one."
E. B. D.
CHAPTER III.
2 Kings iv.
1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the
prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou
knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to
take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what
hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything
save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors,
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door and shalt pour
out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she shut the door and poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto
her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a
vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the
oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
The first Book of Kings had an illustrious beginning in the glories of
the kingdom of Israel when it was entirely under King David and in the
beginning of the reign of Solomon; but the second book has a melancholy
outlook in the desolation and division of the kingdom of Israel and of
Judea. Then Elijah and Elisha, their prophets, instructed the princes
and the people in all that would come to pass, the captivity of the ten
tribes, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the good reigns of Josiah and
of Hezekiah.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account