they could trust, to Jerusalem, they teen more alone over the kingdom crowned him in the court of the tem- of Israel. He copied after the wickple, with great solemnity. Alarmed edness of Jeroboam the son of Newith the acclamations, Athaliah ran bat, and perhaps honoured him with to the court; but was quickly carried the name of his son. By Joash, God forth, and slain. Joash and his delivered the Israelites from their subjects covenanted with one ano-Syrian oppressors. With no small ther to serve the Lord, and him concern, he visited the prophet Elionly. No sooner was Joash placed sha in his dying moments; and from in the palace, than the people pulled him had the prediction of a triple down the statue of Baal, and demo-victory over the Syrians. Joash had lished his temple, and slew Muttan not long routed the Syrians, and rehis priest; but the high places were covered the cities which they had not removed. Jehoiada then, as tu- taken from Israel, when Amaziah tor to Joash, set on foot the repairs king of Judah provoked him to war; of the temple; but it was so slowly but Joash defeated him, pillaged his done, that in the 23d year of Joash, capital, and returned to Samaria in it was scarcely begun. Instigated triumph, and died A. M. 3179, 2 by Joash, Jehoiada set about it ef- Kings xiii. 2 Chron. xxv. fectually, by a voluntary contribu- JOB, sorrowful, crying out, or tion. While Jehoiada lived, Joash abiding enmity, a noted inhabitant zealously promoted reformation; but of the land of Uz, eastward of Gilead. no sooner was that high priest in his An addition to the Septuagint version grave, than Joash hearkened to his of his book, as well as Philo, Aristeas, wicked courtiers. The worship of and Polyhistor, and a great many of God was neglected, and idolatry pre- the fathers, reckoned him the same vailed. Zechariah the priest, the as Jobah, one of the ancient kings of son of Jehoiada, faithfully warned EDOM, and third in descent from the people of their sin and danger. Esau; but it is more probable that he By order of Joash, his ungrateful was a descendant of Nahor, by Huz cousin, he was stoned to death, be- his eldest son, as Elihu was by Buz tween the porch and the altar. This his second. Dr. Owen thinks Job martyr, when dying, assured them was contemporary with Abraham, but that his death should be revenged. how then could Eliphaz, a descenHis prediction was quickly accom- dant of Esau, have been his aged plished. Hazael invaded the king-friend? Some place him as late as dom; but, with a large sum of mo- the times of Ezekiel: but how then ney, Joash redeemed his capital from have we no allusion in his book to plunder. About year after, a small the passage of the Hebrews through host of Syrians ravaged the country, the Red Sea, or their entrance into defeated the huge army of Joash, Canaan, though there is to the depillaged his capital, and murdered luge, and to the burning of Sodom his princes. After loading him with and Gomorrah with fire and brimignominy and disgrace, they left stone? This renders it probable, him; but his own servants, soon af- that his affliction was before the Heter, murdered him in his own bed, brews' departure from Egypt; though in the 41st year of his reign, A. M. perhaps a great part of his 140 years 3116: and he was buried in the roy-life afterwards might be posterior to al city, but not in the sepulchres of it. This is confirmed by the considerthe Kings, 2 Kings xi. and xii. 2 ation of Eliphaz, his aged friend, who Chron. xxiii. xxiv. spoke first, his being a Temarie, and JOASH, or JEHOASH, son of Je- consequently at least a gre randhoahaz, and grandson of Jehu. Af- child of Esau. Some have pretendter a reign of two years in conjunc-ed, that the whole book of Job is but tion with his father, he reigned four-la dramatic fiction, and that no such

person ever existed: but God's men- them. Next, he excited the savage tion of him as a righteous man, to- Chaldeans to fall on the camels and gether with Noah and Daniel, and murder the servants who attended James's testimony to his patience and them. Much about the same time, happy end, sufficiently refute that ima- while the ten children feasted in the gination, Ezek. xiv. and James v. 11. house of their elder brother, he rais-At first, Job was in a very pros-ed a terrible storm, that buried them perous condition: he had seven sons all in the ruins of the house. In each and three daughters, who lived in of these disasters, some one was prethe utmost harmony and affluence: served, to bring the tidings to Job. he had a prodigious number of flocks, Scarcely had one finished his doleherds, and servants; and was the ful story, when another came with greatest man in that country. His his. In great composure, Job heard piety and integrity were distinguish-all; and at last, to mark his grief, ed; his clearness from idolatry and rent his clothes, and shaved off the unchastity, and his abhorrence of hair of his head. With resignation pride and injustice were remarkable. to the whole, he blessed God, who Not only did he regulate his own had given him his children and personal practice, but took care of wealth, and who had taken them the piety of his children. When his away, Job i. Not long after, Satan sons held their annual feasts, perhaps presented himself again before God on their respective birth-days, he in the former manner, and was askalways rose early next morning, and ed where he had been? and if he with prayer offered up sacrifices for them, fearing lest they might have sinned, and cursed, contemned, or forsaken, God in their hearts, Job i. 1-5. and xxix. and xxxi.

had observed how piously Job had behaved himself under his heavy afflictions, which had not been inflicted for any peculiar wickedness? He suggested, that there was very little Upon a certain day, when the sons in Job's being content to lose his of God were assembled together be- children and wealth, when his perfore him, Satan presented himself son was untouched; but alleged that among them. In a manner we do not if that were touched, he would conunderstand, God questioned the fiend, temptuously curse God, and give up where he had been employed? and his service.

if he had considered, or set his heart For the further discovery and excite> against his servant Job, so distin-ment of Job's grace, Satan was perguished for piety and goodness? Sa-mitted to do all that he could against tan insinuated, that Job was but a his body, if he but spared his life. mercenary hypocrite, who served He immediately afflicted his body all God to obtain and preserve his un-over with most loathsome boils. Job common wealth; but if he was sharp-laid himself down on a dunghill, and ly, or even a little afflicted, he would with a potsherd scraped off the pu contemptuously curse his Maker, and trid matter that ran from his sores, bid adieu to his service. For the In an upbraiding tone, his wife bid manifestation and exercise of Job's him curse God, and put an end to grace, Satan was permitted to ruin his life. He replied that the motion all he had; but limited from touch- was quite absurd, as it becomes us to ing his person. He immediately receive afiliction from God's hand, vented his malice against Job: he as willingly as the most agreeable stirred up the thievish Sabeans to fall outward favours, Jobii. His friends, on his cattle. These they drove hearing of his disaster, came to visit away and his servants they murder- him. The chief were Eliphaz the ed. e next caused fire from hea- Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, Zoven to fall on his flocks, and burn phar the Naamathite, with a young them up, and the servants that kept man named Elihu. When they saw VOL. II. F

him at a distance, they could scarcely distress.

His friends came to him on

believe it was he: when they came every side, and each gave him comnear, they could not speak to him pliments of money. It was not long for seven days; they were so shocked before his riches were double of what at his trouble, and saw him so affect-they had been, and he had as many ed with his pain. At last Job's pa- children as before. These were not tience was overcome, and he cursed doubled, as the former were not lost; the day of his birth, and wished, that but gone to the eternal state. To his either he had never been born, or three daughters, the most comely in had been soon after cut off by death. the country, he gave names, Jemima; This occasioned a conference be- Kezia, Keren-happuch, signifying, twixt him and his friends. Eliphaz that bis prosperity, happiness, and and Bildad took three different turns glory, were recovered. After this in the conversation, and Zophar two. Job lived 140 years, and saw his To add to his trouble, they insisted, posterity to the fourth generation. that God never punishes men with un- The original language of the book common strokes, but for uncommon of Job is Hebrew, but blended with sins. They affirmed, that certainly many Arabic and Chaldee expres he was a wicked hypocrite, since he sions, and peculiar turns, not unusual had been so uncommonly punished. in Hebrew, which causes the obscu They intermingled a great many ex-rity and difficulty of this book; but cellent hints concerning God, and perhaps it was the language of the advices to duty. He answered them Arabs in Job's days. It is said to be all in their turns: he maintained, that written in verse, but unconfined to he was no hypocrite, but one who any particular measure, the beauty of feared God; and that distinguished the verse consisting principally in no afflictions in this world were often the ble expressions, bold and sublime lot of the godly, though eternal pu- thoughts, lively emotions, fine denishments in hell were reserved only scriptions, with a great variety of for the wicked. By his reasonings, characters. So that there is not in and his solemn protestations of his all antiquity to be found a piece of integrity, he put them to silence. poetry more copious, more lofty, Elihu then spoke, and, admitting more diversified, more adorned, or Job to be a saint, he sharply reproved more affecting, than this. The auhim for his unguarded speeches, and thor, whoever he was, has put in his desire to justify himself at the practice all the beauties of his art, in expense of the divine honour. His order to make the four persons, whom discourse introduced Job's convic- he introduces as interlocutors, keep tion. God, by a solemn speech, de-up each his proper character. As a claratory of his power and sove- canonical book it was received by the reignity in the works of nature, par- Jews, and from them adopted by the ticularly with respect to the earth, the Christian church. sea, air, stars, lions, goats, hinds, JOEL, willing, commanding, beginwild asses, unicorn, ostriches, horse, ning, or swearing, the son of Pethuel, hawks, eagles, behemoth, and levia- whom some, without ground, take for tian, and by a number of pungent Samuel, was one of the lesser pro queries, convinced Job of his igno- phets. As he makes no mention of rance and vileness, to a great degree. the ten tribes, it seems that he proJob no sooner repented of his mis- phesied after their captivity, in the carriages, than God reproved his time of Hezekiah or Manasseh. He three friends for their misrepresenta-represents a fearful famine, occation of his providence, and charged sioned by excessive drought, and by them to offer sacrifice, and to desire destructive vermin; he directs to Job to pray for their forgiveness. fasting and prayer, as the means of Hereon, Job was relieved from his deliverance: he foretells their rescue