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THESE two notations imply, that Jehoram began twice to reign in Judah, while his father was living, and both are accurate. In the 21ft of Jehoshaphat began the conjunct reign; fo that the 22d was the first of Joram in Samaria, and the fecond of Jehoram in Judah. Again, Jehofhaphat died during the currency of his 25th year, which being incomplete, was accounted the first of his fon's fole reign, coincident with the fifth of Joram in Samaria. At the beginning of this year Jehoshaphat was living; but his reign in full years did not exceed 24. The refult of a minute fcrutiny into the phrafeology of the facred writers, is fufficient to convince every intelligent and candid reader, that fome expreffions, feemingly contradictory, are examples of the fricteft precision.

Both the eleventh and twelfth of Joram in Ifrael are affigned for the one year of Ahaziah, the fon of Jehoram in Judah. Thefe dates exclude both perplexity and error. In the last year of his father's reign and life, Ahaziah had been invefted with royalty, as copartner in the government. But as the fenior fovereign lived to the end of that year, the fon's acceffion is computed from the 12th of Joram, king of Ifrael.

THE age of Jehoram, king of Judah, when he began to reign, was 32 t. The fubfequent genealogies require, that his reign be computed from the 21st of his father inclufively. In the firft of his fole reign he was 36 years old, and after a reign of eight years, he died at the age of 44. His fon Ahaziah fucceeded him 2 Kings, viii. 17.

2 Kings, ix. 29. and viii. 25.

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at the age of 42*. This egregious mistake in the original text, is, as Kennicott obferves, happily corrected in an excellent MS. fuppofed to be 8co years old, where the number is 22, and in the Syriac and Arabic verfions. This is likewise the reading in the editions of the Septuagint, by Aldus, and by Wechelius, 1697. But the most decifive authority is that of the parallel Hebrew text t, where all the copies, manuscript and printed, with all the verfions, exhibit the lefs number, which feems to have been originally marked with the numerical letters, 22, and afterwards inadvertently changed into, 42, in one copy of the text in the Chronicles. In procefs of time the erroneous notation became general, while the true reading in the parallel paffage was retained. In computation it is an invariable rule, that hiftorical confiftency is more to be regarded, than notes of number, which, if cafually interchanged, or otherwise varied, are a fource of perplexity in reckoning by generations.

By the aid of chronological characters, applied to coexiftent reigns, are the years of the kings of Ifrael, adjusted to those of Judah, in this period, the common measure being 93, in perfect harmony with the reports of the Sacred Chronicle. Two numbers only deviate from the truth of computation, the 36th of Afa is put for the 26th, and the 18th for the 22d of Jehoshaphat. But fuch mistakes, as are difcoverable by comparing the context with itself, lead to no deception.

* 2 Chron. xxii. 2.

† 2 Kings, viii. 26.

CHAP.

IN In this year he was flain by Shallum; and Shallum, after one full month, by Menahem. According to the ufual rule of computation, the whole year fhould have been reckoned to Menahem. But his right to the throne was not immediately recognized. Of a throne, acquired by blood, he could not obtain poffeffion, without violence. Thofe inhabitants, who would not open their cities to him, he fmote with the fword, and ripped up the women with child. At laft, defpairing of fuccefs, he bribed Pul, king of Affyria, with 1000 talents of filver, to confirm the kingdom in his hand, and prevailed.

THE time of this conflict for domination, it is reafonable to fuppofe, was two years, including the few months affigned to Zachariah and Shallum. Having forcibly invaded the throne, he reigned 10 years, and was fucceeded by Pekaiah, his fon, who died after two years. The reigns in Samaria fubfequent to the demife of Jeroboam, adjusted to the remaining years of Uzziah in Jerufalem, are as follow:

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II. THE remaining divifion of this period comprehends the two reigns of Jotham and Ahaz with the firft fix years of Hezekiah :- 16 +16+6=38. In the chronicle of the contemporary kings in Ifrael, 20 years only are affigned to Pekah, and 9 to Hofhea; the deficiency 9. Two notations in the regifter indicate a successful expedient for afcertaining the equality of the numbers.

1. PEKAH was flain in the 20th year from the death of Uzziah, or 4th of Ahaz, which the facred hiftorian, by a very unusual mode of expreffion, calls the 20th of Jotham the fon of Uzziah. Jotham reigned but 16 years. Pekah was, therefore, murdered in the fourth of his fucceffor. But here an objection occurs. 66. 11 the second year of Pekah, king of Ifrael, began Jotham, king of Judah, to reign t.". Confequently the first of Pekah was coincident both with the fecond of his predeceffor Pekahiah, and alfo with the 52d of Uzziah, on the throne of Judah. But, if one invariable rule in computation be applied, the objection will disappear. Pekah most probably afcended the throne of Ifrael a few days or weeks before the death of Uzziah, who it may be prefumed did furvive the then enfuing month of Abib, whence the fecond of Pekah, according to the ufual mode of computation, began. From the fame term likewife was counted the first of Jotham. Yet, the far greater part of the fame year being common to both princes, the facred hiftorian, by connecting the

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20th of Pekah with the 20th from the demife of Uzziah exclufively, intimates, that, in this one inftance, he deviates from the general rule of counting a few days or weeks a whole year.

2. THE reign of Hofhea, in Samaria, is dated from the 12th of Ahaz; that is, eight full years after the murder of Pekah. Here is a decifive intimation of an interreign in Ifrael.

To Hofhea is affigned a reign of nine years. But the 20 years of Pekah, the nine of Hofhea, and the eight of an interreign, is no more than 37, or less by unity than 38, the interval from the death of Uzziah to the fixth of Hezekiah inclu

fively. This defect may be fupplied, by supposing, that, in the 12th of Ahaz, Hofhea, either by force, or by the consent of the people, had furmounted the refiftance of an oppofite faction, and that his reign is to be computed from the 13th of Ahaz. Thus are the reigns of the kings, in the rival states, brought to arr exact equation.

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