1 Kings 14:14

Moreover [Heb. and] the Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam [for the fulfilment, see 1 Kings 15:29 ] that day: but what? even now . [Rawlinson only expresses a general feeling when he says that "no satisfactory sense can be obtained from the Hebrew text," and suggests that it is corrupt or defective. The passage, no doubt, is one of extreme difficulty, and inasmuch as the MSS . and Versions lend us no aid to its interpretation, affords scope for conjecture. The explanation I venture to submit may, I hope, contribute—it can hardly do more—to the elucidation of the text. I observe that in 1 Kings 15:13 זֶה is used of Abijah, "this one alone," etc. I assume that it has the same import here, viz; "this one today," i.e; "this one dies or is cut off today," הַיּוֹם being understood as constantly, adverbially,— hodie (see, e . g ; Genesis 4:14 ; Genesis 22:14 ; 1 Kings 2:24 ). It would be a natural reflection to the prophet who had just been speaking of the excision of the house of Jeroboam, "one perishes today, judgment is already begun," i.e. As to the rest, for עָתָּה I would read אָתָּה , which has practically the same sound, and for which, consequently, עַתָּה is sometimes substituted by the transcriber, as in 1 Kings 1:18 , 1 Kings 1:20 , and understand "And what wilt thou also do?" i.e; what will become of thee also? It is quite possible ( 1 Kings 1:11 ) that Jeroboam's wife perished in the wholesale destruction of his house, as it is clear from the severe punishment assigned to her ( 1 Kings 1:12 ) that she must have shared in his sin. The readiness with which she lent herself to this deceit ( 1 Kings 1:4 ) also favours the supposition that she had approved his policy. She would then have survived her husband only two years. Keil's explanation, "cut off the house of Jeroboam this day," appears contrary to actual fact, while to interpret "that day" (with the A.V.) is contrary to Hebrew grammar.]