..years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two
years over Israel_. In this verse, which is not found in the LXX,
the number for the years of his life is wanting; and originally
the number for the years of his reign was left out too: the _two_
is quite absurd, and has grown out of the following word for year,
which in Hebrew has a somewhat similar appearance.
In company with the chronological formulas, we find also the
religious (1Samuel vii. 2-4).
"While the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, it was twenty years;
and all the house of Israel came together after Jehovah. And
Samuel spake unto the whole house of Israel, saying: 'If ye do
return to Jehovah with all your hearts, then put away the strange
gods and the Astartes from among you, and prepare your hearts unto
Jehovah, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you out of the
hand of the Philistines.' And the children of Israel did put away
the Baals and Astartes, and served Jehovah only."
We are not told, in what precedes this passage, of any act of
declension from Jehovah, and according to chap. iv. the Israelites
showed no want of faith in Jehovah in the unfortunate battle with
the Philistines.
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