] This piercing cold here complained of by Lupus agrees well to the
time of the year when Claudius began his reign; it being for certain
about the months of November, December, or January, and most probably
a few days after January the twenty-fourth, and a few days before the
Roman Parentalia.

[15] It is both here and elsewhere very remarkable, that the murders of
the vilest tyrants, who yet highly deserved to die, when those murderers
were under oaths, or other the like obligations of fidelity to them,
were usually revenged, and the murderers were cut off themselves, and
that after a remarkable manner; and this sometimes, as in the present
case, by those very persons who were not sorry for such murders, but
got kingdoms by them. The examples are very numerous, both in sacred and
profane histories, and seem generally indications of Divine vengeance
on such murderers. Nor is it unworthy of remark, that such murderers of
tyrants do it usually on such ill principles, in such a cruel manner,
and as ready to involve the innocent with the guilty, which was the case
here, ch. 1. sect. 14, and ch. 2. sect. 4, as justly deserved the Divine
vengeance upon them. Which seems to have been the case of Jehu also,
when, besides the house of Ahab, for whose slaughter he had a commission
from God, without any such commission, any justice or commiseration, he
killed Ahab's great men, and acquaintance, and priests, and forty-two of
the kindred of Ahaziah, 2 Kings 10:11-14. See Hosea 1:4. I do not
mean here to condemn Ehud or Judith, or the like executioners of God's
vengeance on those wicked tyrants who had unjustly oppressed God's own
people under their theocracy; who, as they appear still to have had no
selfish designs nor intentions to slay the innocent, so had they still
a Divine commission, or a Divine impulse, which was their commission for
what they did, Judges 3:15, 19, 20; Judith 9:2; Test. Levi. sect. 5, in
Authent. Rec. p. 312. See also page 432.

[16] Here St. Luke is in some measure confirmed, when he reforms us,
ch. 3:1, that Lysanias was some time before tetrarch of Abilene, whose
capital was Abila; as he is further confirmed by Ptolemy, the great
geographer, which Spanheim here observes, when he calls that city Abila
of Lysanias. See the note on B. XVII. ch. 11. sect. 4; and Prid. at the
years 36 and 22. I esteem this principality to have belonged to the
land of Canaan originally, to have been the burying-place of Abel, an