salem. Jehoshaphat, who occupied the
throne, was, like his father Asa, a devout worshipper of Jahveh, but
his piety did not blind him to the secular needs of the moment. The
experience of his predecessors had shown that the union of the twelve
tribes under the rule of a scion of Judah was a thing of the past for
ever; all attempts to restore it had ended in failure and bloodshed,
and the house of David had again only lately been saved from ruin by the
dearly bought intervention of Ben-hadad I. and his Syrians. Jehoshaphat
from the outset clearly saw the necessity of avoiding these errors of
the past; he accepted the situation and sought the friendship of Israel.
An alliance between two princes so unequal in power could only result in
a disguised suzerainty for one of them and a state of vassalage for
the other; what Ben-hadad's alliance was to Ahab, that of Ahab was to
Jehoshaphat, and it served his purpose in spite of the opposition of
the prophets.1 The strained relations between the two countries were
relaxed, and the severed tribes on both sides of the frontier set about
repairing their losses; while Hiel the Bethelite at length set about
rebuilding Jericho on behalf of Samaria,* Jehoshaphat was collecting
around him a large army, and strengthening himself on the west against
the Philistines and on the south against the Bedawin of the desert.**
The marriage of his eldest son Jehoram*** with Athaliah subsequently
bound the two courts together by still closer ties;**** mutual-visits
were exchanged, and it was on the occasion of a stay made by Jehoshaphat
at Jezreel that the expedition against Eamoth was finally resolved on.

* The subordinate position of Jehoshaphat is clearly
indicated by the reply which he makes to Ahab when the
latter asks him to accompany him on this expedition: "I am
as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy
horses" (1 Kings xxii. 4).

** 1 Kings xvi. 34, where the writer has preserved the
remembrance of a double human sacrifice, destined, according
to the common custom in the whole of the East, to create
guardian spirits for the new building: "he laid the
foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his firstborn,
and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest
son Segub; according to the word of the Lord." [For the
curse pronounced on whoever should rebuild Jericho, see
Josh. vi. 26.--Tr.]

***