d by the richness of the latter's armour, the Syrians
fell upon him, but on his raising his war-cry they perceived their
mistake, and turning from the King of Judah they renewed their quest of
the Israelitish leader. While they were vainly seeking him, an archer
drew a bow "at a venture," and pierced him in the joints of his cuirass.
"Wherefore he said to his charioteer, Turn thine hand, and carry me
out of the host; for I am sore wounded." Perceiving, however, that the
battle was going against him, he revoked the order, and remained on
the field the whole day, supported by his armour-bearers. He expired at
sunset, and the news of his death having spread panic through the ranks,
a cry arose, "Every man to his city, and every man to his country!" The
king's followers bore his body to Samaria,* and Israel again relapsed
into the position of a vassal, probably under the same conditions as
before the revolt.

* 1 Kings xxii. 28-38 (cf. 2 Ohron. xviii. 28-34), with
interpolations in verses 35 and 38. It is impossible to
establish the chronology of this period with any certainty,
so entirely do the Hebrew accounts of it differ from the
Assyrian. The latter mention Ahab as alive at the time of
the battle of Qarqar in 854 B.C. and Jehu on the throne in
842 B.C. We must, therefore, place in the intervening twelve
years, first, the end of Ahab's reign; secondly, the two
years of Ahaziah; thirdly, the twelve years of Joram;
fourthly, the beginning of the reign of Jehu--in all,
possibly fourteen years. The reign of Joram has been
prolonged beyond reason by the Hebrew annalists, and it
alone lends itself to be curtailed. Admitting that the siege
of Samaria preceded the battle of Qarqar, we may surmise
that the three years which elapsed, according to the
tradition (1 Kings xxii. 1), between the triumph of Ahab and
his death, fall into two unequal periods, two previous to
Qarqar, and one after it, in such a manner that the revolt
of Israel would have been the result of the defeat of the
Damascenes; Ahab must have died in 835 B.C., as most modern
historians agree. On the other hand, it is scarcely probable
that Jehu ascended the throne at the very moment that
Shalmaneser was defeating Hazael in 842 B.C.; we can only
carry back his accession to the preceding year, possibly
843. The duration of two years for the