as not in the earthquake: and after the
earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the
fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that He
wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering
in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said,
'What doest thou here, Elijah?'" God then commanded him to anoint Hazael
as King of Syria, and Jehu, son of Nimshi, as King over Israel, and
Elisha, son of Shaphat, as prophet in his stead, "and him that escapeth
from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the
sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay." The sacred writings go on to tell us
that the prophet who had held such close converse with the Deity was
exempt from the ordinary laws of humanity, and was carried to heaven
in a chariot of fire. The account that has come down to us shows the
impression of awe left by Elijah on the spirit of his age.*

Ahab was one of the most warlike among the warrior-kings of Israel. He
ruled Moab with a strong hand,** kept Judah in subjection,*** and in his
conflict with Damascus experienced alternately victory and honourable
defeat. Hadadidri [Hadadezer], of whom the Hebrew historians make a
second Benhadad,**** had succeeded the conqueror of Baasha.^

* The story of Elijah is found in 1 Kings xvii.-xix., xxi.
17-29, and 2 Kings i., ii. 1-14.

** Inscription of Mesha, 11. 7, 8.

*** The subordination of Judah is nowhere explicitly
mentioned: it is inferred from the attitude adopted by
Jehoshaphat in presence of Ahab (1 Kings xxii. 1, et seq.).

**** The Assyrian texts call this Dadidri, Adadidri, which
exactly corresponds to the Plebrew form Hadadezer.

^ The information in the Booh of Kings does not tell us at
what time during the reign of Ahab his first wars with
Hadadezer (Benhadad II.) and the siege of Samaria occurred.
The rapid success of Shalmaneser's campaigns against
Damascus, between 854 and 839 B.C., does not allow us to
place these events after the invasion of Assyria. Ahab
appears, in 854, at the battle of Karkar, as the ally of
Benhadad, as I shall show later.

The account of his campaigns in the Hebrew records has only reached us
in a seemingly condensed and distorted condition. Israel, strengthened
by the exploits of Omri, must have offered him a strenuous resistance,
but we know nothing of the causes, n