The Penn's Grove record., 1891-04-10
LESSON SURROUNDINGS.

INTERVENING EVENTS. u onah, the
prophet, is mentioned, in 2 Kings IA 4:
%, as having uttered a prophecy
which was fulfilled in the days of Jero-
boam H., king of Israel. He must
therefore have lived at or before that
time. The position of the lesson i'm
plies that he was the Oldest prophet
whose history and utterances form a
separate book of the Old Testament.
The history of the two kingdoms in
the interval may be briefly sketched:
Jehu, during his reign of twenty-eIght
years, was hard pressed by Hazael,
king of Syria. In Judah. Athaliah,
the mother of Ahaziah Whose brethren
had been slain by Jehu), sought to de-
stroy all the royal house, and usurp
the kingdom. Joash, an infant son of
Ahaziah, was secreted by his aunt;
Jehosheba; and, when seven years old,
wal made king by Jehoiada the priest,
Athaliah being slain. Joash repaired
the temple and reformed the kingdom,
but, when threatened by Hazael,
bought peace by giving up the hallow-
ed vessels. The evil result is described
in 2 Chronicles "a, leading to the muir
der of Zechariah and the dethrone-
ment of Joash. Jehoahaz succeeded
Jehu IN israel, and he too was op-
pressed by Hazael, His son and sue
cessor, Jehoash, was more successful.
Elisha fell sick, and the king came to
visit him. The prophet s~ymbolized
the victories over the Syrians; but
Jehoash failed TO respond sufficiently
lin the symbolical action, and the
promise of triumph was limited. The
burial of Elisha is described, and also
the revival of a man who was hastily
cast into his sepulcher when carried
out for burial. Amaziah succeeded
Joash as king of Judah. Having OBJ
tanned a victory over Edom, he sent a
challenge to Jehoash (of Israeli, and
was defeated by him. The subjects of
Amaziah then revolted against him,
and proclaimed Azariah (Uzziah) as
king, After an interval, Amaziah was
killed. Jeroboam H., succeeded Je-
hoash in Israel, and, though an evil
king. he restored the border of
Israel" according to the word of the
Lord spoken, 'by the hand of his SER
want Jonah, the o of Amittai, the
prophet, which was of Gathhepher"
u Kings IA :25]..
PLAcEs--The home of Jonah was
Gath-hepher, a town of Zebulun. The
name means ''the wine-press of the
we'll" 1t has been identified with a
place now called el-Meshad, in which
the tomb of Jonah is still pointed out,
situated two miles east of Sefurieh
(Sepphoris) south-w west of Tiberias.
.Jonna fnow Jaffa, or YafaJ, on the
Mediterranean,-one of the Oldest
known cities,-was some distance south
west of Jonah's home, in the opposite
direction from Nineveh. 1t is some-
what more than thirty miles northwest
of erusalem, and the nearest seaport to
that city. mentioned in both the Old
and new Testaments. Tarshish is
usually identified with Tartessus, a
PbenicIan city in Spain. But where
that ancient emporium was situated is
not certain. Cadiz (Kadesh) is claimed
by many as the site. Some, however,
think Tarsus, in Cllicia, is meant in
the lesson. The city then existed, and
IL is claimed that a ship for that port
would be more likely to be found at
Joppa than one sailing to the more dis
tant city. CThe mention of 'a navy of
Tarshish" in the days of Solomon does
not afford any light on the position of
the place, since that phrase may refer
to the kind of vessels) NIneveh is
named in the lesson, but will be refer
red to in connection with the next
TIME.-Jeroboam Ii. began to reign,
according to the usual chronology, in
OAI,r 1afae - ID
G. s27 and 1928, while Davis gives b. @.
100. There are no data for determin-
ING the time more closely. Jonah may
have lived in the preceding reign, or
at some time In tho earlier part of the
reign of Jeroboam III.
PRRsoSs.-Jonah the prophet, son of
Amittai. His name means 'tdove." The
mariners; the shipmaster.
INCIDENTS Jonah is hidden by Je-
hoyah to go to Nineveh and cry against
that wicked city. He fees to Joppa.
Finding a ship going to Tarshish, he
takes passage in it. A great storm
threatens to destroy the ship; every
n calls upon his god, and they seek
TO tighten the ships. Jonah has gone
below, and is sleeping, but is aroused
by the shipmaster, who tells him to
pray to his God. 1t is proposed to cast
lots to see who is the cause of the evil,
and the lot falls on Jonah. They ques-
ton HIM, and lie tells his country, and
acknowledges Jehovah as his God.
The men are afraid, and ask what he
has done. lie confesses, and, when
questioned as to what they should do,
tells them to cast him overheard, and
the sea will become cain. They still
attempt to row to land; but, failing in
this, they pray to Jehovah, asking for
giyeness for what they are about to do,