QUES. 7. – In 2 Chron. 11:20, the mother of Abijah is called Maachah, the daughter of Absalom. In 13:2, she is called Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. What is the explanation " this difference? Is there any special teaching connected with it.

ANS. – Absalom and Abishalom (1 Kings 15:2) are variants of the same name. Some have tried to explain Maachah and Michaiah in the same way, but without, good grounds for it. The Septuagint has Maachah in 2 Chron. 13:2, which implies that Michaiah was substituted for Maachah by some copyist of the Hebrew after the Septuagint was executed. There is evidence of an early date for this substitution as both Josephus and the Vulgate are witnesses. There is another point to be borne in mind. The Hebrew word for daughter may also be used for granddaughter. It often is. Mother is also used for grand-mother. So also queen may be queen-wife or queen-mother. In 1 Kings, 15:10, 13 and 2 Chron. 15:16, mother should be taken as grandmother, and queen as queen-mother. Queen-mother was an official title, which could be forfeited.

Now Absalom had a daughter whose name was Tamar (2 Sam. 14:27). It would seem that she became the wife of Uriel of Gibeah, and by him the mother of Maachah, who was married to Rehoboam and became the mother of Abijah. She was thus the grand-mother of Asa, and, supposing the mother of Asa to be dead, would hold under him the office of queen-mother, which he took from her. Josephus calls Maachah "daughter of Absalom by Tamar," 1:e., he considered her to be a grand-daughter of Absalom.

Now as to the special teaching connected with this, Absalom represents an influence operating in the days of David quite inconsistent with one form of his name (Absalom, "the father of peace") but strikingly consistent with the other form (Abishalom, " my father is peace"). "We have here the principle of traditionalism as the basis of peace, yet in practical effect a source of conflict. Tamar means palm, palm-tree, and suggests in this connection, I think, the prosperity of traditionalism. But the fruit of the prevalence of the principle of tradition is oppression, tyranny. This is what Maachah means. By the usurpation of authority, a false worship has been established which requires the faith of an Asa, (healer, restorer) to destroy. C. CRAIN.

QUES. 8.-In 1 Kings 9:28, we read that 420 talents of gold were brought to king Solomon, while in 2 Chron. 8:18, it is stated to be 450. In what way is this difference to be reconciled ?

ans,-Some have thought there was a double standard, a sacred and a royal. Others speak of a sacred and commercial standard. I am not able to find satisfactory evidence of it; but if true it is a possible explanation of the difference in the two statements ; if not, we must suppose a copyist's error. I cannot say which verse is to be regarded as containing the error. C. CRAIN.