As the Lord thy God liveth
Which is the form of an oath he thought fit to make, to ascertain
the truth of what he was about to say: there is no nation
or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek
thee;
which is either an hyperbolical expression, signifying he had
sought for him in many places, and in every place he could think
of; or it must be understood either of the ten tribes, which were
as so many nations and kingdoms as they had been; or were more in
the times of the Canaanites; or of the nations round about, that
were in alliance with or tributary to the king of Israel:
and when they said, he is not there, he took an oath of the
kingdom and
nation that they found thee not;
which he might exact of his own subjects, but could not of other
nations, unless they were free to it of themselves; or he might
take it of their ambassadors or merchants that came into his
land, of whom he inquired, and adjured them to tell him the
truth.
1 Kings 18:10
