Story · 6 · Jehu and Elisha
The thistle and the cedar
When Judah's king challenges Israel to battle, Israel's king replies with a fable: a thistle asked a cedar for its daughter's hand, then got trampled by a passing beast. Stay home, he warns.
Even the Bible's southern writers admit who was bigger.
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The Judean king ignores the warning and is crushed; Israel's army breaks through Jerusalem's walls. The Palace History concedes Judah's subordinate position but insists that originally, under David and Solomon, Jerusalem had been on top.
Bible reference: 2 Kings 14:9–10
Source: Why the Bible Began, pp. 90–91
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