1The sons of the prophets get leave to enlarge their dwelling: Elisha causeth the iron to swim. 8He discloseth and disappointeth the counsels of the king of Syria, 11who sendeth troops to apprehend him in Dothan. 15Elisha's servant is terrified at seeing them, but is encouraged by his master with a vision of horses and chariots of fire. 18The Syrians, struck blind at Elisha's prayer, are conducted by him into the midst of Samaria, where they recover their sight, are kindly entertained, and dismissed in peace. 24Ben-hadad besiegeth Samaria, which occasioneth a great famine. 26Women eat their own children. 30The king sendeth to slay Elisha.
1AND the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we 1dwell with thee is too strait for us.
1 Or, sit, namely, as disciples and scholars, to be instructed by thee, as our master. See 2 Kings 2 on verse 3; 2 Kings 4 on verse 38, and here in the following verse.
2Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and 2take thence every man a 3beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
2 Hebr. take; that is, take and bring; which is fetching. See Gen. 12 on verse 15.
3 Or, timber. Namely, to make beams, or something else from it.
3And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5But as one was felling a beam, the 4axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
4 Understand the axe, which was made of iron. Or, the iron of the axe, which fell from of the handle into the water.
6And the man of God said, Where fell it? And 5he shewed him the place. And 6he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; 7and the iron did swim.
5 Namely, his disciple out of whose hand this iron fell.
6 Namely, Elisha.
7 Other, then the iron did swim.
7Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
8¶Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In 8such and such a place shall be my camp.
8 Here are two words, peloni, almoni, which the Hebrews use, when they denote or describe some certain person or any man’s place, whom they do not name or are not minded to express his name, and are wont to be declared and set forth by us by letters or characters in like case. See Ruth 4 on verse 1; 1 Sam. 21:2.
9And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians 9are come down.
9 Or, lie lurking there, or come down to lie in wait, and to watch the people that would come forth.
10And the king of Israel 10sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and 11saved himself there, 12not once nor twice.
10 Namely, to know if it were so, as the prophet had forewarned him, and finding it so, might stand upon his guard and be the better provided.
11 That is, he stood there upon his guard to turn away whatever might hurt or endanger him.
12 That is, frequently, often, and sundry times.
11Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was 13sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
13 The Hebrew word signifies properly the tempestuousness of the sea, when it is troubled with winds and tempests. To this is here compared the vexation and distemper that was in the heart of the king of Syria.
12And one of his servants said, 14None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
14 The meaning is, that it was not so as the king suspected.
13¶And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in 15Dothan.
15 A city situated in the tribe of Manasseh, not far from Shechem and Samaria. See Gen. 37 on verse 17.
14Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a 16great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
16 That is, many in number, and great in power. Compare 1 Kings 3:9; 10:2 and see Gen. 50 on verse 9.
15And when the servant of the man of God 17was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
17 Hebr. Gat him up betimes to rise.
16And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, 18open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full 19of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 That is, give him to behold with his physical eyes the outward forms or shapes, in which Thy heavenly hosts do appear, that he may with spiritual eyes apprehend Thy great power, and the present aid which Thou hast prepared for us.
19 Hebr. horses and chariot of fire, etc. Understand hereby a great multitude of angels, sent from God to defend and protect the prophet. Compare 2 Kings 2:11.
18And when 20they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smitea this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with 21blindness according to the word of Elisha.
20 Namely, the Syrians.
a Gen. 19:11.
21 Understand not such blindness, whereby they saw not at all, but whereby they would not rightly discern, or know what they saw. Compare Gen. 19:11 and see the annotation.
19¶And Elisha said unto them, 22This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
22 Understand this in respect of the event of things: For by this way, and in this city of Dothan they found not the prophet, but by the way, in which he led them, and in the city of Samaria, when he had brought them into it, and they were cured of their blindness.
20And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, 23My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
23 Compare 2 Kings 2 on verse 12.
22And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: 24wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set 25bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
24 The meaning is: seeing it is not meet to slay all that are taken captive in war, that it became much less to king Joram to slay these, whom he had not taken captive in war.
25 That is, meat and drink. Compare Ezra 10:6.
23And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. 26So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
26 The meaning is: that the Syrians in that time invaded no more the land of Israel with bands of robbing and plundering soldiers, but indeed made open war against them: as appears by the following verse.
24¶And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
25And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of 27silver, and the fourth part of a 28cabb of 29dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
27 That is, twenty Rix-dollars. See Gen. 20 on verse 16.
28 A measure of corn, containing the quantity of twenty four hen eggshells. The fourth part of which measure in moist wares, was called a log, of which measure, see Lev. 14 on verse 10.
b OT dry measure: 4 logs; 3.5 pints or 2 liters
29 Some understand hereby the grains, which the doves or pigeons had gathered in their crop out of the field. Others, the bowels of them; some also simple or bare doves-dung, which the Samarians may have used in this siege instead of wood, to make fires therewith, having much provision thereof in the city, otherwise to dung the land, and the gardens therewith, peradventure they did also eat it. Josephus thinks that this dung was to the besieged instead of salt, in the 9th book of the Jewish Antiquities, chapter 2.
26And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27And he said, 30If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? 31out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
30 That is, seeing the Lord, Who alone is able to help all men, doth not help thee, I know not how or wherewith I should be able to help thee. Other, The Lord help thee not, as words of a wicked and angry man. Compare verse 31. It may be also thus translated: Not: the Lord help thee, that is, speak not so, etc.
31 That is, by delivering the corn out of the threshingfloor, or furnishing thee with wine and oil out of the press?
28And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.
29So wec boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
c Deut. 28:53.
30¶And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he 32rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and 33the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
32 As it were in sign of grief, perceived by the woman’s story, but the true and right cause was his bitter and vehement wrath, wherewith his mind was kindled against the prophet Elisha. See the sequel.
33 The meaning is: that the people perceived when the king had rent his upper garment, that he had a sack or rough garment upon his bare body, and that (it may be) to do penance, and so to reconcile himself unto God, continuing still an hypocrite and without true repentance. Compare 1 Kings 21:27; Isa. 58:5.
31Then he said, 34Godd do so and more also to me, 35if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
34 See of this manner of swearing an oath, 1 Kings 19:2.
d 1 Kings 19:2.
35 He was incensed against Elisha, because he turned not the enemy away from the city, as he had done before, verse 18, or because he did not take away the famine, according to the example of Elijah, 1 Kings 17:1; 18:42. It appears also by verse 33, that the prophet had promised him the aid and assistance of God, which, because it was not as yet come, he thought perhaps himself to be deceived by him.
32But Elisha sat in his house, and the 36elders sat with 37him; and the king sent 38a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, 39See ye how this son 40of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, 41and hold him fast at the door: 42is not the 43sound of his master's feet behind him?
36 It is perceived, that these were either some of the most important ones of the people, who were come to Elisha to find comfort by him, or some prophets or sons of the prophets and some godly persons among the people, who were the leaders and examples or partakers of believers yet remaining in Israel. They are called the elders, not because they were all old in years, but all old in gifts of understanding, and worthiness of the work wherein they were employed, and in honesty of life, although some were but young in years.
37 In this sad and distressed time being busy with teaching, admonishing, comforting, and praying for God’s people, and the commonwealth.
38 Who this man was, see 2 Kings 7:2.
39 Namely, in a prophetical vision, which the Lord has now shown me. Of a similar vision see 2 Kings 5:26.
40 Namely, of Ahab, by whose means and consent Naboth and the prophets of the Lord were murdered, 1 Kings 18:4; 21:9.
41 That is, keep him, namely the messenger, by force out of the house, in order that he may not come in, and hinder me from speaking the word which the LORD has commanded me to speak.
42 That is, does not king Joram, who sent him, follow him close at heels? As if he would say: Surely he does. See Gen. 13 on verse 9.
43 See similar phrase 1 Kings 14:6.
33And while he yet talked with 44them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and 45he said, Behold, this 46evil is of the LORD; what 47should I wait for the LORD any longer?
44 Namely, with the elders.
45 Namely, the messenger spoke it, in the name and by command from the king. Others perceive that the king himself spoke it, being come to the prophet’s house before the messenger got there, because he made haste to prevent the messenger, and to hinder the prophet’s death, of which he repented after.
46 Understand the murder of the child, occasioned by the famine.
47 These are words of a wicked and an unbelieving man, who disdainfully rejects the promises of Divine help, foretold by the prophet Elisha.