Ch. 2 Kings 6:1-7. Elisha causeth an axe lost in the river to float (Not in Chronicles)

1. And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha] There is nothing to indicate which out of the various prophetic communities is here spoken of. But by the proposal which follows, that they should go to the Jordan, and bring from thence each man his beam, we may conclude that the place was not far from the river. The station nearest to the Jordan of which we are told is Jericho, and it may be that there the company had grown beyond their buildings.

the place where we dwell with [R.V. before] thee] The R.V. is correct, and gives more truly the picture of Elisha’s relation to these societies. From the other parts of the history we can gather that he made visits to the several settlements from time to time. And when he arrived, and while he remained, the members were about him as scholars around a teacher. They sat before him (2 Kings 4:38). Hence the preposition in this verse.

is too strait for us] The religious activity of the prophetic schools must have been very great during the life of Elisha, and must also have produced its effect upon the life of the nation. We cannot regard these societies merely as retreats from the world, where the servants of Jehovah retired in despair. Such families as that at Shunem, spoken of in the last chapter, must have been of frequent occurrence. And the increase of the number of prophets may be taken as a sign that true religion was growing in the land. ‘It is a good hearing that the prophets want elbow-room.’ (Bp Hall.)

2. take thence every man a beam] The Jordan valley was well timbered. We see from this, as from previous passages, that these men did for themselves such work as they required. Here they are ready to be their own carpenters. Naturally such a body would neither wish for, nor be able to erect, anything but a building of the simplest sort.

make us a place there] They propose to provide entirely new quarters in a new spot in the valley of the Jordan.

3. go with thy servants] It seems as though they contemplated a removal all at once. In Eastern countries little is thought of camping out in the open country; and this the society were prepared to do while their humble shelter was in preparation. Elisha’s presence would give countenance and encouragement to the workers.

4. when they came to Jordan] From what follows we see that they went close to the river. Probably the timber would be best grown at the water’s edge.

5. a beam] The Hebrew noun has the article, the force of which may be ‘his beam’, that one to which he was specially devoting himself.

the axe head] Literally ‘the iron’. The word is the same as in verse 6. But the iron part of the hatchet is the head.

it was borrowed] When the whole society were to turn wood-cutters, it was not likely that axes would be in readiness for every one. This man had borrowed his, and was, as a good man would be, more troubled about its loss than if it had been his own.

6. He cut down a stick, and cast it in thither] The account is extremely simple, and does not at all fit with the explanations of those who would represent Elisha as holding the stick and when he had put it into the hole for the handle, thus raising the iron from the bottom. The stick is cast on the surface of the water.

and the iron did swim] R.V. and made the iron to swim. The voice of the Hebrew verb requires the rendering of R.V. The stick cast into the river was the outward symbol which the prophet used, as a sign of what was to be miraculously brought to pass. The iron was to float as the piece of wood did. In the same manner the salt at Jericho, and the meal at Gilgal, were signs the one of the purity, the other of the wholesomeness, which was to be wrought in the bad water, and the noxious pottage.

7. Therefore said he] R.V. And he said. The conjunction is the simple copulative, and nothing more is needed in the English.

he put out his hand, and took it] Elisha here wrought, as on previous occasions, for the help of the sons of the prophets. Now however his power is exercised for an individual, while in the other cases recorded, it was for the benefit of the whole society. Critics have objected that there is no adequate reason for the exercise of supernatural power, but the loser of the axe was sorely troubled ere he came to Elisha, as his cry ‘Alas! master’ shews. There was no chance of supplying what was lost except with some miles of journey, and perhaps poverty was an obstacle too. Beside which the whole community would be encouraged, when by this act Elisha made clear to them that they had God’s blessing on their new undertaking.

8–23. Elisha makes known the King of Syria’s plans. The soldiers sent against Elisha are smitten with blindness, and he leads them into Samaria (Not in Chronicles)

8. Then [R.V. Now] the king of Syria warred against Israel] Whether this was before the cure of Naaman or after we have no indication. It is clear however that Syria was a most formidable adversary to Israel at this period. The inroads described first in this chapter appear to have been made by bands of plunderers, of course with the knowledge and under the direction of the king. But when Benhadad (see verse 24), who probably was the king here alluded to, gathered all his host and came and besieged Samaria the warfare was of a different kind. Josephus calls the Syrian king ‘Adad’.

9. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel] As against Syria, the power of Elisha would be most naturally exerted in favour of Israel. In spite of the strong language used against Jehoram (2 Kings 3:13-14) and his family on account of their sins, God’s prophet had still much hope of the nation, and as we have seen in several instances, not without good reason. His action here saves not only the king, but the people also.

are come [R.V. coming] down] They were lying or intending to lie in ambush ready to spring upon and capture any that came in their way. Josephus says the king of Israel was starting on a hunting party when Elisha warned him.

10. sent to the place] A single messenger, against whom the Syrians would do nothing, would be enough to find out whether the prophet’s warning were true.

not once nor twice] i.e. but several times.

11. Therefore [R.V. And] the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled] Because he saw on all these occasions that the opportunity he had looked for was taken away. He appears to have been acting on information which told him of expected movements of the forces of Israel. When his design was frustrated over and over again it was natural to think of treachery among his own people.

12. Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel] This mention of Elisha points to such a knowledge of him as might have been gained through Naaman’s cure. It may however be that communications of other kinds passed between Syria and Israel, and that in some of these the precise nature of Elisha’s conduct was described. Nothing in the story of Naaman could suggest that Elisha gave information to the king of Israel.

13. go and spy] R.V. see. The original is the ordinary verb rendered ‘see’ in other places.

that I may send and fetch him] And thus put an end to the source of information enjoyed by the king of Israel.

Dothan] Only mentioned in the canonical books of the O.T. here and in the history of Joseph (Genesis 37:17). In the book of Judith (2 Kings 4:6; 2 Kings 7:3; 2 Kings 7:18; 2 Kings 8:3) it occurs in the account of Holofernes’ campaign against Bethulia. It was not far from Shechem. It appears from this narrative that Elisha had a residence there. According to Jerome the place was twelve Roman miles north of Samaria. We can see from this history that the Syrians were able at this time to penetrate very far into the country of Israel.

14. a great host] Greatness is comparative. Here was a company such as could be led by Elisha to Samaria, and fed easily when they reached that city. But no doubt they were formidable when employed for the capture of a single man of peace like Elisha, and they had taken up their position by night.

compassed the city about] i.e. beset all the gates, so that none could escape without their knowledge.

15. the servant] The word is the same which in 2 Kings 4:43 was rendered ‘servitor’. It is the special and more personal servant. Hence the R.V. puts ‘or, minister’ in the margin.

a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots] R.V. an host with horses and chariots was round about the city. The words are not the same in Hebrew as in the previous verse where ‘compassed’ was used. Literally ‘an host and horses &c.’ The horses and chariots were in addition to the footmen, who alone were spoken of in verse 14.

16. they that be with us] Elisha speaks as a man whose eyes are opened, and who in consequence is sure of Jehovah’s protection, whether he beholds the angelic host about him or not.

17. open his eyes] To the servant there was need of a more manifest vision, and for this Elisha prays, and God vouchsafes to grant it, that the servant may become as confident as his master. It is not that the troops may be gathered that Elisha prays, they are there already, but that the servant may have a seeing eye bestowed upon him to discern how well he and his master are protected.

the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire] Just as in chapter 2 Kings 2:11 we read of appearances so described. It is not necessary that we suppose the vision to have been of literal horses and chariots. The heavenly host was seen encamped about God’s servant in such wise as to disperse all fear.

round about Elisha] The enemy compassed the town all round, but there was an inner circle filled by God’s army. Dothan stood on an eminence and so the summit could thus be encircled, and the barrier against the Syrians appear complete.

18. And when they came down to him] As the words stand, ‘they’ must refer to the Syrian troops, and to understand the sentence we must suppose that Elisha and his servant, the latter encouraged by the heavenly vision, had come forth from the city and been able to pass the gate. After this the Syrians followed them, and on their approach Elisha prayed that they might be smitten with blindness. Some have however thought that ‘to him’ is an error for ‘to them’, and have referred the verb to Elisha and his servant. Thus the sense would be: ‘When Elisha and his servant came down to the enemy, as they were emboldened to do, then Elisha prayed &c.’ But there is no such great difficulty in understanding the existing text, as to warrant us in accepting a conjecture which seems only supported by one, the Syriac, version. It was quite in the character of Elisha to go forth with his now courageous servant, and the Syrians at first would let them pass out so far that they might be surrounded directly by the waiting troops.

Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness] What seems to have been sent upon the men was an illusion which prevented them from seeing correctly what was before them. Josephus explains it as a mist (ἀχλὺς) whereby they were prevented from recognising Elisha. The word, which is plural in form, occurs only here and in Genesis 19:11. It denotes the seeing of something unreal instead of the true image. Thus these men could go with Elisha to Samaria, not knowing to what place he was leading them.

19. This is not the way, neither is this the city] i.e. the way to Elisha, and the city where you shall find him.

I will bring you to the man whom ye seek] But you shall find him in a place where you shall not be able to arrest him. Thus does Elisha use the glamour, or hallucination, under which these men were cast, to secure his own safety.

But [R.V. and] he led them to Samaria] That there he might make himself known unto them; and they, still under the influence which had been supernaturally cast over them, followed him without alarm till they were within the walls of the strongly fortified royal city.

20. open the eyes of these men] i.e. give them again the true perception of what is round about them. The prayer has been twice used by Elisha in this narrative, but for two different kinds of illumination. His servant was enabled to look beyond material surroundings and to recognise that there is a spiritual world in close proximity to the natural, that God and His ministers are not far from every one of us. To these Syrian soldiers natural sight was restored, after their eyes had been for a time holden (cf. Luke 24:16) that they might be brought into the power of the king of Israel. God has brought the enemy of His prophet into a snare.

behold, they were in the midst of Samaria] Apparently, as Josephus says, brought where the king of Israel, with his troops, might fall upon them, and slay them, had it been permitted. At once they would see that they were prisoners, instead of making a prisoner; and their minds would be as full of the expectation of death, as Jehoram’s was of eagerness to kill them.

21. My father] The form of address is strange from the mouth of the king even though he be described (2 Kings 3:2) as better than his father and his mother. It is however one more token of the great influence exercised in Israel by the prophets Elijah and Elisha. In the present instance Jehoram could hardly undertake to smite the prisoners brought into his hands by the prophet without Elisha’s consent, though his repeated question ‘Shall I smite them? Shall I smite them?’ shews how eager he was to destroy them.

22. wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive] The prophet points out that the men are not even captives whom the king himself has taken. Had they been so, yet the laws of war would have forbidden their slaughter at such a time and in cold blood. Much more is it unlawful to slay these, who are God’s prisoners. Some have preferred to take the sentence as not interrogative. ‘Those whom thou hadst taken prisoners thou mightest be allowed to slay, but not these.’ Deuteronomy 20:13 sanctions the slaying prisoners of war; but it is doubtful whether the grammar of the original in this verse can be taken as anything but interrogative.

set bread and water before them] It is manifest that the prophet was setting forth a higher degree of humanity than was usual towards prisoners. We need not therefore be surprised, if in the former clause of the verse he does not speak according to the sterner precept of Deuteronomy, which was laid down in order that the idolaters might be exterminated from Canaan.

23. he prepared great provision for them] We can see from the use of the phrase ‘bread and water’ in other passages that the words embrace all kinds of food, and hence that Elisha’s injunction was equivalent to saying ‘Feed them well, and let them go’. Cf. for the phrase Deuteronomy 23:4; 1 Kings 18:4 and 1 Samuel 25:11. In the last passage the extent of meaning in the words may be estimated by the gifts which, in verse 18, Abigail takes to David and his men.

the bands of Syria] i.e. these marauding parties, protected by the king of Syria’s authority.

came no more] The generous treatment had its effect. Josephus (Ant. IX. 44) says ‘King Adad was wonderstruck at the strange occurrence, as well as the manifestation and the power of the God of the Israelites, and at the prophet in whom the divine spirit was so manifestly present, hence he determined through fear of Elisha no longer to attack the king of Israel secretly, but decided to make open war’.

24–31. Benhadad besieges Samaria. The city suffers terribly from famine, and the king threatens to put Elisha to death (Not in Chronicles)

24. Ben-hadad] Probably the same king who was defeated and submitted himself to Ahab (1 Kings 20).

went up, and besieged Samaria Josephus explains that Jehoram did not feel himself a match for Benhadad, and so shut himself up in Samaria, relying for protection on the security of its walls.

25. a great famine in Samaria] The walls were protection enough, but the enemy lay outside, and the provisions came to an end.

an ass’s head] This would not, except in dire extremity, be taken for food, but they were in such straits in Samaria that 80 shekels of silver were now given for it.

a kab] So R.V. The measure is not mentioned elsewhere, but is said to have been the sixth part of a seah, which is more frequently spoken of. The kab is put as an equivalent to the Greek χοῖνιξ.

dove’s dung] Supposed by some to be the name of a very worthless kind of pulse, which in ordinary times nobody dreamt of eating, but of which now a small quantity fetched a large price. That excrement has been used for food in times of famine we have examples (Joseph. B. F. v. 2 Kings 13:7), but that dove’s dung should have been specially gathered for this purpose would be very strange. There could be but so small a supply. It appears better therefore to take the words as the name of some vegetable. The Germans call ‘assafœtida’ Teufelsdreck = devil’s dung. Josephus says, without any warrant, that this ‘dove’s dung was bought by the people instead of salt’.

26. the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall] Making the necessary rounds to see that the watch was kept up, and everything done that could be done for the security of the city. Josephus says he was afraid lest some one should let in the enemy. The wall must have been furnished with a breast-work so that the inhabitants could pass along without being in much danger, and it would be open on the inner side. Hence any one within could see and speak to those who were passing along, as this woman did. In some cases dwelling-houses were built into the wall, and must have had a passage through them.

27. If the Lord do not help thee] There is some difficulty here. The word rendered ‘if … not’ is that which in Hebrew is generally put with an imperative = ‘Let not’. So that the sense would be ‘May the Lord not help thee’. So the LXX. But such a wish could hardly have come at such a time into the king’s mind. The R.V. (marg.) attempts to keep the imperative force thus, ‘Nay, let the Lord help thee’. This comes a little nearer the sense of the English versions. But there is no warrant for separating the negative particle in this way from its verb. Perhaps it is best to explain the negative particle, as if the verb belonging to it were suppressed. Thus ‘Do not (cry to me); the Lord must help thee; for I cannot’. In this way the sense given in the English versions would be the correct force of the words.

out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?] i.e. with anything to eat or to drink. The supply of both was utterly spent, as the whole city knew. For the expression cf. Hosea 9:2.

28. What aileth thee?] The woman’s cry is not stopped by his answer. She has more to speak about than to ask him for food.

This woman said unto me] It would appear as if she had brought her neighbour along with her, that what she deemed justice might be done her at once. That they should be brought to such hardships and horrors as are here described had been foretold to Israel in early times (Leviticus 26:29; Deuteronomy 28:53-57); cf. also Lament. 2 Kings 2:20; 2 Kings 4:10; Ezekiel 5:10. Josephus relates the like dreadful sufferings in the siege of Jerusalem by Titus (B. J. 6:3. 4).

my son] According to the history the children were both sons. Josephus represents only one of them as a boy.

29. she hath hid her son] So hath famine changed the nature of those whom Jeremiah calls ‘the pitiful women’. The king cannot answer such an appeal, though starvation have made the mother feel that it is a just one.

30. and he passed by upon the wall] The R.V. places these words in a parenthesis rendering (Now he was passing by upon the wall).

the people looked] At such an appeal many would congregate beside the two persons concerned in the matter.

he had sackcloth within upon his flesh] Cf. the action of his father Ahab (1 Kings 21:27) when God threatened him with punishment after the murder of Naboth. But neither in one case nor the other does the sorrow appear to have worked any good result. ‘I find his sorrow, I find not his repentance. The worst man may grieve for his smart, only the good heart grieves for his offence’ (Bp Hall). The result of Jehoram’s anguish seems to have been only rage against Elisha.

31. if the head of Elisha … shall stand on him this day] We must suppose that Elisha had not been wanting in admonitions to both king and people during this terrible siege, and the anger of Jehoram was great because the prophet, who had wrought so mightily in the war with Moab, and on many another occasion which the king would know of, had done nothing to save the nation in this great calamity. This is the explanation of Josephus (Ant. IX. 4. 4) and the feeling is what was to be expected in a son of Jezebel.

Chs. 2 Kings 6:32 to 2 Kings 7:2. A messenger is sent to put Elisha to death. Elisha foretells a sudden plenty in Samaria (Not in Chronicles)

32. But Elisha sat in his house] His counsels had been productive of little result, but he is less disturbed than others, having a ground for his trust which they had not found.

and the elders sat with him] These must be understood to be the chief men of the city, who had come for his advice, having no other helper to flee unto.

and the king sent a man] One of those who were in waiting to obey his orders and who had heard his threat against Elisha.

he said to the elders] i.e. Elisha, divinely forwarned of the impending danger, explains to his companions what the king’s design against him was.

this son of a murderer] ‘Still is Naboth’s blood laid in Jehoram’s dish’ (Bp Hall). The prophet speaks as though the messenger were already in sight, so vivid is his own spiritual consciousness of what the king has set afoot.

hold him fast at the door] R.V. hold the door fast against him. The literal rendering is given on the margin of R.V., ‘Thrust him back with the door’. The doors in Oriental houses mostly opened outwards, so that if pushed from within they would come against any one that stood on the outside, and drive him backwards. Beside knowing of the king’s threat, Elisha seems to have been aware that he had almost immediately changed his purpose, and was hurrying after the messenger to prevent his order from being executed. Hence he explains to the elders that the king’s footsteps are to be heard close upon those of his servant. When they supposed, as they would from the fulfilment of the first part of his words, that Elisha knew exactly what was coming, they would be ready, although they were Jehoram’s servants, to stop the messenger so long as to see whether the king did really arrive. That the king did come we learn from 2 Kings 7:17.

33. while he yet talked with them] He had hardly explained his knowledge and his wish before action became necessary. The messenger arrived, and we must understand that the king also arrived immediately afterwards, and so the execution of Elisha was stayed, and Jehoram was shewn to be in some degree penitent for his hasty threat.

and he said] The words which follow must be the words of the king. He has reached Elisha’s house and countermanded his first order. Now his thought is of what shall be done next. The people are at the direst extremity, and God, who has allowed this evil to come upon the nation, gives His prophet no message of relief. In this conviction he is of the mind that Samaria shall be surrendered. Hence his language, ‘This evil is of the Lord’ and He allows it to continue, ‘why should I wait for the Lord any longer?’