The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "See now, the place where we dwell before you is too small for us.
KJV
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
Commentary
Commentary
In this chapter we have,
I. A further account of the wondrous works of Elisha.
1. His making iron to swim, ver. 1-7 .
2. His disclosing to the king of Israel the secret counsels of the king
of Syria, ver. 8-12 .
3. His saving himself out of the hands of those who were sent to
apprehend him, ver. 13-23 .
II. The besieging of Samaria by the Syrians and the great distress the
city was reduced to, ver. 24-33 .
The relief of it is another of the wonders wrought by Elisha's word,
which we shall have the story of in the next chapter. Elisha is still a
great blessing both to church and state, both to the sons of the
prophets and to his prince.
1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now,
the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every
man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell.
And he answered, Go ye.
3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy
servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut
down wood.
5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the
water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the
place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the
iron did swim.
7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his
hand, and took it.
I. Concerning the sons of the prophets, and their condition and
character. The college here spoken of seems to be that at Gilgal, for
there Elisha was
( ch. iv. 38 ),
and it was near Jordan; and, probably, wherever Elisha resided as many
as could of the sons of the prophets flocked to him for the advantage
of his instructions, counsels, and prayers. Every one would covet to
dwell with him and be near him. Those that would be teachers should lay
out themselves to get the best advantages for learning. Now
observe,
1. Their number increased so that they wanted room: The place is too
strait for us ( v. 1 )--
a good hearing, for it is a sign many are added to them. Elisha's
miracles doubtless drew in many. Perhaps they increased the more now
that Gehazi was cashiered, and, it is likely, an honester man put in
his room, to take care of their provisions; for it should seem (by that
instance, ch. iv. 43 )
that Naaman's case was not the only one in which he grudged his
master's generosity.
2. They were humble men and did not affect that which was gay or great.
When they wanted room they did not speak of sending for cedars, and
marble stones, and curious artificers, but only of getting every man a
beam, to run up a plain hut or cottage with. It becomes the sons of the
prophets, who profess to look for great things in the other world, to
be content with mean things in this.
3. They were poor men, and men that had no interest in great ones It
was a sign that Joram was king, and Jezebel ruled too, or the sons of
the prophets, when they wanted room, would have needed only to apply to
the government, not to consult among themselves about the enlargement
of their buildings. God's prophets have seldom been the world's
favourites. Nay, so poor were they that they had not wherewithal to
hire workmen (but must leave their studies, and work for themselves),
no, nor to buy tools, but must borrow of their neighbours. Poverty then
is no bar to prophecy.
4. They were industrious men, and willing to take pains. They desired
not to live, like idle drones (idle monks, I might have said),
upon the labours of others, but only desired leave of their president
to work for themselves. As the sons of the prophets must not be so
taken up with contemplation as to render themselves unfit for action,
so much less must they so indulge themselves in their ease as to be
averse to labour. He that must eat or die must work or starve, 2 Thess. iii. 8, 10 .
Let no man think an honest employment either a burden or
disparagement.
5. They were men that had a great value and veneration for Elisha;
though they were themselves prophets, they paid much deference to him.
(1.) They would not go about to build at all without his leave, v. 2 .
It is good for us all to be suspicious of our own judgment, even when
we think we have most reason for it, and to be desirous of the advice
of those who are wiser and more experienced; and it is especially
commendable in the sons of the prophets to take their fathers along
with them, and to act in all things of moment under their direction, permissu superiorum--by permission of their superiors. (2.) They would not willingly go to fell timber without his company:
" Go with thy servants ( v. 3 ),
not only to advise us in any exigence, but to keep good order among us,
that, being under they eye, we may behave as becomes us." Good
disciples desire to be always under good discipline.
6. They were honest men, and men that were in care to give all men
their own. When one of them, accidentally fetching too fierce a stroke
(as those that work seldom are apt to be violent), threw off his
axe-head into the water, he did not say, "It was a mischance, and who
can help it? It was the fault of the helve, and the owner deserved to
stand to the loss." No, he cries out with deep concern, Alas,
master! For it was borrowed, v. 5 .
Had the axe been his own, it would only have troubled him that he could
not be further serviceable to his brethren; but now, besides that, it
troubles him that he cannot be just to the owner, to whom he ought to
be not only just but grateful. Note, We ought to be as careful of that
which is borrowed as of that which is our own, that it receives no
damage, because we must love our neighbour as ourselves and do as we
would be done by. It is likely this prophet was poor, and had not
wherewithal to pay for the axe, which made the loss of it so much the
greater trouble. To those that have an honest mind the sorest grievance
of poverty is not so much their own want or disgrace as their being by
it rendered unable to pay their just debts.
II. Concerning the father of the prophets, Elisha.
1. That he was a man of great condescension and compassion; he went
with the sons of the prophets to the woods, when they desired his
company, v. 3 .
Let no man, especially no minister, think himself too great to stoop to
do good, but be tender to all.
2. That he was a man of great power; he could make iron to swim,
contrary to its nature
( v. 6 ),
for the God of nature is not tied up to its laws. He did not throw the
helve after the hatchet, but cut down a new stick, and cast it into the
river. We need not double the miracle by supposing that the stick sunk
to fetch up the iron, it was enough that it was a signal of the divine
summons to the iron to rise. God's grace can thus raise the stony iron
heart which has sunk into the mud of this world, and raise up
affections naturally earthly, to things above.
8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took
counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying,
Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians
are come down.
10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of
God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once
nor twice.
11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled
for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them,
Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 And one of his servants said, None, 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.
Here we have Elisha, with his spirit of prophecy, serving the king, as
before helping the sons of the prophets; for that, as other gifts, is
given to every man to profit withal; and, whatever abilities any man
has of doing good, he is by them made a debtor both to the wise and
unwise. Observe here,
I. How the king of Israel was informed by Elisha of all the designs and
motions of his enemy, the king of Syria, more effectually than he could
have been by the most vigilant and faithful spies. If the king of
Syria, in a secret council of war, determined in which place to make an
inroad upon the coasts of Israel, where he thought it would be the
greatest surprise and they would be least able to make resistance,
before his forces could receive his orders the king of Israel had
notice of them from Elisha, and so had opportunity of preventing the
mischief; and many a time, v. 8-10 .
See here,
1. That the enemies of God's Israel are politic in their devices, and
restless in their attempts, against him. They shall not know, nor
see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, Neh. iv. 11 .
2. All those devices are known to God, even those that are deepest
laid. He knows not only what men do, but what they design, and has many
ways of countermining them.
3. It is a great advantage to us to be warned of our danger, that we
may stand upon our guard against it. The work of God's prophets is to
give us warning; if, being warned, we do not save ourselves, it is our
own fault, and our blood will be upon our own head. The king of Israel
would regard the warnings Elisha gave him of his danger by the Syrians,
but not the warnings he gave him of his danger by his sins. Such
warnings are little heeded by the most; they will save themselves from
death, but not from hell.
II. How the king of Syria resented this. He suspected treachery among
his senators, and that his counsels were betrayed, v. 11 .
But one of his servants, that had heard, by Naaman and others, of
Elisha's wondrous works, concludes it must needs be he that gave this
intelligence to the king of Israel, v. 12 .
What could not he discover who could tell Gehazi his thoughts? Here a
confession of the boundless knowledge, as before of the boundless
power, of Israel's God, is extorted from Syrians. Nothing done, said,
thought, by any person, in any place, at any time, is out of the reach
of God's cognizance.
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
Dothan.
14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great
host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and
gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses
and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how
shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, L ORD , I pray thee, open his
eyes, that he may see. And the L ORD opened the eyes of the young
man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses
and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the L ORD ,
and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he
smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 And Elisha said unto them, This 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.
20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that
Elisha said, L ORD , open the eyes of these men, that they may
see. And the L ORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them,
My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them ?
22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou
smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with
thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and
drink, and go to their master.
23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had
eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their
master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of
Israel.
Here is,
1. The great force which the king of Syria sent to seize Elisha. He
found out where he was, at Dothan
( v. 13 ),
which was not far from Samaria; thither he sent a great host, who were
to come upon him by night, and to bring him dead or alive, v. 14 .
Perhaps he had heard that when only one captain and his fifty men were
sent to take Elijah they were baffled in the attempt, and therefore he
sent an army against Elisha, as if the fire from heaven that
consumed fifty men could not as easily consume 50,000. Naaman could
tell him that Elisha dwelt not in any strong-hold, nor was attended
with any guards, nor had any such great interest in the people that he
needed to fear a tumult among them; what occasion then was there for
this great force? But thus he hoped to make sure of him, especially
coming upon him by surprise. Foolish man! Did he believe that Elisha
had informed the king of Israel of his secret counsels or not? If not,
what quarrel had he with him? If he did, could he be so weak as to
imagine that Elisha would not discover the designs laid against
himself, and that, having interest enough in heaven to discover them,
he would not have interest enough to defeat them? Those that fight
against God, his people, and prophet, know not what they do.
II. The grievous fright which the prophet's servant was in, when he
perceived the city surrounded by the Syrians, and the effectual course
which the prophet took to pacify him and free him from his fears. It
seems, Elisha accustomed his servant to rise early, that is the way to
bring something to pass, and to do the work of a day in its day. Being
up, we may suppose he heard the noise of soldiers, and thereupon looked
out, and was aware of an army compassing the city
( v. 15 ),
with great assurance no doubt of success, and that they should have
this troublesome prophet in their hands presently. Now observe,
1. What a consternation he was in. He ran straight to Elisha, to bring
him an account of it: " Alas, master! " (said he) " what shall
we do? We are undone, it is to no purpose to think either of
fighting or flying, but we must unavoidably fall into their hands." Had
he but studied David's Psalms, which were then extant, he might have
learnt not to be afraid of 10,000 of people
( Ps. iii. 6 ),
no, not of a host encamped against him, Ps. xxvii. 3 .
Had he considered that he was embarked with his master, by whom God had
done great things, and whom he would not now leave to fall into the
hands of the uncircumcised, and who, having saved others, would no
doubt save himself, he would not have been thus at a loss. If he had
only said, What shall I do? it would have been like that of the
disciples: Lord, save us, we perish; but he needed not to
include his master as being in distress, nor to say, What shall we
do? 2. How his master quieted him,
(1.) By word. What he said to him
( v. 16 )
is spoken to all the faithful servants of God, when without are
fightings and within are fears: "Fear not with that fear which has
torment and amazement, for those that are with us, to protect
us, are more than those that are against us, to destroy
us--angels unspeakably more numerous--God infinitely more powerful." When
we are magnifying the causes of our fear we ought to possess ourselves
with clear, and great, and high thoughts of God and the invisible
world. If God be for us, we know what follows, Rom. viii. 31 .
(2.) By vision, v. 17 .
[1.] It seems Elisha was much concerned for the satisfaction of his
servant. Good men desire, not only to be easy themselves, but to have
those about them easy. Elisha had lately parted with his old man, and
this, having newly come into his service, had not the advantage of
experience; his master was therefore desirous to give him other
convincing evidence of that omnipotence which employed him and was
therefore employed for him. Note, Those whose faith is strong ought
tenderly to consider and compassionate those who are weak and of a
timorous spirit, and to do what they can to strengthen their hands.
[2.] He saw himself safe, and wished no more than that his servant
might see what he saw, a guard of angels round about him; such as were
his master's convoy to the gates of heaven were his protectors against
the gates of hell-- chariots of fire, and horses of fire. Fire is
both dreadful and devouring; that power which was engaged for Elisha's
protection could both terrify and consume the assailants. As angels are
God's messengers, so they are his soldiers, his hosts
( Gen. xxxii. 2 ),
his legions, or regiments,
( Matt. xxvi. 53 ),
for the good of his people.
[3.] For the satisfaction of his servant there needed no more than the
opening of his eyes; that therefore he prayed for, and obtained
for him: Lord, open his eyes that he may see. The eyes of his
body were open, and with them he saw the danger. "Lord, open the eyes
of his faith, that with them he may see the protection we are under."
Note, First, The greatest kindness we can do for those that are
fearful and faint-hearted is to pray for them, and so to recommend them
to the mighty grace of God. Secondly, The opening of our eyes
will be the silencing of our fears. In the dark we are most apt to be
frightened. The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of
heaven the less we shall fear the calamities of this earth.
III. The shameful defeat which Elisha gave to the host of Syrians who
came to seize him. They thought to make a prey of him, but he made
fools of them, perfectly played with them, so far was he from fearing
them or any damage by them.
1. He prayed to God to smite them with blindness, and they were all
struck blind immediately, not stone-blind, nor so as to be themselves
aware that they were blind, for they could see the light, but their
sight was so altered that they could not know the persons and places
they were before acquainted with, v. 18 .
They were so confounded that those among them whom they depended upon
for information did not know this place to be Dothan nor this person to
be Elisha, but groped at noon day as in the night ( Isa. lix. 10; Job xii. 24, 25 );
their memory failed them, and their distinguishing faculty. See the
power of God over the minds and understanding of men, both ways; he
enlightened the eyes of Elisha's friend, and darkened the eyes of his
foes, that they might see indeed, but not perceive, Isa. vi. 9 For this twofold judgment Christ came into this world, that
those who see not might see, and that those who see might be made
blind ( John ix. 39 ),
a savour of life to some, of death to others.
2. When they were thus bewildered and confounded he led them to Samaria
( v. 19 ),
promising that he would show them the man whom they sought, and he did
so. He did not lie to them when he told them, This is not the way,
nor is this the city where Elisha is; for he had now come out of
the city; and if they would see him, they must go to another city to
which he would direct them. Those that fight against God and his
prophets deceive themselves, and are justly given up to delusions.
3. When he had brought them to Samaria he prayed to God so to open
their eyes and restore them their memories that they might see where
they were
( v. 20 ), and behold, to their great terror, they were in the midst of
Samaria, where, it is probable, there was a standing force
sufficient to cut them all off, or make them prisoners of war. Satan,
the god of this world, blinds men's eyes, and so deludes them into
their own ruin; but, when God enlightens their eyes, they then see
themselves in the midst of their enemies, captives to Satan and in
danger of hell, though before they thought their condition good. The
enemies of God and his church, when they fancy themselves ready to
triumph, will find themselves conquered and triumphed over.
4. When he had them at his mercy he made it appear that he was
influenced by a divine goodness as well as a divine power.
(1.) He took care to protect them from the danger into which he had
brought them, and was content to show them what he could have done; he
needed not the sword of an angel to avenge his cause, the sword of the
king of Israel is at his service if he please
( v. 21 ): My father (so, respectfully does the king now speak to him,
though, soon after, he swore his death), shall I smite them? And, again, as if he longed for the assault, Shall I smite them? Perhaps, he remembered how God was displeased at his father for letting go out of his hands those whom he had put it in his
power to destroy, and he would not offend in like manner; yet such a
reverence has he for the prophet that he will not strike a stroke
without his commission. But the prophet would by no means suffer him to
meddle with them; they were brought hither to be convinced and shamed,
not to be killed, v. 22 .
Had they been his prisoners, taken captive by his sword and bow,
when they asked quarter it would have been barbarous to deny, and, when
he had given it to them, it would have been perfidious to do them any
hurt, and against the laws of arms to kill men in cool blood. But they
were not his prisoners; they were God's prisoners and the prophet's,
and therefore he must do them no harm. Those that humble themselves
under God's hand take the best course to secure themselves.
(2.) He took care to provide for them; he ordered the king to treat
them handsomely and then dismiss them fairly, which he did, v. 23 .
[1.] It was the king's praise that he was so obsequious to the prophet,
contrary to his inclination, and, as it seemed, to his interest, 1 Sam. xxiv. 19 .
Nay, so willing was he to oblige Elisha that, whereas he was ordered
openly to set bread and water before them (which are good fare
for captives), he prepared great provision for them, for the
credit of his court and country and of Elisha.
[2.] It was the prophet's praise that he was so generous to his
enemies, who, though they came to take him, could not but go away
admiring him, as both the mightiest and kindest man they ever met with.
The great duty of loving enemies, and doing good to those that hate us,
was both commanded in the Old Testament
( Prov. xxv. 21, 22 , If thy enemy hunger, feed him, Exod. xxiii. 4, 5 )
and practised, as here by Elisha. His predecessor had given a specimen
of divine justice when he called for flames of fire on the heads of his
persecutors to consume them, but he have a specimen of divine mercy in
heaping coals of fire on the heads of his persecutors to melt them. Let
not us then be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with
good.
IV. The good effect this had, for the present, upon the Syrians. They came no more into the land of Israel ( v. 23 ),
namely, upon this errand, to take Elisha; they saw it was to no purpose
to attempt that, nor would any of their bands be persuaded to make an
assault on so great and good a man. The most glorious victory over an
enemy is to turn him into a friend.
24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria
gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they
besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung
for five pieces of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall,
there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 And he said, If the L ORD do not help thee, whence shall I
help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
28 And 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.
29 So we 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.
30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the
woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall,
and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within
upon his flesh.
31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of
Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him;
and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger
came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a
murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the
messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger
came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the
L ORD ; what should I wait for the L ORD any longer?
This last paragraph of this chapter should, of right, have been the
first of the next chapter, for it begins a new story, which is there
continued and concluded. Here is,
I. The siege which the king of Syria laid to Samaria and the great
distress which the city was reduced to thereby. The Syrians had soon
forgotten the kindnesses they had lately received in Samaria, and very
ungratefully, for aught that appears without any provocation, sought
the destruction of it, v. 24 .
There are base spirits that can never feel obliged. The country, we may
suppose, was plundered and laid waste when this capital city was
brought to the last extremity, v. 25 .
The dearth which had of late been in the land was probably the occasion
of the emptiness of their stores, or the siege was so sudden that they
had not time to lay in provisions; so that, while the sword devoured
without, the famine within was more grievous
( Lam. iv. 9 ):
for, it should seem, the Syrians designed not to storm the city, but to
starve it. So great was the scarcity that an ass's head, that has but
little flesh on it and that unsavoury, unwholesome, and ceremonially
unclean, was sold for five pounds, and a small quantity of fitches, or
lentiles, or some such coarse corn, then called dove's dung, no
more of it than the quantity of six eggs, for five pieces of silver,
about twelve or fifteen shillings. Learn to value plenty, and to be
thankful for it; see how contemptible money is, when, in time of
famine, it is so freely parted with for anything that is eatable.
II. The sad complaint which a poor woman had to make to the king, in
the extremity of the famine. He was passing by upon the wall to
give orders for the mounting of the guard, the posting of the archers,
the repair of the breaches, and the like, when a woman of the city
cried to him, Help, my lord, O king! v. 26 .
Whither should the subject, in distress, go for help but to the prince,
who is, by office, the protector of right and the avenger of wrong? He
returns but a melancholy answer
( v. 27 ): If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I? Some think it was
a quarrelling word, and the language of his fretfulness: "Why
dost thou expect anything from me, when God himself deals thus hardly
with us?" Because he could not help her as he would, out of the floor
or the wine-press, he would not help her at all. We must take heed of
being made cross by afflictive providences. It rather seems to be a quieting word: "Let us be content, and make the best of our
affliction, looking up to God, for, till he help us, I cannot help
thee."
1. He laments the emptiness of the floor and the wine-press. These
were not as they had been; even the king's failed. We read
( v. 23 )
of great provisions which he had a command, sufficient for the
entertainment of an army, yet now he has not wherewithal to relieve one
poor woman. Scarcity sometimes follows upon great plenty; we cannot be
sure that to-morrow shall be as this day, Isa. lvi. 12; Ps. xxx. 6 .
2. He acknowledges himself thereby disabled to help, unless God would
help them. Note, Creatures are helpless things without God, for every
creature is that, all that, and only that, which he makes it to be.
However, though he cannot help her, he is willing to hear her
( v. 28 ):
" What ails thee? Is there anything singular in thy case, or dost
thou fare worse than thy neighbours?" Truly yes; she and one of her
neighbours had made a barbarous agreement, that, all provisions
failing, they should boil and eat her son first and then her
neighbour's; hers was eaten (who can think of it without horror?) and
now her neighbour hid hers, v. 28, 29 .
See an instance of the dominion which the flesh has got above the
spirit, when the most natural affections of the mind may be thus
overpowered by the natural appetites of the body. See the word of God
fulfilled; among the threatenings of God's judgments upon Israel for
their sins this was one
( Deut. xxviii. 53-57 ),
that they should eat the flesh of their own children, which one would
think incredible, yet it came to pass.
III. The king's indignation against Elisha upon this occasion. He
lamented the calamity, rent his clothes, and had sackcloth upon his
flesh ( v. 30 ),
as one heartily concerned for the misery of his people, and that it was
not in his power to help them; but he did not lament his own iniquity,
nor the iniquity of his people, which was the procuring cause of the
calamity; he was not sensible that his ways and his doings had
procured this to himself; this is his wickedness, for it is bitter. The
foolishness of man perverteth his way, and then his heart
fretteth against the Lord. Instead of vowing to pull down the
calves at Dan and Beth-el, or letting the law have its course against
the prophets of Baal and of the groves, he swears the death of
Elisha, v. 31 .
Why, what is the matter? What had Elisha done? his head is the most
innocent and valuable in all Israel, and yet that must be devoted, and
made an anathema. Thus in the days of the persecuting emperors, when
the empire groaned under any extraordinary calamity, the fault was laid
on the Christians, and they were doomed to destruction. Christianos
ad leones--Away with the Christians to the lions. Perhaps Jehoram
was in this heat against Elisha because he had foretold this judgment,
or had persuaded him to hold out, and not surrender, or rather because
he did not, by his prayers, raise the siege, and relieve the city,
which he though he could do but would not; whereas till they repented
and reformed, and were ready for deliverance, they had no reason to
expect that the prophet should pray for it.
IV. The foresight Elisha had of the king's design against him, v. 32 .
He sat in his house well composed, and the elders with him, well
employed no doubt, while the king was like a wild bull in a net, or
like the troubled sea when it cannot rest; he told the elders there was
an officer coming from the king to cut off his head, and bade them stop
him at the door, and not let him in, for the king his master was just
following him, to revoke the order, as we may suppose. The same spirit
of prophecy that enabled Elisha to tell him what was done at a distance
authorized him to call the king the son of a murderer, which,
unless we could produce such an extraordinary commission, it is not for
us to initiate; far be it from us to despise dominion and to speak evil
of dignities. He appealed to the elders whether he had deserved so ill
at the king's hands: "See whether in this he be not the son of a
murderer?" For what evil had Elisha done? He had not desired
the woeful day, Jer. xvii. 16 .
V. The king's passionate speech, when he came to prevent the execution
of his edict for the beheading of Elisha. He seems to have been in a
struggle between his convictions and his corruptions, knew not what to
say, but, seeing things brought to the last extremity, he even
abandoned himself to despair
( v. 33 ): This evil is of the Lord. Therein his notions were right and
well applied; it is a general truth that all penal evil is of the Lord,
as the first cause, and sovereign judge
( Amos iii. 6 ),
and this we ought to apply to particular cases: if all evil, then this
evil, whatever it is we are now groaning under, whoever are the
instruments, God is the principal agent of it. But his inference from
this truth was foolish and wicked: What should I wait for the Lord
any longer? When Eli, and David, and Job, said, It is of the
Lord, they grew patient upon it, but this bad man grew outrageous
upon it: "I will neither fear worse nor expect better, for worse cannot
come and better never will come: we are all undone, and there is no
remedy." It is an unreasonable thing to be weary of waiting for God,
for he is a God of judgment, and blessed are all those that wait for
him.
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 6
In this chapter are recorded other wonders of Elisha, as causing iron to swim, 2Ki 6:1 having knowledge of the secret counsels of the king of Syria, which he disclosed to the king of Israel, 2Ki 6:8 smiting the Syrian army with blindness sent to take him, and which he led into the midst of Samaria, 2Ki 6:13, and the chapter is closed with an account of the siege of Samaria, and a sore famine in it, 2Ki 6:24.
Ver. 1. And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha,.... Or the disciples of the prophets, as the Targum:
behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us: their numbers were so increased, that there was not room enough for them in the house they dwelt in with the prophet; which increase was owing, the Jews {z} say, to the departure of Gehazi last mentioned, who was a bad man, and used the disciples so ill, that they could not stay in the college; but, when he was gone, they flocked in great numbers; but rather it was owing to the very instructive ministry and wonderful miracles of Elisha: the place where the prophet and his disciples now dwelt seems to be Gilgal, 2Ki 4:38.
{z} T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 107. 2.
2 Kings 6:2
Ver. 2. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan,.... Which, according to Josephus {a}, was fifty furlongs, or upwards of six miles, distant from Gilgal:
and take thence every man a beam; by cutting down the trees that grew there; for Mr. Maundrell says {b}, the banks of Jordan are beset with bushes and trees, which are an harbour for wild beasts; and another traveller {c} observes, that it is shadowed on both sides with poplars, alders, &c. and who speaks of their cutting down boughs from the trees when there:
and let us make us a place there where we may dwell: near the banks of Jordan, which they might choose for the seclusion and pleasantness of the situation, or because Elijah was taken up to heaven near it, as Abarbinel thinks; from whence it appears that these scholars were far from living an idle life; for they were not only trained up in useful learning, but were employed in trades and manufactures, to which they had been brought up, and knew how to fell timber, and build houses:
and he answered, go ye; he gave them leave, without which they did not choose to do anything.
{a} Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 4. {b} Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 82, 83. {c} Sandys's Travels, l. 3. p. 110.
2 Kings 6:3
Ver. 3. And one said, be content, I pray thee, and with thy servants,.... Or be pleased to go with us; he begged it as a favour, that, being awed by his presence, they might preserve peace and order, and have his advice as to the spot of ground to erect their edifice on, and might be protected by him from harm and mischief by men or wild beasts:
and he answered, I will go; he consented to it, knowing perhaps before hand that he should have an opportunity of working a miracle there, as he did.
2 Kings 6:4
Ver. 4. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. Trees which grew upon the banks of it, to build their house with, at least for the rafters and flooring of it, supposing the walls to be built of stone.
2 Kings 6:5
Ver. 5. But as one was felling a beam,.... Cutting down a tree, or a branch of it:
the axe head fell into the water: into the waters of Jordan; or "the iron" {d}, the iron part of it, with which the wood was cut; that flew off from the helve into the water:
and he cried, and said, alas, master! for it was borrowed: it grieved him to lose his axe, because he could do no more work, and the more because it was not his own, but he had borrowed it of his neighbour; and still more, because, as it seems, he was poor, and not able to pay for it, which, being of an honest disposition, gave him distress.
{d} lzrbh "ferrum", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
2 Kings 6:6
Ver. 6. And the man of God said, where fell it?.... For though endowed with a spirit of prophecy, he did not know all things, and at all times; and if he did know where it fell, he might ask this question to lead on to the performance of the miracle:
and he showed him the place; the exact place in the river into which it fell:
and he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; he did not take the old helve and throw in, but a new stick he cut off of a tree; some think he made of this another helve or handle, of the same size and measure with the other, and that this being cast in was miraculously directed and fixed in the hole of the iron at the bottom of the water, and brought it up with it; but, as Abarbinel observes, there is no need to suppose this; the wood was cast into the precise place where the iron fell, and was sent as it were to call it up to it:
and the iron did swim; it came up and appeared, and was bore on the surface of the waters; or, "and made the iron to swim" {e}; which some understand of the wood cast in, as if it had some peculiar virtue in it to draw up the iron; but it was not any particular chosen wood, but what first occurred to the prophet {f}; and the meaning is, that Elisha caused it to float, contrary to the nature of iron.
{e} Puy "fecit supernatare", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. {f} Vid. Friese, Dissert. de Ferro Natante, sect. 7.
2 Kings 6:7
Ver. 7. Therefore said he, take it up to thee,.... This the prophet said to the man that had lost it:
and he put out his hand, and took it; it being on the top of the water within his reach.
2 Kings 6:8
Ver. 8. Then the king of Syria warred against Israel,.... Proclaimed war against him; on what account, or how long it was after Naaman his general came with a letter of recommendation from him to the king of Israel, and had his cure, is not said:
and took counsel with his servants; his privy counsellors, or the general officers of his army:
saying, in such and such a place shall be my camp; in some covered hidden place, as the Targum; where he would lie encamped waiting in ambush, to fall upon the king of Israel unawares, as he and his forces should pass that way; the place, no doubt, was named by the king of Syria, though not recorded by the historian; or, as the words may be rendered,
the place of such and such a man; for, as Ben Melech observes, "peloni almoni" are used of persons whose names are either unknown or concealed.
2 Kings 6:9
Ver. 9. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel,.... That is, Elisha sent to him: saying,
beware that thou pass not such a place: not go to it, but avoid it, and pass another way:
for thither the Syrians are come down: are hidden, as the Targum; lie covered at the bottom of the hill, so as not to be seen.
2 Kings 6:10
Ver. 10. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him, and warned him of,.... Sent spies thither to see whether the Syrians were there or not, and whether it was truth the man of God told him; for he had no hearty respect for the prophet, though he had been so serviceable to him:
and saved himself there, not once, nor twice; escaped the snares the king of Syria laid for him, not once, nor twice only, but many times.
2 Kings 6:11
Ver. 11. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing,.... There was as it were a storm in his breast, as the word signifies; he was like a troubled sea, tossed with tempests, exceeding uneasy in his mind, fretting at the disappointment he met with time after time:
and he called his servants, and said unto them, will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? he suspected that some one of his counsellors was in the interest of the king of Israel, and betrayed his secrets to him, which was the cause of his disappointments.
2 Kings 6:12
Ver. 12. And one of his servants said, none, my lord, O king,.... He believed everyone of his counsellors were true and faithful to him:
but Elisha the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber; what is said in the most private place, and in the most secret manner: this man had heard much of Elisha, by Naaman, very probably; or perhaps he had attended him in his journey to Israel for a cure, and so might have personal knowledge of Elisha, and be acquainted with the affair of Gehazi; from whence he concluded, that he, who had the thoughts of men revealed to him, had knowledge of their words and counsels, though ever so secret; see Ec 10:20.
2 Kings 6:13
Ver. 13. And he said, go, and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him,.... But how could he expect to take him, who could give the king of Israel such intelligence of his designs against him, that he might escape his snares?
and it was told him, saying, behold, he is in Dothan; a city in the tribe of Manasseh, not far from Shechem; see Ge 37:17.
2 Kings 6:14
Ver. 14. Therefore sent he thither horses and chariots, and a great host,.... To terrify the inhabitants from attempting to defend the prophet, but deliver him up at once:
and they came by night; that they might come upon them unawares, and their design not be discovered, so as to have timely help from Samaria, which was not far off:
and compassed the city about; that the prophet might not make his escape out of it.
2 Kings 6:15
Ver. 15. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth,.... Either out of his master's house, or out of the city upon some business to be done early in the morning; this was not Gehazi, but a new servant:
behold, an host compassed the city, both with horses and chariots; which he could see at the door of his master's house, the city being built upon an eminence; or which he perceived, as soon as he came out of the gates of the city, or was about so to do:
and his servant said unto him; Elisha being with him; or else he returned to his master on the sight of such an army, and not being able to go forward:
alas, my master! how shall we do? to get out of the city, and through this host, and proceed on our intended journey; and if he understood that the intention of this formidable host was to take his master, his concern might be the greater; and the more as he was a new servant, and not so well acquainted with his master's being possessed of a power of doing miracles.
2 Kings 6:16
Ver. 16. And he answered, fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. Meaning the legions of angels that encamped around them.
2 Kings 6:17
Ver. 17. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see,.... Not the eyes of his body, which were not shut nor blinded, but the eyes of his mind; or, in other words, grant him a vision, represented in so strong a light, as to remove his fears:
and the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; he had a vision of angels:
and, behold, the mountain; on which the city was built, or one near it:
was full of horses and chariots of fire; angels in this form, as in 2Ki 2:11, and these were
round about Elisha; being round about the city where he was; or rather so in the vision it was represented to the young man, he saw his master surrounded with horses and chariots of fire, in the utmost safety.
2 Kings 6:18
Ver. 18. And when they came down to him,.... The Syrian army, from the hill on which they were first seen, who came down from thence to the bottom of the hill on which the city stood; and whither Elisha came out, in order both to meet them, and proceed on his journey to Samaria:
Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness; or "blindnesses" {g}; with great blindness, such as the men of Sodom were smitten with; the same word is here used as of them, Ge 19:11
and he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha; not in such manner that they could discern no object, for then they could not have followed Elisha; but their sight was so altered, that they knew not the objects they saw; they appeared quite otherwise to them than they were; they saw the city, but knew it not to be the same, and Elisha, but knew him not to be the man of God, though they might have some in the host that knew him personally.
{g} Myrwnob "in caecitatibus", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
2 Kings 6:19
Ver. 19. And Elisha said unto them, this is not the way, neither is this the city,.... Which is an answer to some questions of the Syrians; as, whether this was the way to find the prophet Elisha, and this the city in which he was to be found? and he answers most truly, though ambiguously, that the way they were in, and in which should they proceed, was not the way, nor this the city, in which he was to be found, because he was come out of it, and was going to Samaria:
follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek; as he did: but he led them to Samaria: whither he was going, they being still under that sort of blindness with which they were smitten; otherwise they would have known the country better than to have been led thither.
2 Kings 6:20
Ver. 20. And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see,.... So as to know where they were:
and the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw, and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria; the gates being thrown open for them, and they led into the very heart of the city; for, no doubt, Elisha sent his servant before, to acquaint the king of Israel with what he was doing; who got a sufficient number of armed men to enclose them, and fall upon them, when put into his hands, as appears by what follows.
2 Kings 6:21
Ver. 21. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them,.... The Syrian army thus in his hands:
my father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? he speaks with great reverence and respect to the prophet, whom at other times he neglected and despised; and the repetition of his words shows the eagerness of his mind to fall upon his enemy when they where at a disadvantage.
2 Kings 6:22
Ver. 22. And he answered, thou shalt not smite them,.... For they were not his, but the prophet's captives, or rather the Lord's:
wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? when soldiers are made prisoners of war, it is contrary to humanity, to the laws of nature and nations, to kill them in cold blood, and much more those who were taken not by his sword and bow, but by the power and providence of God:
set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master; the king of Syria, and report the miracles wrought, and the good usage they met with, when in the hand of an enemy, fed and let go; which would be more to the glory of the God of Israel, and more agreeable to the character of a king of Israel, reckoned merciful, and more serviceable to the civil good of the land of Israel, as well as more to the honour of the prophet and true religion, see Ro 12:20.
2 Kings 6:23
Ver. 23. And he prepared great provision for them,.... Or a great feast, as the Targum; so obedient was he to the prophet's orders:
and when they had eaten and drank; and refreshed themselves, which they needed, having marched all night and that morning from place to place:
he sent them away; that is, the king of Israel dismissed them:
and they went to their master; the king of Syria, but without the prophet Elisha they were sent to fetch:
so the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel; not as yet, or for some time; or rather the sense is, that the Syrians came not any more in small bodies, as troops of robbers making excursions, and carrying off booty in a private manner, and by surprise; but afterwards came with a large army in an open hostile manner, as follows.
2 Kings 6:24
Ver. 24. And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host,.... Still retaining a grudge and enmity against Israel, and not at all softened by the kind and humane treatment his forces had met with, when in the hands of Israel; and finding he could do nothing in a secret way, by ambush, mustered all his forces together, to try what he could by open war:
and went up, and besieged Samaria; Jehoram king of Israel not being able to stop him till he came to his capital, which he laid close siege to.
2 Kings 6:25
Ver. 25. And there was a great famine in Samaria,.... No care, perhaps, having been taken to lay up stores against a siege:
and, behold, they besieged it until an ass's head was [sold] for fourscore [pieces] of silver; shekels, as the Targum explains the word in the next clause, which amounted to about nine or ten pounds of our money; a great price for the head of such a creature, by law unclean, its flesh disagreeable, and of that but very little, as is on an head:
and the fourth part of a cab of doves' dung for five pieces of silver; some of the Jewish writers say {h}, this was bought for fuel, which was scarce: Josephus says {i}, for salt, and so Procopious Gazaeus, and Theodoret; others, for dunging the lands, which is the use of it in Persia {k} for melons; neither of which are probable; most certainly it was for food; but as doves' dung must be not only disagreeable, but scarce affording any nourishment, something else must be meant; some have thought that the grains found in their crops, or in their excrements, undigested, and picked out, are meant; and others, their crops or craws themselves, or entrails; but Bochart {l} is of opinion, that a sort of pulse is meant, as lentiles or vetches, much the same with the kali or parched corn used in Israel, see 1Sa 17:17 and a recent traveller {m} observes, that the leblebby of the Arabs is very probably the kali, or parched pulse, of the Scriptures, and has been taken for the pigeons' dung mentioned at the siege of Samaria; and indeed as the "cicer" (a sort of peas or pulse) is pointed at one end, and acquires an ash colour by parching, the first of which circumstances answers to the figure, the other to the usual colour of pigeons' dung, the supposition is by no means to be disregarded: a "cab" was a measure with the Jews, which held the quantity of twenty four egg shells; according to Godwin {n}, it answered to our quart, so that a fourth part was half a pint; and half a pint of these lentiles, or vetches, or parched pulse, was sold for eleven or twelve shillings.
{h} R. Jonah in Ben Melech, Kimchi & Abarbinel in loc. {i} Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4. {k} Universal History, vol. 5. p. 90. {l} Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 1. c. 7. col. 44, &c. {m} Shaw's Travels, p. 140. {n} Moses & Aaron, B. 6. c. 9.
2 Kings 6:26
Ver. 26. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, &c. To spy out the motion and situation of the enemy, and to give orders for the annoyance of them, and to see that his soldiers did their duty:
there cried a woman to him, saying, help, my lord, O king; desired his assistance and help in a cause depending between her and another woman.
2 Kings 6:27
Ver. 27. And he said, if the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?.... Mistaking her meaning, as if she prayed him to relieve her hunger; the margin of our Bible is, "let not the Lord save thee"; and so some understand it as a wish that she might perish; and so Josephus {o}, that being wroth, he cursed her in the name of God:
out of the barn floor, or out of the winepress? when neither of them afforded anything; no corn was to be had from the one, nor wine from the other, no, not for his own use, and therefore how could he help her out of either?
{o} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4.)
2 Kings 6:28
Ver. 28. And the king said unto her, what aileth thee?.... His passion subsiding, or pitying her as in distress, and supposing that there might be something particular and pressing in her case:
and she answered,
this woman said unto me; who was now with her, and to whom she pointed:
give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow; and this was agreed to between them, that first one should be eaten, and then the other, and that they should feed upon one as long as it would last, and then on the other; for it is not to be limited precisely to a day and tomorrow.
2 Kings 6:29
Ver. 29. So we boiled my son, and did eat him,.... Thus what was predicted, by way of threatening, began to be accomplished, De 28:53,
See Gill on "De 28:53", and of which there were other instances of a like kind at the siege of Jerusalem, both by Nebuchadnezzar and Vespasian:
and I said unto her on the next day; after her child had been wholly ate up:
give thy son, that we may eat him; according to agreement:
and she hath hid her son; either to save him alive, or to eat him herself alone.
2 Kings 6:30
Ver. 30. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes,.... At the horror of the fact reported, and through grief that his people were brought into such distress through famine:
and he passed by upon the wall; returning to his palace:
and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth upon his flesh; which, in token of humiliation for averting the calamities he was under, he had put there before, and now was seen through the rending of his clothes.
2 Kings 6:31
Ver. 31. Then he said, God do so and more also to me,.... He swore and made dreadful imprecations:
if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day; imputing the sore famine to him, because he had foretold it, and did not pray for the removal of it, as he might; and perhaps had advised and encouraged the king to hold out the siege, which had brought them to this extremity, and therefore was enraged at him.
2 Kings 6:32
Ver. 32. And Elisha sat in his house,.... In Samaria:
and the elders sat with him; not the elders of the city, or the magistrates thereof, but his disciples, as Josephus says {p}, the eldest of them, whom he admitted to greater familiarity and converse with him:
and the king sent a man from before him; to execute what he had sworn should be done that day to the prophet:
but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, see ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? which he knew by a spirit of prophecy, and spoke of it before the executioner came; he calls Joram the son of a murderer, because of his mother Jezebel, who killed Naboth, and the prophets of the Lord, and to which his father Ahab also consented, and therefore might be so called too; and he intimates hereby that he was of the same temper and disposition, and as the above oath, and his orders, showed:
look when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door; and not suffer him to come in:
is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? that is, of Joram king of Israel, who followed the messenger, either to listen and hear what the prophet would say unto him; or repenting of his order, as Josephus {q} thinks, he followed him to prevent the execution.
{p} Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4.) {q} Ibid.
2 Kings 6:33
Ver. 33. And while he yet talked with them,.... Elisha with the elders:
behold, the messenger came down unto him; sent by the king:
and he said; either the messenger in the king's name, or rather the king, who was at his heels, and came to the door before the messenger was let in, who was detained; and therefore it is most probable the king went in first; for that was the intention of Elisha in holding the messenger, not to save his own life, but that the king, who was following, might hear what he had to say; and whom he advised to wait for the Lord, and his appearance, for deliverance: in answer to which he said,
behold, this evil is of the Lord, what should I wait for the Lord any longer? this calamity is from him, and he is determined upon the ruin of my people, and there is no hope; this he said as despairing, and so resolving to hold out the siege no longer.
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible.
There is that pleasantness in the converse of
servants of God, which can make those who listen to them forget
the pain and the weariness of labour. Even the sons of the prophets
must not be unwilling to labour. Let no man think an honest
employment a burden or a disgrace. And labour of the head, is as
hard, and very often harder, than labour with the hands. We ought
to be careful of that which is borrowed, as of our own, because we
must do as we would be done by. This man was so respecting the
axe-head. And to those who have an honest mind, the sorest
grievance of poverty is, not so much their own want and disgrace,
as being rendered unable to pay just debts. But the Lord cares for
his people in their smallest concerns. And God's grace can thus
raise the stony iron heart, which is sunk into the mud of this world,
and raise up affections, naturally earthly.
There is that pleasantness in the converse of
servants of God, which can make those who listen to them forget
the pain and the weariness of labour. Even the sons of the prophets
must not be unwilling to labour.
But the Lord cares for
his people in their smallest concerns. And God's grace can thus
raise the stony iron heart, which is sunk into the mud of this world,
and raise up affections, naturally earthly.
Sources: Matthew Henry; Gill's Exposition; Matthew Henry Concise
Commentary
Commentary