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2 Kings Chapter
Six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 6
In
this chapter are recorded other wonders of Elisha
as causing iron to swim
2 Kings 6:1 having
knowledge of the secret counsels of the king of Syria
which he disclosed to
the king of Israel
2 Kings 6:8 smiting
the Syrian army with blindness sent to take him
and which he led into the
midst of Samaria
2 Kings 6:13
and
the chapter is closed with an account of the siege of Samaria
and a sore
famine in it
2 Kings 6:24.
2 Kings 6:1 And
the sons of the prophets said to Elisha
“See now
the place where we dwell
with you is too small for us.
YLT
1And sons of the prophet say
unto Elisha
`Lo
we pray thee
the place where we are dwelling before thee is
too strait for us;
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 JewsF26T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 107. 2. 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
2 Kings 4:38.
2 Kings 6:2 2 Please
let us go to the
Jordan
and let every man take a beam from there
and let us make there a place
where we may dwell.” So he answered
“Go.”
YLT
2let us go
we pray thee
unto the Jordan
and we take thence each one beam
and we make for ourselves
there a place to dwell there;' and he saith
`Go.'
Let us go
we pray thee
unto Jordan
.... Which
according to JosephusF1Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 4.
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 saysF2Journey from Aleppo
&c. p. 82
83.
the banks of Jordan are beset with bushes and trees
which
are an harbour for wild beasts; and another travellerF3Sandys's
Travels
l. 3. p. 110. 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.
2 Kings 6:3 3 Then one said
“Please
consent to go with your servants.” And he answered
“I will go.”
YLT
3And the one saith
`Be
pleased
I pray thee
and go with thy servants;' and he saith
`I -- I go.'
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 4 So he went with them. And
when they came to the Jordan
they cut down trees.
YLT
4And he goeth with them
and
they come in to the Jordan
and cut down the trees
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 5 But as one was cutting
down a tree
the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and
said
“Alas
master! For it was borrowed.”
YLT
5and it cometh to pass
the
one is felling the beam
and the iron hath fallen into the water
and he crieth
and saith
`Alas! my lord
and it asked!'
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"F4הברזל
"ferrum"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c.
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.
2 Kings 6:6 6 So the man of God said
“Where did it fall?” And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick
and
threw it in there; and he made the iron float.
YLT
6And the man of God saith
`Whither hath it fallen?' and he sheweth him the place
and he cutteth a stick
and casteth thither
and causeth the iron to swim
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"F5יצף "fecit
supernatare"
Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus; so Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. ; 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 prophetF6Vid. Friese
Dissert.
de Ferro Natante
sect. 7. ; and the meaning is
that Elisha caused it to
float
contrary to the nature of iron.
2 Kings 6:7 7 Therefore he said
“Pick it
up for yourself.” So he reached out his hand and took it.
YLT
7and saith
`Raise to thee;'
and he putteth forth his hand and taketh it.
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 8 Now the king of Syria was
making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants
saying
“My camp
will be in such and such a place.”
YLT
8And the king of Aram hath
been fighting against Israel
and taketh counsel with his servants
saying
`At
such and such a place [is] my encamping.'
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 9 And the man of God sent to
the king of Israel
saying
“Beware that you do not pass this place
for the
Syrians are coming down there.”
YLT
9And the man of God sendeth
unto the king of Israel
saying
`Take heed of passing by this place
for
thither are the Aramaeans coming down;
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 10 Then the king of Israel
sent someone to the place of which the man of God had told him. Thus he
warned him
and he was watchful there
not just once or twice.
YLT
10and the king of Israel
sendeth unto the place of which the man of God spake to him
and warned him
and he is preserved there not once nor twice.
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 11 Therefore the heart of the
king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing; and he called his servants
and said to them
“Will you not show me which of us is for the king of
Israel?”
YLT
11And the heart of the king
of Aram is tossed about concerning this thing
and he calleth unto his
servants
and saith unto them
`Do ye not declare to me who of us [is] for the
king of Israel?'
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 12 And one of his servants
said
“None
my lord
O king; but Elisha
the prophet who is in Israel
tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
YLT
12And one of his servants
saith
`Nay
my lord
O king
for Elisha the prophet
who [is] in Israel
declareth to the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in the inner part
of thy bed-chamber.'
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 Ecclesiastes 10:20.
2 Kings 6:13 13 So he said
“Go and see
where he is
that I may send and get him.” And it was told him
saying
“Surely he is in Dothan.”
YLT
13And he saith
`Go ye and
see where he [is]
and I send and take him;' and it is declared to him
saying
`Lo -- in Dothan.'
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 Genesis 37:17.
2 Kings 6:14 14 Therefore he sent horses
and chariots and a great army there
and they came by night and surrounded the
city.
YLT
14And he sendeth thither
horses and chariot
and a heavy force
and they come in by night
and go round
against the city.
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 15 And when the servant of
the man of God arose early and went out
there was an army
surrounding the
city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him
“Alas
my master!
What shall we do?”
YLT
15And the servant of the man
of God riseth early
and goeth out
and lo
a force is surrounding the city
and horse and chariot
and his young man saith unto him
`Alas! my lord
how do
we do?'
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 16 So he answered
“Do not
fear
for those who are with us are more than those who are
with them.”
YLT
16And he saith
`Fear not
for more [are] they who [are] with us than they who [are] with them.'
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 17 And Elisha prayed
and
said
“Lord
I pray
open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the
eyes of the young man
and he saw. And behold
the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
YLT
17And Elisha prayeth
and
saith
`Jehovah
open
I pray Thee
his eyes
and he doth see;' and Jehovah
openeth the eyes of the young man
and he seeth
and lo
the hill is full of
horses and chariots of fire
round about Elisha.
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 2 Kings 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 18 So when the Syrians
came down to him
Elisha prayed to the Lord
and said
“Strike this
people
I pray
with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to
the word of Elisha.
YLT
18And they come down unto it
and Elisha prayeth unto Jehovah
and saith
`Smite
I pray Thee
this nation
with blindness;' and He smiteth them with blindness
according to the word of
Elisha.
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"F7בסנורים
"in caecitatibus"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c. ; with great
blindness
such as the men of Sodom were smitten with; the same word is here
used as of them
Genesis 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.
2 Kings 6:19 19 Now Elisha said to them
“This is not the way
nor is this the city. Follow me
and I will
bring you to the man whom you seek.” But he led them to Samaria.
YLT
19And Elisha saith unto them
`This [is] not the way
nor [is] this the city; come after me
and I lead you
unto the man whom ye seek;' and he leadeth them to Samaria.
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 20 So it was
when they had
come to 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 there they were
inside Samaria!
YLT
20And it cometh to pass
at
their coming in to Samaria
that Elisha saith
`Jehovah
open the eyes of
these
and they see;' and Jehovah openeth their eyes
and they see
and lo
in
the midst of Samaria!
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 21 Now when the king of
Israel saw them
he said to Elisha
“My father
shall I kill them? Shall
I kill them?”
YLT
21And the king of Israel
saith unto Elisha
at his seeing them
`Do I smite -- do I smite -- my father?'
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 22 But he answered
“You
shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive
with your sword and your bow? Set food and water before them
that they may eat
and drink and go to their master.”
YLT
22And he saith
`Thou dost
not smite; those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow
art thou smiting? set bread and water before them
and they eat
and drink
and
go unto their lord.'
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 Romans 12:20.
2 Kings 6:23 23 Then he prepared a great
feast for them; and after they ate and drank
he sent them away and they went
to their master. So the bands of Syrian raiders came no more into the
land of Israel.
YLT
23And he prepareth for them
great provision
and they eat and drink
and he sendeth them away
and they go
unto their lord: and troops of Aram have not added any more to come in to the
land of Israel.
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 24 And it happened after this
that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army
and went up and besieged
Samaria.
YLT
24And it cometh to pass
afterwards
that Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathereth all his camp
and goeth up
and layeth siege to Samaria
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 25 And there was a great
famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold
for eighty shekels of silver
and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings
for five shekels of silver.
YLT
25and there is a great famine
in Samaria
and lo
they are laying siege to it
till the head of an ass is at
eighty silverlings
and a forth of the cab of dovesdung at five silverlings.
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 sayF8R. Jonah in Ben
Melech
Kimchi & Abarbinel in loc.
this was bought for fuel
which was
scarce: Josephus saysF9Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4.
for salt
and
so Procopious Gazaeus
and Theodoret; others
for dunging the lands
which is
the use of it in PersiaF11Universal History
vol. 5. p. 90. 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 BochartF12Hierozoic.
par. 2. l. 1. c. 7. col. 44
&c. 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 1 Samuel 17:17 and
a recent travellerF13Shaw's Travels
p. 140. 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 GodwinF14Moses & Aaron
B. 6. c. 9.
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.
2 Kings 6:26 26 Then
as the king of
Israel was passing by on the wall
a woman cried out to him
saying
“Help
my
lord
O king!”
YLT
26And it cometh to pass
the
king of Israel is passing by on the wall
and a woman hath cried unto him
saying
`Save
my lord
O king.'
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 27 And he said
“If the Lord does not help
you
where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the
winepress?”
YLT
27And he saith
`Jehovah doth
not save thee -- whence do I save thee? out of the threshing-floor
or out of
the wine-vat?'
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 JosephusF15Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4.)
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?
2 Kings 6:28 28 Then the king said to her
“What is troubling you?” And she answered
“This woman said to me
‘Give your
son
that we may eat him today
and we will eat my son tomorrow.’
YLT
28And the king saith to her
`What -- to thee?' and she saith
`This woman said unto me
Give thy son
and
we eat him to-day
and my son we eat to-morrow;
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 29 So we boiled my son
and
ate him. And I said to her on the next day
‘Give your son
that we may eat
him’; but she has hidden her son.”
YLT
29and we boil my son and eat
him
and I say unto her on the next day
Give thy son
and we eat him; and she
hideth her son.'
So we boiled my son
and did eat him
.... Thus what
was predicted
by way of threatening
began to be accomplished
Deuteronomy 28:53;
see Gill on Deuteronomy 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 30 Now it happened
when the
king heard the words of the woman
that he tore his clothes; and as he passed
by on the wall
the people looked
and there underneath he had sackcloth
on his body.
YLT
30And it cometh to pass
at
the king's hearing the words of the woman
that he rendeth his garments
and he
is passing by on the wall
and the people see
and lo
the sackcloth [is] on
his flesh within.
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 31 Then he said
“God do so
to me and more also
if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him
today!”
YLT
31And he saith
`Thus doth
God do to me
and thus He doth add -- if it remain -- the head of Elisha son of
Shaphat -- upon him this day.'
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 32 But Elisha was sitting in
his house
and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man
ahead of him
but before the messenger came to him
he said to the elders
“Do
you see how this son of a murderer has sent someone to take away my head? Look
when the messenger comes
shut the door
and hold him fast at the door. Is
not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
YLT
32And Elisha is sitting in
his house
and the elders are sitting with him
and [the king] sendeth a man
from before him; before the messenger doth come unto him
even he himself said
unto the elders
`Have ye seen that this son of the murderer hath sent to turn
aside my head? see
at the coming in of the messenger
shut the door
and ye
have held him fast at the door
is not the sound of the feet of his lord behind
him?'
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 saysF16Ut
supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4.)
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 JosephusF17Ibid.
thinks
he followed him to prevent the execution.
2 Kings 6:33 33 And while he was still
talking with them
there was the messenger
coming down to him; and then the
king said
“Surely this calamity is from the Lord; why should I
wait for the Lord
any longer?”
YLT
33He is yet speaking with
them
and lo
the messenger is coming down unto him
and he saith
`Lo
this
[is] the evil from Jehovah: what -- do I wait for Jehovah any more?'
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 Bible》