Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Kings · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
Verſ. 1. JEhoahaz the ſonne of Jehu began to reigne over Iſrael in Samaria, and reigned ſeventeen years.] Yet two years before his death he made his ſonne Joaſh king, ſee verſ. 10, 22.
Verſ. 3. And he delivered them into the hands of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hands of Ben-hadad the ſonne of Hazael, all their dayes.] That is, all the time of the reigne both of Jehu the father and Jehoahaz his ſonne.
Verſ. 4, And Jehoahaz beſought the Lord.] Namely, when he was brought ſo low by the Syrians that he had not left him above fifty horſmen, and ten chariots, and ten thouſand footmen, as is afterward expreſſed, verſ. 7.
Verſ. 5. And the Lord gave Iſrael a ſaviour, &c.] To wit, Joaſh the ſonne of Jehoahaz, who afterward prevailed mightily againſt the Syrians, and after that alſo Jeroboam his ſonne, chap. 14.27. ſo that afterward the children of Iſrael dwelt in their tents as beforetime; that is, they dwelt in their houſes quietly and peaceably: ſee the note, 1 Kings 12.16.
Verſ. 7. The king of Syria had deſtroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threſhing.] That is, he had broken them to pieces, and ſcattered them (as corn may be with too much threſhing) ſo that ſcarſe any where was there an army together, and they were become a people of no power and no eſteem.
Verſ. 8. Now the reſt of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, &c,] That is, with what courage and valour he reſiſted the Syrians, though they ſtill prevailed againſt him; which is the rather noted to make it manifeſt that the calamities that befell the Iſraelites in his time, were of Gods juſt judgement, becauſe of their ſinnes, rather then from any want of courage and might in their king.
Verſ. 9. And Jehoahaz ſlept with his fathers.] Having reigned ſeventeen years, verſ. 1. all which time Jehoaſh the ſonne of Ahaziah reigned in Judah.
Verſ. 10. In the thirty and ſeventh yeare of Joaſh king of Judah, began Jehoaſh the ſonne of Jehoahaz to reigne, &c.] Jehoahaz the father of Joaſh began his reigne, in the three and twentieth yeare of Joaſh king of Judah, and reigned ſeventeen years, verſ. 1. which muſt needs be till the nine and thirtieth yeare of Joaſh king of Judah complete; and how then did his ſonne begin his reigne in the thirty ſeventh yeare of Joaſh king of Judah, as is here ſaid? I anſwer, that Joaſh was made king his father yet living, and reigned three years together with his father, but reigned not alone till the laſt; that is, the fourtieth yeare of Joaſh king of Judah; and hence it is alſo, that Amaziah the ſonne of Joaſh king of Judah, is ſaid to have begun his reigne in the ſecond yeare of Joaſh ſonne of Jehoahaz king of Iſrael, chap. 14.1. either therefore becauſe Jehoahaz being wearied and broken with long adverſity, deſired to diſcharge himſelf in part of thoſe heavie cares that lay upon him; or becauſe Eliſha had perhaps foretold the victories of this his ſonne, of which we reade, verſ. 14.15. &c. two years before his death he made his ſonne king.
Verſ. 12. And the reſt of the acts of Joaſh, and all that he did, &c.] As namely the three great victories which he obtained againſt the Syrians, of which Eliſha foretold him, verſ. 17, 18, 19. and his reſcuing many cities of Iſrael from the Syrians, verſ. 25. and how he prevailed againſt Amaziah king of Judah, which is related in the following chapter.
Verſ. 13. And Joaſh ſlept with his fathers.] Having reigned ſixteen years, verſ. 10. to wit, after his fathers death, beſides the three years that he reigned with his father: the firſt yeare of his ſole government, Joaſh the ſonne of Ahaziah reigned in Judah, and Amaziah his ſonne the other fifteen years.
Verſ. 14. Now Eliſha was fallen ſick, of the ſickneſſe whereof he dyed.] To wit, about five and fifty years at leaſt, as is generally thought, after Elijah was taken up into heaven; in which time, Jehoſhaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, and Jehoaſh ſwayed the ſcepter of Judah; and Jehoram the ſonne of Ahab, Jehu, Jehoahaz his ſonne, and Joaſh the ſonne of Jehoahaz did ſucceſſively ſit in the throne of Iſrael: yet ſome Expoſitours hold, that Joaſh his viſiting this ſick prophet related in the following words, was whileſt his father Jehoahaz was yet living, to wit, that when his father had ſought unto the Lord, as is ſaid before, verſ. 4. then this his ſonne Joaſh came both to viſit the ſick prophet, and to enquire concerning thoſe ſad calamities that had befallen the kingdome of Iſrael: and ſo when he ſaw him in ſo weak a condition, wept over his face, and ſaid, O my father, my father, the chariot of Iſrael and the horſemen thereof; with the ſame words wherewith Eliſha had bewailed the loſſe of Elijah, chap. 2.12. concerning which, ſee the note there. Nor is it ſtrange that this wicked king that would not be guided by the doctrine of Eliſha, ſhould yet thus paſſionately bewail the ſickneſſe of the prophet, if we conſider in what a diſtreſſed condition his kingdome was at preſent, and how great things God had done for his predeceſſours the kings of Iſrael, by Eliſhaes means.
Verſ. 16. And Eliſha put his hands upon the kings hands.] The prophet putting his hands upon the kings hands when he was drawing the bowe to ſhoot, was to ſignifie, that through Gods aſſiſtance, whoſe perſon the prophet did now repreſent, he ſhould be victorious over the Syrians, according to thoſe expreſſions, Pſalm. 18.34, 35. He teacheth my hands to warre, ſo that a bowe of ſteele is broken by my arms: thou haſt alſo given me the ſhield of thy ſalvation, &c. Pſalm. 144.1. Bleſſed be the Lord my ſtrength, which teacheth my hands to warre and my fingers to fight. Gen. 49.24. But his bow abode in ſtrength, and the arms of his hands were made ſtrong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.
Verſ. 17. And he ſaid open the window eastward, &c.] To wit, becauſe Syria lay eaſtward, and it was to ſignifie the vanquiſhing of the Syrians by Joaſh, that the arrow was to be ſhot out at that window.
The arrow of the Lords deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria, &c.] That is, by this arrow is ſignified, that the Lord by thy might will certainly deliver his people, and that from the Syrians, who have hitherto brought ſuch calamities upon them; and thus even that kindneſſe, which Joaſh had now ſhewen to Gods prophets was abundantly rewarded.
Verſ. 18. And he ſaid, Take the arrowes: and he took them. And he ſaid unto the king of Iſrael, Smite upon the ground, &c.] Having by the former ſigne the arrow ſhot out at the window eaſtward, foreſhewen that he ſhould vanquiſh the Syrians, now by another ſigne he undertakes to ſhew him how often he ſhould overcome them.
Verſ. 19. And the man of God was wroth with him, and ſaid, Thou ſhouldeſt have ſmitten five or ſix times, &c.] It ſeems the Lord had ſhown to Eliſha, that ſo oft as Joaſh ſhould voluntarily, after a generall charge, ſmite the earth, ſo oft ſhould Iſrael ſmite Syria; and hence was Eliſhaes anger, that he ſmote the earth no oftner: But may ſome ſay, ſeeing the Prophet did not enjoyn the king to ſmite it often, why ſhould he be angry with him for this? I anſwer, becauſe by the prophets explaining the meaning of his former action, to wit, his ſhooting out at the window, the king might have eaſily conceived, that even this ſecond action that was injoyned of ſmiting the earth, was alſo intended as a parabolicall ſigne of his ſmiting the Syrians, and ſo thereupon might have been eager to have given many ſtrokes to the earth. Some Expoſitours indeed give another reaſon of the Prophets anger; namely, that he was angry, not becauſe the king ſmote the ground no oftner, but becauſe by the kings ſmiting the earth ſo ſeldome, the Prophet foreſaw his future ſlackneſſe in purſuing the execution of Gods vengeance upon the Syrians, and the deliverance of Gods Iſrael: but the former reaſon of the Prophets anger is I conceive moſt agreeable with the words of the text: And whereas this which is here ſaid, Thou ſhouldest have ſmitten five or ſix times, then hadſt thou ſmitten Syria till thou hadſt conſumed it; whereas now thou ſhalt ſmite Syria but thrice, may ſeem to contradict what was ſaid before, verſ. 17. where it was abſolutely promiſed Joaſh, that he ſhould ſmite the Syrians till he had conſumed them: we muſt know, that the Prophet there ſpake onelyonly of an utter conſuming thoſe armies of the Syrians, over whom he was to obtain three memorable victories; but here he ſpeaks of an utter ruining the whole power of the kingdome of Syria in generall, which ſhould have been if he had ſmitten the earth five or ſix times, but now ſhould not be.
Verſ. 21. And it came to paſſe as they were burying a man, that behold, they ſpied a band of men, and they caſt the man into the ſepulchre of Eliſha, &c.] The meaning of this is, that as they were going to bury a dead man, they ſpied a band of Moabites that were broken into their land, to rob and ſpoil their countrey, and ſo not having time to carry him to the place prepared for his buriall, they removed the ſtone that covered Eliſhaes ſepulchre, and caſt him in there; whereupon the dead man revived ſo ſoon as he touched the bones of Eliſha, and ſtood up upon his feet: for we muſt not think that the ſepulchre of Eliſha lay open ſo, that in their feare they could preſently without any more ado caſt the dead man upon the bones of the Prophet: however by this ſingular miracle the Lord was pleaſed; Firſt, to teach the people that it was the mighty power of God, and not any power in Eliſha himſelf, whereby in his life time he had wrought ſo many glorious miracles: And ſecondly, to ſtrengthen the faith of Joaſh concerning thoſe victories which this holy Prophet of God had foretold him a little before his death, in that hereby he might ſee that God could as eaſily revive their dead ſtate, as he had now revived this dead man; yea and beſides, in this miracle wrought by the dead body of Eliſha, we have a lively figure of that life, which all believers doe obtain, by applying to themſelves by faith the death of Chriſt their Saviour.
Verſ. 22. But Hazael king of Syria oppreſſed Iſrael all the dayes of Jehoahaz.] That is, all the time he reigned alone.
Verſ. 23. Neither caſt he them from his preſence as yet.] The Lord did not as yet quite root out the Iſraelites from the land of Canaan, which he had choſen for his habitation; nor turned them off from enjoying any outward communion with him in his ordinances, as he did afterwards.