Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Kings · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Verſ. 1. BEhold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too ſtrait for us, &c.] The ſucceſſion of two ſuch famous prophets, Elijah and Eliſha, and the many miracles which were wrought by them, could not but draw many in theſe corrupt times to joyn themſelves to theſe ſacred ſocieties of the ſonnes of the prophets: and hence it was, that their colledge had not now room enough for them; and therefore they deſire liberty of Eliſha their maſter to build another, and that they affected not either pomp or ſtate, but were contented with a very homely dwelling, is evident by this, that themſelves were to be the builders of it; Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam; and let us make us a place there, verſ. 2.
Verſ. 8. In ſuch and ſuch a place ſhall be my Camp.] That is, the king of Syria reſolved upon a place where he would lie in ambuſh with his army; knowing that the army of the Iſraelites was to paſſe that way, and ſo hoping on a ſudden to fall out upon them.
Verſ. 9. And the man of God ſent unto the king of Iſrael, ſaying, Beware thou paſſe not ſuch a place, &c.] That is, he ſent to Jehoram the ſonne of Ahab, who was now king, and ſucceeded his brother Amaziah in the throne of Iſrael, Chap. 3.1. Had not Ahab his father ſpared the king of Syria, when he had him in his power, 1. Kings 20.34. the Syrians had not been (perhaps) ſuch continuall thornes in the ſides of his ſonne; but now he ſmarted for his fathers fooliſh pity: onelyonly God was pleaſed to ſave his people by the prophet Eliſha, that ſo they might thereby be rendred more carefull to keep God for their friend, or elſe might be left without excuſe.
Verſ. 13. And he ſaid, Go and ſpie where he is, that I may ſend and fetch him.] A reſolution that diſcovered no leſſe folly then rage; for what a madneſſe was it to lay a plot to ſurpriſe him, of whom they had ſaid, that he knew every word that the king ſpake in his greateſt ſecrecie.
Verſ. 15. And when the ſervant of the man of God was riſen early, &c.] Becauſe Gehazi is after this Chap. 8.4. called the ſervant of the man of God, ſome Expoſitours hold, that it was Gehazi that the text here ſpeaks of; and conſequently that the leproſie of Gehazi was of that ſort which did not make thoſe that had it unclean, and ſo unfit to converſe with others: But yet becauſe Gehazi is no more mentioned in the ſtory, as imployed in the miniſtring to Eliſha, therefore it is moſt probable, that upon that fact of his mentioned in the former chapter, being ſtricken with Leproſie, he was diſmiſſed from his attendance upon Eliſha, and this other ſervant here mentioned, was one that ſucceeded in his room.
Verſ. 18. And he ſmote them with blindneſſe, according to the word of Eliſha.] To wit, ſuch a blindneſſe as the Sodomites were ſtricken with, Gen. 19.11. which was not a deprivation of ſight (for they would never have followed a man that promiſed to ſhew them the citie where the prophet was, if they had been ſtark blind) but rather a withholding of their ſight from ſeeing that which they deſired to ſee, or a dazeling and deluding the ſenſe, that made them miſtake what they ſaw, and apprehend it to be ſomething elſe then what it was.
Verſ. 19. And Eliſha ſaid unto them, This is not the way, &c.] Eliſha going forth of the city to meet them, when he ſaw them coming towards it, it ſeems they enquired of him both concerning the town and concerning the prophet, and hereupon he anſwered them, as ſecretly mocking them, and inſulting over them with theſe ambiguous words, This is not the way; to wit, which you muſt go, Neither is this the citie where you muſt meet with Eliſha; Follow me, &c.
Verſ. 21. And the king of Iſrael ſaid unto Eliſha, when he ſaw them, My father, ſhall I ſmite them? &c.] It is not likely that Eliſha would bring ſuch an army of Syrians into the city, but that firſt he would give warning to the king to arm themſelves in a readineſſe, that when they came into Samaria, inſtead of being able to do any hurt there, upon the opening of their eyes, they ſhould ſee themſelves begirt with their enemies, ready upon a word given to cut all their throats: And hence is this ſpeech of the kings to the prophet, My father, ſhall I ſmite them, ſhall I ſmite them? his repeating thoſe words, ſhowing that his fingers itched to make uſe of this advantage, to be revenged on the Syrians, though yet he would not do it without the prophets leave.
Verſ. 22. Wouldest thou ſmite thoſe whom thou haſt taken captive with thy ſword, and with thy bow?] As if he ſhould have ſaid, if thou hadſt taken them priſoners in the battell thou wouldeſt not have ſlain them, much leſſe being caſt into thy hands, not by any force and policie of thine, but onelyonly by this miraculous providence of the Almighty: Now thus God was pleaſed to have theſe bloudy enemies of Gods people diſmiſſed in peace, that even they might publiſh theſe miraculous works of God in a ſtrange land.
Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their maſter.] To wit, that both he and his Syrians might there heare what God had done to this army, whom they had ſent to apprehend his prophet.
Verſ. 23. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Iſrael.] That is, they gave over thoſe inrodes into the land, which before had been uſuall with them; and that happely as overcome with the favour which was ſhown them, at leaſt for the preſent, yea and when (perhaps ſome long time after) they did again invade the land, it was not by ſending out ſuch bands of boote-halers as formerly (fearing perhaps, leſt they ſhould be catched in a trap, as now they had been:) but the king gathered all his hoſt, and went up againſt them with a power which he thought they would be no way able to reſiſt.
Verſ. 24. Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his hoſt, and went up, and beſieged Samaria.] This was that Ben-hadad that had once before beſieged Samaria in Ahabs time, 1 Kings 20.1. Then the Iſraelites raiſed the ſiege, and made him fly with ſhame and loſſe; and the rather happely did he now attempt the beſieging of this city again, that be might blot out the reproach of his ſhamefull flight from the former ſiege, encouraged thereto by the great overthrow he had given the Iſraelites, in that battell wherein Ahab was ſlain, 1 Kings 22.34. It may indeed ſeem ſtrange that Naaman, being ſo great with the king of Syria, did not keep him off from invading the land of Iſrael; But for this we muſt conſider, firſt, that Naaman might in this time be dead; or ſecondly, that he durſt not ſhew himſelf ſo farre a friend to Gods people, as to diſſwade the king from this warre; or thirdly, that perhaps he had loſt his place and favour with the king, beacuſe he had embraced the Religion of Iſrael. However, in this ſecond ſiege of Samaria, we ſee how the Iſraelites ſtill ſmarted for Ahabs impious pitty, in ſparing this Ben hadad when he had him in his power.
Verſ. 25. An aſſes head was ſold for fourſcore pieces of ſilver, &c.] Which was as ſome account, about ten pound ſterling But though it were very ſtrange that ſo great a price ſhould be given for an aſſes head, and a clear evidence that they were put to exceeding great ſtraits in Samaria to get food, not onelyonly becauſe there could be but little meat in an aſſes head, and aſſes fleſh muſt needs be very untoothſome; but eſpecially, becauſe it was an unclean meat, which the Iſraelites, by the Law of God, were forbidden to eat, Levit. 11.13. yet the ſecond inſtance that is here given is farre more ſtrange, to wit, that the fourth part of a kab of doves dung, was ſold for five pieces of ſilver, to wit, about twelve ſhillings and ſix pence, and therefore ſome Expoſitours hold, that this doves dung was bought for ſalt or firing; (the inhabitants of the citie being in as great ſtraits for ſalt or firing, as for food) and others conceive that ſome few ſeeds of corn might be found in the dung, and that for this they bought it; or that the crop of pigeons, in which there will be ſome corn undigeſted, is here comprehended under the Hebrew word here tranſlated doves dung. But indeed, why ſhould we think it incredible that they ſhould eat doves dung, when we find afterwards, verſ. 29. that mothers did eat their own children; extremitie of famine will force men to feed on any thing that is moſt loathſome; whence was that inſulting ſpeech of Rabſhakeh to the inhabitants of Jeruſalem, that he would make them eat their own dung, and drink their own piſſe, chap. 18.27.
Verſ. 26. As the king of Iſrael was paſſing by upon the wall, &c.] To wit, to ſee if he could deſcry the attempts of the enemy againſt the citie; and eſpecially to ſee whether the watches were kept, and the walls guarded by his own ſouldiers, as they ought to be.
Verſ. 27. And he ſaid, If the Lord do not help thee, whence ſhall I help thee?] If we reade this as it is in the margin of our Bibles, then it ſeems to be a paſſionate ſpeech of the kings, wherein he curſeth the poore woman for troubling him with her outcries (Let not the Lord ſave thee, &c.) as if he ſhould have ſaid, the Lord confound thee thou wretched woman; how can I help thee unleſſe God ſend help? but according to the tranſlation that is in our text the meaning is clear; namely, that he did in gentle terms ſeek to ſatisfie the woman, (as thinking ſhe had cried to him for food) that it was not in his power to help her, unleſſe the Lord would ſend them help from heaven.
Verſ. 29. I ſaid unto her on the next day, Give thy ſonne, that we may eat him: and ſhe hath hid her ſonne.] To wit, to ſave her child alive, or with a purpoſe to eat him alone, and not to let her neighbour ſhare with her.
Verſ. 31. Then he ſaid, God do ſo and more alſo to me, if the head of Eliſha, &c.] Joram the king being deeply affected with that ſad complaint of the woman that had eaten her child (whereby he ſaw, to what extremities the inhabitants of the citie were brought by the famine) in a rage preſently vowed that day to cut off Eliſhaes head, to wit, either becauſe Eliſha had threatned this judgement before it came, or, becauſe the king perſwaded himſelf that Eliſha could have procured help by his prayers, as formerly he had done to the army of the Syrians at Dothan, and would not; or elſe, becauſe he had perſwaded the king to hold out the ſiege, and had aſſured him of timely help from God, and ſo now he looked upon him as the cauſe of all the miſery they now lay under: And thus the prophet that erewhiles was reſpected by him as a father, verſ. 21. My father, ſhall I ſmite them? is now in a fury deſigned to loſe his head, as if he had been the ſole cauſe of all their miſery.
Verſ. 32. But Eliſha ſate in his houſe, and the elders ſate with him.] That is, ſome of the godly magiſtrates of the city, who were come to conſult with him concerning the miſery of the city and to deſire his prayers, and were now hearing him comforting them and inſtructing them what they ſhould do.
See ye how this ſonne of a murderer hath ſent to take away mine head?] As if he ſhould have ſaid, he is his father Ahabs own ſonne, he was a murderer, to wit the murderer of Naboth and others, and ſo is this his ſonne Joram; for behold he hath ſent one to take away my head.
Shut the doore, and hold him faſt at the doore, is not the ſound of his maſters feet behind him? &c.] The moſt Expoſitours underſtand this thus; That the prophet perſwaded the elders to ſhut the doore againſt the kings meſſenger, and not to let him come in, and that becauſe immediately his maſter would come to recall this ſentence, which in his rage he had paſſed againſt him. But others again hold, that the elders were appointed by the prophet to hold faſt the doore, that the kings meſſenger might not enter in to take off the prophets head, as his maſter the king had appointed him; and that becauſe the king himſelf was coming immediately after him, and then the prophet meant to make known to him how ſuddenly the Lord would relieve them, by ſending them all kind of proviſion in great plenty.
Verſ. 33. The meſsenger came down unto him: and he ſaid, Behold this evil is of the Lord, what ſhould I wait for the Lord any longer?] This may be the ſpeech either of the meſſenger, or of the king that came immediately after the meſſenger; whoſeſoever it was, it ſeems the prophet had perſwaded the king ſtill to wait upon God; and received this anſwer, that having waited ſo long, it was altogether in vain to wait any longer; they might plainly perceive, that the Lord meant to deliver them into the hands of the Syrians, and therefore to what end ſhould they ſuffer the people ſtill to periſh for hunger?