1-7 Elisha, giving leave to the young prophets to enlarge their dwellings, causes iron to swim. 8-12 He discloses the king of Syria's counsel 13-18 The army which was sent to Dothan to apprehend Elisha, is smitten with blindness 19-23 Being brought into Samaria, they are dismissed in peace 24-29 The famine in Samaria causes women to eat their own children 30-33 The king sends to slay Elisha

the sons 2Ki 2:3 1Ki 20:35

the place 2Ki 4:38 1Sa 19:20

too strait for us Jos 17:14 19:47 Job 36:16 Isa 49:19,20 54:2,3

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.

and take thence Joh 21:3 Ac 18:3 20:34,35 1Co 9:6 1Th 2:9 2Th 3:8 1Ti 6:6

3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.

Be content 2Ki 5:23 Jud 19:6 Job 6:28

go with thy Jud 4:8

4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.

they cut down wood De 19:5 29:11

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.

axe head [heb] iron Ec 10:10 Isa 10:34

Alas, master 2Ki 6:15 3:10 Re 18:10,16,19

for it was borrowed 2Ki 4:7 Ex 22:14,15 Ps 37:21

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.

he cut down This could have no natural tendency to raise the iron and cause it to swim: it was only a sign, or ceremony, which the prophet chose to employ on the occasion. 2Ki 2:21 4:41 Ex 15:25 Mr 7:33,34 8:23-25 Joh 9:6,7

the iron This was the real miracle; for the gravity of the metal must otherwise still have kept it at the bottom of the river.

7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

Take it up 2Ki 4:7,36 Lu 7:15 Ac 9:41

put out Ex 4:4

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.

the king 2Ki 6:24 1Ki 20:1,34 22:31

took 1Ki 20:23 Job 5:12,13 Pr 20:18 21:30 Isa 7:5-7 8:10

camp. or, encamping

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.

Beware 2Ki 3:17-19 1Ki 20:13,28

thither the Syrians 2Ki 4:27 Am 3:7 Re 1:1

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.

sent to the place To see if it were so. but the Vulgate renders, `the king of Israel sent to the place, and pre-occupied it;' which is very likely, though not expressed in the Hebrew text. 2Ki 5:14 Ex 9:20,21 1Ki 20:15 Pr 27:12 Mt 24:15-17

warned him Eze 3:18-21 Mt 2:12 3:7 Heb 11:7

saved 2Ki 2:12 13:14 2Ch 20:20 Am 7:1-6 Ac 27:24

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?

Therefore 1Sa 28:21 Job 18:7-11 Ps 48:4,5 Isa 57:20,21 Mt 2:3

Will ye not 1Sa 22:8

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.

None [heb] No
Elisha 2Ki 5:3,8,13-15 Am 3:7

telleth 2Ki 6:9,10 Isa 29:15 Jer 23:23,24 Da 2:22,23,28-30,47 4:9-18

thy bed chamber Ps 139:1-4 Ec 10:20

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.

spy where 1Sa 23:22,23 Ps 10:8-10 37:12-14,32,33 Jer 36:26 Mt 2:4-8 Joh 11:47-53 Ac 23:12-27

Dothan This is supposed to be the same place where Joseph was sold by his brethren; and it is placed by Eusebius 12 miles north of Samaria. Ge 37:17

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

sent he thither horses It is strange the Syrian monarch did not think, that he who could penetrate his secrets with respect to the Israelitish army, could inform himself of all the machinations against his own life. 2Ki 1:9-13 1Sa 23:26 24:2 Mt 26:47,55 Joh 18:3-6

great [heb] heavy 2Ki 18:17

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

servant. or, minister 2Ki 3:11 5:20,27 Ex 24:13 1Ki 19:21 Mt 20:26-28 Ac 13:5

Alas 2Ki 6:5 2Ch 20:12 Ps 53:5 Mt 8:26

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

Fear not Ex 14:13 Ps 3:6 11:1 27:3 118:11,12 Isa 8:12,13 41:10-14 Mt 16:6 Ac 18:9,10 Php 1:28

they that be 2Ch 16:9 32:7,8 Ps 46:7,11 55:18 Isa 8:10 Mt 26:53 Ro 8:31 1Jo 4:4

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD 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.

prayed Ps 91:15 Jas 5:16-18

open his eyes 2Ki 6:18-20 Ps 119:18 Isa 42:7 Ac 26:18 Eph 1:18 Re 3:7

full of horses 2Ki 2:11 Ps 34:7 68:17 91:11 104:3 Eze 1:13-16 Zec 1:8 6:1-7 Mt 26:53 Heb 1:14 Re 19:11,14

18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Smite this people Confound their sight, so that they may not know what they see; and so mistake one place for another. The word {sanverim}, rendered {blindness}, occurs only here and in Ge 19:11

on which see the Note De 28:28 Job 5:14 Zec 12:4 Joh 9:39 12:40 Ac 13:11 Ro 11:7

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.

follow me [heb] come ye after me Mt 16:24 Mr 8:34 Lu 9:23

I will bring 2Sa 16:18,19 Lu 24:16

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. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

open the eyes 2Ki 6:17 Lu 24:31

opened Jud 20:40-42 Lu 16:23

21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

My father This was dastardly: the utmost he ought to have done with these men, when thus brought into his hand, was to make them prisoners of war. 2Ki 2:12 5:13 8:9 13:14

shall 1Sa 24:4,19 26:8 Lu 9:54-56 22:49

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.

wouldest De 20:11-16 2Ch 28:8-13

thy sword Ge 48:22 Jos 24:12 Ps 44:6 Ho 1:7 2:18

set bread Pr 25:21,22 Mt 5:44 Ro 12:20,21

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.

he prepared 1Sa 24:17,18 2Ch 28:15 Pr 25:21,22 Mt 5:47 Lu 6:35 10:29-37

So the bands That is, for a considerable. What is mentioned in the next verse was more than a year afterwards. 2Ki 6:8,9 5:2 24:2

24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

gathered 2Ki 17:5 18:9 25:1 De 28:52 1Ki 20:1 22:31 Ec 9:14

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.

a great famine 2Ki 6:28,29 7:4 25:3 1Ki 18:2 Jer 14:13-15,18 32:24 52:6

an ass's head If the {pieces} of silver were {dracms}, the whole would amount 2l. 9s.; which was a great price for so {mean} a part of this {unclean} animal. Eze 4:13-16

dove's dung This probably denotes, as Bochart, Scheuchzer, and others suppose, a kind of {pulse}, or {vetches}, which the Arabs still call {pigeon's dung}. `They never,' says Dr. Sahw, `constitute a dish by themselves, but are strewed singly as a garnish over {cuscasowe, pillowe}, and other dishes. They are besides in the greatest repute after they are parched in pans and ovens; then assuming the name {leb-lebby;} ' and he thinks they were so called from being pointed at one end, and acquiring an ash colour in parching.

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.

Help, my lord 2Sa 14:4 Isa 10:3 Lu 18:3 Ac 21:28

27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?

If the lord, etc. or, Let not the Lord save thee.
whence Ps 60:11 62:8 118:8,9 124:1-3 127:1 146:3 Isa 2:2 Jer 17:5

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.

What aileth thee Ge 21:17 Jud 18:23 1Sa 1:8 2Sa 14:5 Ps 114:5 Isa 22:1

Give thy son Le 26:29 De 28:53-57 Isa 9:20,21 49:15 La 4:10 Eze 5:10 Mt 24:18-21 Lu 23:29

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.

next [heb] other
she hath hid 1Ki 3:26 Isa 49:15 66:13

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.

he rent his clothes 2Ki 5:7 19:1 1Ki 21:27 Isa 58:5-7

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.

God do so Ru 1:17 1Sa 3:17 14:44 25:22 2Sa 3:9,35 19:13 1Ki 2:23

if the head 1Ki 18:17 19:2 22:8 Jer 37:15,16 38:4 Joh 11:50 Ac 23:12,13

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?

the elders Eze 8:1 14:1 20:1 33:31

ere the messenger 2Ki 6:12 5:26

See ye how Lu 13:32

son of a murderer 1Ki 18:4,13,14 21:10

the sound 1Ki 14:6

33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, 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 evil is of the Lord Ge 4:13 Ex 16:6-8 1Sa 28:6-8 31:4 Job 1:11,21 2:5,9 Pr 19:3 Isa 8:21 Jer 2:25 Eze 33:10 Mt 27:4,5 2Co 2:7,11 Re 16:9-11

wait for the Ps 27:14 37:7,9 62:5 Isa 8:17 26:3 50:10 La 3:25,26 Hab 2:3 Lu 18:1