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CHAPTER VI.

Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

Great dearth in Samaria.

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A. M. 3111. 21 And the king of Israel said unto || them away, and they went to their A. M. 3112. master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

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

Rom. xii. 10.

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.

h Chap. v. 2; Verses 8, 9.

Verses 21, 22. Shall I smite them? shall I smite them?-This repetition of the question shows his eager desire to fall upon them and kill them. Perhaps he remembered how God was displeased at his father for dismissing out of his hands those whom he had put it into his power to destroy, and he would not offend in like manner: yet such reverence has he now for the prophet, that he will not lift a hand against them without his permission. He answered, Thou shalt not smite them-It is against the laws of humanity to kill captives, though thou thyself hadst taken them with thy own sword and bow, which might seem to give thee some colour to destroy them; but much more unworthy will it be in cold blood to kill these, whom not thy arms, but God's providence hath put into thy hands. Set bread be- Verse 25. There was a great famine in Samaria fore them-Give them meat and drink, which may-Probably the dearth, which had of late been in refresh and strengthen them for their journey. This the land, was the cause of their stores being so was an action of singular piety and charity, in doing empty; or the siege was so sudden, that they had no good to their enemies, which was much to the hon- time to lay in provisions. An ass's head was sold our of the true religion, and of no less prudence; for fourscore pieces of silver-Supposed to be shethat hereby the hearts of the Syrians might be mol-kels, and the common shekel being valued at fifteen lified toward the Israelites. Elijah had given a spe- pence of English money, they amount to five pounds: cimen of divine justice, when he called for flames of a vast price, especially for that which had on it so fire on the heads of his persecutors to consume little meat, and was unwholesome, and unclean acthem: but Elisha here gave a specimen of divine cording to the law, Lev. xi. 26. In times of famine, mercy, in heaping coals of fire on the heads of his however, and extreme necessity, the Jews themselves persecutors to melt them. were absolved from observing the law with regard to meats. There are not wanting instances, in history, where other people, upon the same occasion, have been reduced to the like distress, and been glad to purchase an ass's head at an enormous price. See Plutarch's Life of Artaxerxes. The fourth part of a cab-A measure which, according to the Jews, contained as much as the shells of twenty-four eggs. Of dove's dung-Bochart has shown that there is among the Arabians a kind of retches or pulse called by this name, which is undoubtedly here meant, for we can scarcely suppose that they used the excrements of doves for food. These vetches were a very coarse food, and yet much in use among the poorer Israelites, and therefore fit to be joined here with the ass's heads: and a cab was the usual measure of all kinds of grain, and fruits of that sort. In confirmation of the above it may be observed, some travellers tell us, that at Grand Cairo and Damascus there are magazines where they constantly fry this kind of

minds, and break out again into hostilities. Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host-He whom Ahab wickedly spared, now comes to requite his kindness, and fulfil the divine prediction contained in 1 Kings xx. 42. They will not now, as before, make incursions and inroads into the country, in small bands and companies, which, as they had experienced, might easily be entrapped; but will wage an open and solemn war, and fall upon the Israelites at once, with all their forces united. Ben-hadad was a name very frequent among the kings of Syria, if not common to them all. And went up, and besieged Samaria-Plundering and laying waste the country, no doubt, as he went; and meeting with no opposition till he came to the capital city.

Verse 23. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away-Refreshed, but disarmed, as is most probable. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel-For some considerable time, came no more as yet, as Dr. Waterland reads it; not until the memory and influence of these examples were gone out of their minds: or they came no more 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.

Verse 24. And it came to pass after this, &c. How long after we are not informed; but probably some years, when they had forgotten the kindnesses they had received in Samaria, which for a time, it appears, had quite disarmed them of their hatred against Israel, and caused them to lay aside all thoughts of war. Now, however, they alter their

The king of Israel vows

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26 ¶ And as the king of Israel was || son, that we may eat him: and she A. M. 3112. passing by upon the wall, there cried hath hid her son. a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

grain, which those who go on pilgrimage buy, and take with them, as part of the provision for their journey. The Arabs, it appears, to this day call this kind of pulse or vetches by the name of dove's dung. -See Bochart Hieroz., p. 2, 1. 1, c. 7.

Verses 26, 27. The king of Israel was passing on the wall--To give necessary directions for the defence of the city against assault; to see if the several guards were watchful and diligent, and if his orders were executed, and to observe the motions of the enemy. There cried a woman unto him, Help, my lord, O king-For 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 said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?--Dost thou ask of me corn or wine, which I want for myself? If God do not help thee, I cannot. Or his words may be considered as the language of passion or desperation, and rendered, The Lord will not, and I cannot help thee.

Verses 28, 29. The king said, What aileth thee? --Is there any thing singular in thy case? 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 on it without horror?) and now her neighbour hid hers. This shocking story is a terrible effect of the divine vengeance, which Moses, about six hundred years before, had warned the Israelites would fall upon them in case || of their apostacy from, and rebellion against, God; || as the reader may see in the passages referred to in the margin. The same dreadful calamity befell them at two other times besides this; at the siege of Jerusalem, under Nebuchadnezzar, Lam. ii. 20; Ezek. v. 10; and that under Titus. See Joseph., Jewish War, lib. 7, c. 10.

Verse 30. When the king heard the words of the woman, he rent his clothes-Partly through grief for such a horrid fact, and partly through indignation at the prophet. And the people looked-Who were

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 * 1 Kings xxi. 27. Ruth i. 17; 1 Kings xix. 2.— m Ezek. viii. 1; xx. 1.- Luke xiii. 32.

in great numbers upon the wall, chiefly for the defence of the city. And behold, he had sackcloth upon his flesh-Under his inner garments, in token of his sorrow for the miseries of his people, and lamenting that it was not in his power to help them.

Verse 31. If the head of Elisha shall stand on him this day-If I do not this day take his head and his life. This wretched and partial prince overlooks his own great and various sins, and, among the rest, his obstinate adherence to the worship of the calves, and his conniving at the idolatries and witchcrafts of his mother Jezebel, (chap. ix. 22,) and the wickedness of the people, which were the true and proper causes of this and all their calamities; and he lays the blame of all upon Elisha, either supposing that he who had the spirit of Elijah resting upon him had brought this famine on the land by his prayers, as Elijah had formerly done, or because he had encouraged them to withstand the Syrians by promising them help from God.

Verse 32. Elisha sat in his house-In the house where he lodged; for it is probable he had no house of his own, having forsaken all to follow Elijah. And the elders sat with him-Either the sons of the prophets, or rather some good and godly men, such as are frequently termed elders in the prophecy of Ezekiel, who bore some office either in the court, army, or city, as seems probable from the prophet's desiring their help and protection. For though Jehoram was a wicked man, and most of his officers, probably, as wicked as himself; yet, as Poole justly observes, we cannot doubt but there were some among them whom his holy life, powerful ministry, and glorious miracles, with the great benefits procured by him for the public, had won to God and the true religion; at least to the profession of it, among whom Jehu might be one; and these were here sitting with him, either to receive counsel and comfort from him in this distressing time, or to solicit him to use his power with God for their relief; which he accordingly did, and pronounced the joyful news which follows in the beginning of the next chapter. The king sent a man before him-One of

CHAPTER VII.

Elisha foretels plenty, and the death of the unbelieving lord, 1, 2. Four lepers discover that the Syrians are fled, and bring the news into the city, 3-11. The king sends messengers in order to be assured of the truth, 12–15. Sudden plenty, and the death of the unbelieving lord, 16-20.

Four lepers discover

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A. M. 3112. Behold, if the LORD would make || the camp of the Syrians: and when A. M. 3112. windows in heaven, might this thing they were come to the uttermost part be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. man there.

d

3¶ And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

6 For the LORD had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the and fled camp as it was, 5 And they rose up in the twilight to go unto for their life. Mal. iii. 10.- d Lev. xiii. 46. 2 Samuel v. 24; Chapter

1 Kings x. 29.- Psa. xlviii. 4, 6; Prov. xxviii. 1.

great surprise and joy, they found wholly deserted, not a man being to be seen or heard in it.

Verse 6. The Lord had made the host of the Sy||rians hear a noise of chariots, &c.-The air, by the ministry of angels, doubtless, was put into such a motion about the camp of the Syrians, as to give sounds like to those it would have given if it had been agitated by the rattling of chariots, the pranc

xix. 7; Job xv. 21. prodigious famine that then reigned in Samaria, and their being surrounded by a powerful army, that it was possible there should be such a change wrought by any means in a few hours, as that there should be such plenty to-morrow, where there was such want and distress to-day. He judged, as we too generally do, according to the visible appearance of natural and instrumental causes, and did not consider that with God all things are possible. Thou shalt seeing of horses, and all the other motions and actions it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof—A just punishment for his unbelief, by which he made not only the prophet, but God himself, (in whose name Elisha had long given full proof that he spoke and acted,) a liar. Here we see, as we have often seen elsewhere, that unbelief of God's declarations and promises is a sin whereby men both greatly displease him, and deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. The murmuring Israelites saw Canaan, but could not enter in because of unbelief. "Such," says Bishop Patrick, "will be the portion of those who believe not the promise of eternal life; they shall see it at a distance, but never taste it." Take care, reader, that this be not thy case! that a promise being left thee of entering into his rest, thou do not fall short of it.

Verses 3-5. There were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate-Namely, of the city, out of which they were shut by virtue of God's law. They had either had their dwelling-place near the gate, or had come near it for fear of the Syrian army. They said one to another, Why sit we here till we die?-None passed through the gate to relieve them, and they were ready to perish with hunger. Should they go into the city, there was nothing to be had there, they must die in the streets; should they sit still, they must pine to death in their cottage: they therefore determine to go over to the enemy, and throw themselves upon their merey; for death seemed unavoidable every other way. They rose up, therefore, in the twilight-In the evening twilight, as appears from verses 9, 12. To go to the camp of the Syrians-Which, to their

of a numerous army and their attendants: so that the Syrians could not well draw any other conclusion than that an exceeding large army was marching against them and was just at hand, as they heard exactly the same noise as if it had been actually so. Some have supposed that it was not the air which was influenced, or acted upon, in this miracle, but the ears of the Syrians: if so, the work was the more wonderful, for in that case there must have been as many distinct miracles wrought as there were individuals that heard the noise. In either way their hearing was imposed upon, just as the sight of those that besieged Dothan had been imposed on: for God knows how to work upon any and every sense, pursuant to his own counsels, They said, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites-Under which name, as elsewhere under the name of Amorites, seem to be comprehended all, or any of the people of Canaan. For though the greatest number of that people were destroyed, yet very many of them were spared, and many of them, upon Joshua's coming, fled away, some to remote parts, others to the lands bordering upon Canaan, where they seated themselves, and grew numerous and powerful. Kings of the Egyptians-Either the king of Egypt, the plural number being put for the singular, or the princes and governors of the several provinces in Egypt.

Verse 7. Wherefore they arose and fled-And that with incredible precipitation, as for their lives, leaving their camp as it was, and even their horses, which, if they had taken them, might have expe

The king sends messengers

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A. M. 3112 8 And when these lepers came to || what the Syrians have done to us. A. M. 3112 the uttermost part of the camp, they They know that we be hungry ; went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and therefore are they gone out of the camp, to carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and hide themselves in the field, saying, When went and hid it: and came again, and entered they come out of the city, we shall catch them into another tent, and carried thence also, and alive, and get into the city. went and hid it.

9 Then they said one to another, We do not well this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morninglight, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household.

10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

15 And they went after them unto Jordan: and lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in

11 And he called the porters; and they told their haste. And the messengers returned, and it to the king's house within. told the king.

12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you

Heb. we shall find punishment.

dited their flight. None of them had so much sense as to send scouts to discover the supposed enemy, much less courage enough to face them. God can, when he pleases, dispirit the boldest, and make the stoutest hearts to tremble. They that will not fear God, he can make them fear at the shaking of a leaf. Perhaps Gehazi was one of these lepers, which might occasion his being taken notice of by the king, chap. viii. 4.

Verses 9-11. They said-We do not well-Not well for our brethren, whom we should pity and help; nor well for ourselves, for we may suffer for this neglect; either from the Syrians, who may be lurking hereabouts, or from our king and people, or from God's immediate hand. Thus their own consciences spoke to them, and they hearkened to the dictates thereof, and acquainted the sentinel with what they had discovered, who straightway carried the intelligence to the court, which was not the less acceptable for being first brought by lepers; and these poor afflicted men increased their own joy by thus communicating it. Selfish, narrowspirited people cannot expect to be happy or prosperous: the most comfortable prosperity is that in which our brethren share with us.

Verse 12. The king said, I will show you what the Syrians have done-He was jealous of a stratagem, and feared the Syrians had only retreated to be in ambush, and draw out the besieged, that they might fall upon them to more advantage. He knew he had no reason to expect that God should appear thus wonderfully for him, having forfeited his fa

16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine

3 Heb. in it.

vour by his unbelief and impatience. And he knew no reason the Syrians had to flee; for it does not appear that either he, or any of his attendants, or, indeed, any in Samaria, had heard the noise of the chariots, &c., which had affrighted the Syrians.

Verse 13. Let some, I pray thee, take five of the horses, &c.-The sense seems to be, We may well venture these five horses, though we have no more, because both they and we are ready to perish with hunger: let us, therefore, use them while we may, for our common good, or to make the discovery. Behold, they are as the multitude of Israel-The words may be rendered, Behold, they are of a truth (the Hebrew prefix, Caph, being not here a note of similitude, but an affirmation of the truth and certainty of the things, as it is taken Num. xi. 1; Deut. ix. 10) all the multitude of the horses of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even all the multitude of the horses of the Israelites, which (which multitude) are consumed, reduced to this small number, all consumed except these five. And this was indeed worthy of a double behold, to show what mischief the famine had done both upon men and beasts, and to what a low ebb the king of Israel was come, that all his troops of horses, to which he had trusted, were shrunk to so small a number.

Verses 14-16. They took therefore two chariot horses-It is probable the king would venture no more than two horsemen, whom he thought sufficient: and these took two of his own horses to make the discovery. They went after them unto Jordan