An axe is dropped in Jordan, II. KINGS. which Elisha causes to swim. 5. It was an act of theft; he applied that to his own | the confines of the land of Israel. 2. They brought use which Naaman gave him for his master. 6. He away, to reduce to captivity, a little maid, probably dishonoured his master by getting the money and rai- the hope of her father's house. 3. She became Naament in his name, who had before so solemnly refused man's property, and waited on his wife. 4. She anit. 7. He closed the whole by lying to his master, nounced God and his prophet. 5. Naaman, on the denying that he had gone after Naaman, or that he had faith of her account, took a journey to Samaria, 6. received any thing from him. But was it not severe Gets healed of his leprosy. 7. Is converted to the to extend the punishment of his crime to his innocent Lord; and, doubtless, brought at least his whole family posterity? I answer, it does not appear that any of to believe to the saving of their souls. What was Gehazi's children, if he had any prior to this, were severe to the parents of the little maid was most kind smitten with the leprosy; and as to those whom he to Naaman and his family; and the parents lost their might beget after this time, their leprosy must be the child only a little time, that they might again receive necessary consequence of their being engendered by a her with honour and glory for ever. How true are leprous father. the words of the poet ! Reader, see the end of avarice and ambition; and see the truth of those words, "He that wILL be rich, shall fall into temptation, and a snare, and into divers hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition."St. Paul. "Behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face." And see the benefits of a religious education! Had not this little maid been brought up in the knowledge 4. We have already remarked the apparently severe of the true God, she had not been the instrument of and manifestly kind providence of God in this busiso great a salvation. See my sermon on this subject, 1. A marauding party was permitted to spoil 2 Kings v. 12. ness. CHAPTER VI. The sons of the prophets wish to enlarge their dwelling-place, and go to the banks of Jordan to cut down wood, when one of them drops his axe into the water, which Elisha causes to swim, 1-7. Elisha, understanding all the secret designs of the king of Syria against Israel, informs the king of Israel of them, 8-10. The king of Syria, finding that Elisha had thus penetrated his secrets and frustrated his attempts, sends a great host to Dothan, to take the prophet; the Lord strikes them with blindness; and Elisha leads the whole host to Samaria, and delivers them up to the king of Israel, 11-19: The Lord opens their eyes, and they see their danger, 20. But the king of Israel is prevented from destroying them; and, at the order of the prophet, gives them meat and drink, and dismisses them to their master, 21-23. Ben-hadad besieges Samaria, and reduces the city to great distress, of which several instances are given, 24-30. The king of Israel vows the destruction of Elisha, and sends to have him beheaded, 31-33. A. M. 3111. Ante I. O. 117. And AND the sons of the prophets | 4 So he went with them. 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. 3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, go with thy servants. And he answered, and I will go. a Chap. iv. 38. Heb. iron. NOTES ON CHAP. VI. Verse 1. The place is too strait for us.] Notwithstanding the general profligacy of Israel, the schools of the prophets increased. This was no doubt owing to the influence of Elisha. Verse 2. Every man a beam] of log-houses with their own hands. A. M. 3111. Ante 1. Ol. 117. B. C. 893 An. Megachis, Arch. Athen. perpet. 29. 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. 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. I have sought it in vain. Or, it was borrowed, and therefore I am the more afflicted for its loss; and Jarchi adds, I have nothing wherewith to repay it. Verse 6. He cut down a stick] This had no natural tendency to raise the iron; it was only a sign They made a sort or ceremony which the prophet chose to use on the occasion. Verse 5. Alas, master! for it was borrowed.] SIND NITI 8 ahah adonia, vehu shaul! Ah, ah, my master; and it has been sought. It has fallen in, and The iron did swim.] This was a real miracle; for the gravity of the metal must have for ever kept it at the bottom of the water. The Syrians, attempting to take A. M. 3111. B. C. 893. 7 Therefore said he, Take it up by night, and compassed the city Ante I. OI. 117. to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it. An. Megaclis, Arch. Athen. perpet. 29. 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 d camp. 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. 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 Verse 8. The king of Syria warred against Israel] This was probably the same Ben-hadad who is mentioned ver. 24. What was the real or pretended cause of this war we cannot tell; but we may say, in numberless war cases, as Calmet says in this: “An ambitious and restless prince always finds a sufficiency of reasons to colour his enterprises." In such and such a place] The Syrian king had observed, from the disposition of the Israelitish army, in what direction it was about to make its movements; and therefore laid ambuscades where he might surprise it to the greatest advantage. Verse 9. Beware that thou pass not such a place] Elisha must have had this information by immediate revelation from heaven. The king Verse 10. Sent to the place] To see if it were so. But the Vulgate gives it quite a different turn: Misit rex Israel ad locum, et præoccupavit eum. of Israel sent previously to the place, and took possession of it; and thus the Syrians were disappointed. This is very likely, though it is not expressed in the Hebrew text. The prophet knew the Syrians marked such a place; he told the king of Israel, and he hastened and sent a party of troops to pre-occupy it; and thus the Syrians found that their designs had been detected. about. A. M. 3111. B. C. 893. Ante I. Ol. 117. An. Megaclis, Arch. Athen. perpet. 29. 15 And when the h servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.. 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. 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. viii. 31.vi. 1–7. Chap. ii. 11; Psa. xxxiv. 7; Ixviii. 17; Zech. i:8; Verse 13. Behold, he is in Dothan.] This is supposed to be the same place as that mentioned in Gen xxxvii. 17. It lay about twelve miles from Samaria, Verse 14. He sent thither horses] It is strange he did not think that he who could penetrate his secrets with respect to the Israelitish army, could inform himself of all his machinations against his own life. Verse 16. For they that be with us are more, &c.] What astonishing intercourse had this man with heaven! It seems the whole heavenly host had it in commission to help him. Verse 17. Lord-open his eyes] Where is heaven? Is it not above, beneath, around us? And were our eyes open as were those of the prophet's servant, we should see the heavenly host in all directions. The horses and chariots of fire were there, before the eyes of Elisha's servant were opened. Verse 18. Smite this people—with blindness] Confound their sight so that they may not know what they see, and so mistake one place for another. Verse 19. I will bring you to the man whom ye seek.] And he did so; he was their guide to Samaria, and showed himself to them fully in that city. Verse 20. Open the eyes of these men] Take away their confusion of vision, that they may discern things as they are, and distinguish where they are. The king spares the Syrians. A. M. 3111. Ante I. Ol. 117. perpet. 26. II. KINGS.. of these men, that eyes Great dearth in Samaria. B. C. 892. An. Megaclis, they may see. And the LORD that Ben-hadad king of Syria Ante L. Ol. 116. midst of Samaria. 21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? 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. perpet. 30. 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.. 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. 27 And he said, P If the LORD, do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barn-floor, or out of the wine-press? 23 And he prepared great provision for them and when they had eaten and 28 And the king said unto her, What aileth drunk, he sent them away, and and they thee? And she answered, This woman said So the bands unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him of Syria came no more into the land of to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow, went to their master. Israel. a Rom. xii. 20. 29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: Chap. v. 2; ver. 8, 9.-P Or, Let not the Lord save thee. Verse 21. My father, shall I smite] This was dastardly; the utmost he could have done with these men, when thus brought into his hand, was to make them prisoners of war. Verse 22. Whom thou hast taken captive] Those who in open battle either lay down their arms, or are surrounded, and have their retreat cut off, are entitled to their lives, much more those who are thus providentially put into thy hand, without having been in actual hostility against thee. Give them meat and drink, and send them home to their master, and let them thus know that thou fearest him not, and art incapable of doing an ungenerous or unmanly action. Verse 23. He prepared great provision for them] These, on the return to their master, could tell him strange things about the power of the God of Israel, and the magnanimity of its king. So the bands of Syria came no more] Marauding parties were no more permitted by the Syrian king to make inroads upon Israel. And it is very likely that for some considerable time after this, there was no war between these two nations. What is mentioned in the next verse was more than a year afterwards. Verse 25. And, behold, they besieged it] They had closed it in on every side, and reduced it to the greatest necessity, An ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver] I suppose we are to take the ass's head literally; and if the head sold for so much, what must other parts sell for which were much to be preferred? The famine must be great that could oblige them to eat any part of an animal that was proscribed by the law; and it must be still greater that could oblige them to purchase so mean a part of this unclean animal at so high a price. The piece of silver was probably the drachm, worth about seven pence three farthings of our money; the whole amounting to about two pounds nine shillings. - Lev. xxvi. 29; Deut. xxviii. 53, 57. And the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung] The cab was about a quart or three pints. Dove's dung, ' chiriyonim. Whether this means pigeon's dung literally, or a kind of pulse, has been variously disputed by learned men. After having written much upon the subject, illustrated with quotations from east, west, north, and south, I choose to spare my reader the trouble of wading through them, and shall content myself with asserting that it is probable a sort of pease are meant, which the Arabs to this day call by this name, "The garvancos, cicer, or chick pea," says Dr. Shaw, "has been taken for the pigeon's dung, mentioned in the siege of Samaria; and as the cicer is pointed at one end, and acquires an ash colour in parching, the first of which circumstances answers to the figure, the second to the usual colour of dove's dung, the supposition is by no means to be disregarded.” I should not omit saying that dove's dung is of great value in the East, for its power in producing cucumbers, melons, &c., which has induced many learned men to take the words literally. Bochart has exhausted this subject, and concludes that a kind of pulse is meant. Most learned men are of his opinion. Verse 27. If the Lord do not help thee] Some read this as an imprecation, May God save thee not! how can I save thee? Verse 29. So we boiled my son] This is horrible; but for the sake of humanity we must allow that the children died through hunger, and then became food for their starved, desperate parents. She hath hid her son.] He was already dead, says Jarchi; and she hid him, that she might eat him alone. This very evil Moses had foretold should come upon them if they forsook God; see Deut. xxviii. 53, 57. The same evil came upon this wretched people when besieged by Nebuchadnezzar; see Ezek. v. 10.. And also when Titus besieged Jerusalem; see Josephus A. M. 3112. An. Megaclis, Arch. Athen. perpet. 30. son. CHAP. VII. W V and sudden plenty. A. M. 3112. B. C. 892. An. Megaclis, Arch. Athen. perpet. 30. and I said unto her on the next | elders sat with him; and the king Ante I. O1. 116. day, Give thy son, that we may sent a man from before him: but Ante I. Ol. 116. eat him and she hath hid her 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 fect behind him? 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, t God do so and more also 33 And while he yet talked with them, be to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Sha-hold, the messenger came down unto him: phat shall stand on him this day. and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; What should I wait for the LORD any longer? Shut the door] He was obliged to make use of this method for his personal safety, as the king was highly incensed. The sound of his master's feet behind him?] That is, King Jehoram is following his messenger, that he may see him take off my head. Verse 33. Behold, this evil is of the Lord] It is difficult to know whether it be the prophet, the messenger, or the king, that says these words. It might be the answer of the prophet from within to the messen V ■ Ezek. viîì. 1; xx. 1.- Luke xiii. 32.-w1 Kings xviii. 4, * Job ii. 9. How natural is it for men to lay the cause of their suffering on any thing or person but themselves! Ahab's iniquity was sufficient to have brought down God's displeasure on a whole nation; and yet he takes no blame to himself; but lays all on the prophet, who. was the only salt that preserved the whole nation from corruption. How few take their sins to themselves! and till they do this, they cannot be true penitents; nor can they expect God's wrath to be averted till they feel themselves the chief of sinners. CHAPTER VII. Elisha foretells abundant relief to the besieged inhabitants of Samaria, 1. One of the lords questions the possibility of it; and is assured that he shall see it on the morrow, but not taste of it, 2. Four lepers, perishing with hunger, go to the camp of the Syrians to seek relief, and find it totally deserted, 3-5. How the Syrians were alarmed, and fled, 6, 7. The lepers begin to take the spoil, but at last resolve to carry the good news to the city, 8-11: The king, suspecting some treachery, sends some horsemen to scour the country, and see whether the Syrians are not somewhere concealed; they return, and confirm the report that the Syrians are totally fled, 12-15. The people go out and spoil the camp, in consequence of which provisions become as plentiful as Elisha had foretold, 16. The unbelieving lord, having the charge of the gate committed to him, is trodden to death by the crowd, 17-20. A. M. 3112. Ante I. Ol. 116. THEN Elisha said, Hear ye of fine flour be sold for a shekel, A. M. 3112, Ante I. Ol. 116. chap. vii. 18, 19. The Syrians desert their camp, A. M. 3112. Ante 1. Ol. 116. d a A. M. 3112. B. C. 892. b Then c 2 lord on whose 8 And when these lepers came hand the king leaned answered to the uttermost part of the camp, Ante 1. OL. 116. An. Megaclis, the man of God, and said, Be- they went into one tent, and did Arch. Athen. hold, if the LORD would make eat and drink, and carried thence perpet, 30. windows in heaven, might this thing be? And silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine hid it; and came again, and entered into aneyes, but shalt not eat thereof. other tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. 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. 5 And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 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. 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. 11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within. 12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians. have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of ̧ the camp to hide themselves in the field, say catch them alive, and get into the city. 7 Wherefore they harose and fled in the twi-ing, When they come out of the city, we shall light, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. b Ver. 17, 19, 20. Heb. a lord which belonged to the king leaning upon his hand, chap. v. 18.d Mal. iii. 10.- - Lev. xiii. 46. fine flour the seah was about two gallons and a half; the shekel, two shillings and fourpence at the lowest computation. A wide difference between this and the price of the ass's head mentioned above.. Verse 2. Then a lord] who shalish. This word, as a name of office, occurs often, and seems to point out one of the highest offices in the state. So unlikely was this prediction to be fulfilled, that he thought God must pour out wheat and barley from heaven before it could have a literal accomplishment. But shalt not eat thereof.] This was a mere prediction of his death, but not as a judgment for his unbelief; any person in his circumstances might have spoken as he did. He stated in effect that nothing but a miracle could procure the plenty predicted, and by a miracle alone was it done; and any person in his place might have been trodden to death by the crowd in the gate of Samaria. Verse 3. There were four leprous men] The Gemara in Sota, R. Sol. Jarchi, and others, say that these four lepers were Gehazi and his three sons. 13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the 12, Sam. v. 24; chap. xix. 7; Job xv. 21.—1 Kings x. 29. Psa. xlviii. 4, 5, 6; Prov. xxviii. 1.- Heb. we shall find punishment. At the entering in of the gate] They were not permitted to mingle in civil society. Verse 5. The uttermost part of the camp] Where the Syrian advanced guards should have been. Verse 6. The Lord had made the Syrians to hear a noise] This threw them into confusion; they imagined that they were about to be attacked by powerful auxiliaries, which the king of Israel had hired against them, Verse 12. The king arose in the night] This king had made a noble defence; he seems to have shared in all the sufferings of the besieged, and to have been ever at his post. Even in vile Ahab there were some good things! They know that we be hungry] This was a very natural conclusion; the Syrians by the closest blockade could not induce them to give up the city, but knowing that they were in a starving condition, they might make use of such a stratagem as that imagined by the king, in order to get possession of the city, Verse 13. And one of his servants answered] This is a very difficult verse, and the great variety of ex |