I This Child was not given to me upon my immoderate deſire, for which I might have juſtly been thus chaſtilted, as Rachel was, Gen- 30: I. —_— with 35. 18. but was freely promiſed to me' by thee in Gods Name, and fromhis ſpecial Grace and Favour: and there- fore I truſt both thou didft pray forit, and God deſign it asa Blefling, and not as an AfffiQion, as now it proves, unleſs thou doſt obtair: the Child for me a ſecond time, which I know thou canſt do, and I humbly beg thee todo. m» With vain h-pes ofa Comforc that I ſhould never have, And I had been much happier if I had never had it than to loſe it ſo quickly, Therefore thou art in ſome meaſure concerned to revive my dead hopes, and to continue to me the great Bleſſing which thou haſt procurcd- -
29 Then he ſaid ro Gehazi, gud up thy loins s, = ta
Chap. LV: ; a
yl im
f Heb Once h11 and on; thither,
eb,
Heb. r feet,
Heb,
1140
Vs Gap. IV.
tntion,
f Heb,
once
thither,
IT.
ke my ftaff in thy hand, and go thy way : if thou So put man, ſalute him not : and if any falute thee, anſwer him not againo: and lay my ſtaff upon the face of the Child p.
*> up thy long Garments about thy Loins for expedition See ; LE. 18 us 0 An Hyperbolical expreſſion ; Make no delays nor ſtops by the way, neither by words nor ations: bur go with all po'{ible ſpeed. Compare Z#k 10: 4: He requires this haſte, that the Mirac e might be done ſecretly and ſpeedily before the Childs death was divulged, which might cauſe many inconveniences. See For God can work a Miracle by the moſt unlikely as he did by a Rod, Exod. 14; 16. and a
on ver; 24. Þ and contemptible means, Mantle, 2 King: 2:8 ;
zo And the mother of the child ſaid, 4s the LORD liveth, and as thy foul liverth, I will not leave thee 9. And he aroſe and followed her.
q Until thou goeſt home with me. For ihthad-no great con- dence in Gehazi, nor was her Faith ſo ftrong as to think that the Prophet could work ſo great a Miracle ar this diſtance, and by his Staff : which poſſibly was one reaſon why this did no good. Compare Matth: 9. 18, and 13. 58: and 17. 20.
21 And Genazi pailed on before them, and laid the
ſtaff upon the face of the child, but there was neither
| jf:5, «- yoice, nor || hearing 7: wherefore he went again to |
meet him, and told him, faying, The child ;s not
awaked /. : 7 i, e. Neither ſpeech, nor Senſe,nor any fign of Life, to wit, in
K.I NG &
the Child. Which :i4appointment might proceed frem hence, that Eliſhs having changed his mind, and yielded to her importunity to go with her, did alter his courſe, and not joyn his fervent Prayers with Gehazi's aGtion, but reſerved them till he came thi- ther | i. e Not revived : death being oft and firly compared to a ſleep, as Pſal- 76. 5. Dan. 12.2. becauſe of the Refurrettion which will in due time follow it, and here followed ſpeedily, which makes the expreſſion moſt proper in this place. 2 And when Eliſha was come into the houſe, be- hold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 223 He went in therefore, and {hut the door upon
them twain ?, and prayed unto the LORD.
£ Upon himſelf and the dead Child, that he might pray to God without diſtraction, and might more freely uſe ail thoſe geſtures and means which he thought fit.
24 And he went up and lay upon the child x, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands x, and he ſtretched himſelf upon the child, and the fleſh of che child waxed warm /.
, And although ſome ceremonial uncleanneſs might ſeem to be contraſted by the touch of this dead Body yet that was juſtly to give place to a Moral Duty, and to an attion of ſo great Piety and Charity as this was.efpecially w hen done by a Propher, and by the inſtin&t of Gods Spirit, who can diſpence with his own Laws. x One part upon another ſucceſſively ; for the difproportion of the Bodies would not permit it to be done together. Compare 1 King.17.21: As 20.10. y Not by any external hear, which couid not be tranſmitted to the Childs Body by ſuch flight rouches of the Prophets Body ; but by a Natural heat, proceeding from a princi- ple of Life, which was already infuſed into the Child, and by dc- grees enlivened all the parts of his Body.
5 Then he returned and waiked in the houſe # to
me hither, and fro z, and went up and ſtretched himſelf upon
him « : and the child neeſed ſeven times, and the chiid opened his eyes b.
z He changeth his poſtures for his own neceflary refreſhment, and walked to and fro, exerciſing his mind in prayer to God,and Faith,for the accompliſhment of this work # Repeating his former ations, to teach us not to be diſcouraged in our Prayers, if we be not ſpeedily anſwered, but to wait with Patience,and continue,and be mſtant in Prayer,till we obtain what we ſeek for. 6 So the work begun in the former Verſe is here perte&ed. Although Miracles were for the moſt part done in an inſtant, yet ſometimes they were done by degrees, as here, and 1 Kings 18.44.45» Mark 8. 24, 25
26 And he called Gehazi, and laid, Call chis Shuna- mice. So he called her,and when ſhe was come in unto him c,- he ſaid, Take up thy fon.
e Heb. come to him, to wit, to the Door of his Chamber : Where probably he met her with this joyful Meſlage.
37 Then ſhe went in 4,and fell ac his feet,and bow- ed her ſelf ro the ground, and took up her ſon, and went Our.
d Into his Chamber, and. after ſhe had done him honour,to the Bed where the Child lay,whence ſhe took him, and went her way.
38 9 And Eliſha came again to Gilgal e, and rhere was a dearth in the land, and the ſons of the prophets were ſitting before him f : and he ſaid unto his ſervant Set on the great pot, and ſceth pottage g for the ſons of the prophets.
e When he came with Elijah, chap.2. tr. where was a School of the Prophets, whom he deligned to comfort concerning the preſent Dearth and their other diſcouragments, and ro confirm in the pro- feſfion and prattiſe of Religion, and to inſtruct in the Duties of the aq Seaſon. f At his feer,as Scholars ro be taught by him. See C778
- 2+3- As 22.3. g He provides no delicious Meats, but meer Neceſlaries, to teach them the contempt of wordly delights.
39 And one went our into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine h, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lapful, and came and ſhred them into the Pot of pottage; for they knew hem noc.
h A plant called Coloquintida,whoſe Gourds or Leaves reſemble the