6 For the LORD made the hoſt of the Syrians to *heara noiſe koi chariots ,and anoiſe of horſes, even the noiſe of a great hoſt: and they ſaid one toanother,Lo,the king of Ifrael hath hired againſt us che kings of the Hit- tices /, and the kings of the Egyptians » to come upon us.
k Either, in the Air: or rather in their Ears : otherwiſe the Samar'rans hai heardit- { Under which name (as elſewhere under the name of the Amorites) he ſeems to underſtand al!, or any of *he For though the greateſt number of that people wer. deſtroyed, yet very maiy of them were ſpared, and many ot them upon zoſbua's com.ng, tled away, tome to more remote parts, ( which that famous and ancient Inſcription upon a Pillar in Africa reſtifics) and others to the Lands bordering upon Canaan, where by reaton of the ſcarcity of Inhabitants there was in that Age roum enough forthem; and thete they leated themſelves, and grew nume- rous and powerful, and had (after their ancient and conſtant manner) Kings over them. The Kings alſo of Z,rw or Sidon may be here included. m By whichthey may underſtand, either the King of &gypr the Plural number being put for the Singular, as it is ellewheie : or. the Princes and Governours of the ſeveral Nom; or Provinces 1n Egyp:, ſuch being oft called &-ngs in Scripture.
7 Wherefore they aroſe and fled in the twilight, and left their rents, ard their horſes, and their atles, even the c'mp as it was, and fled for their life -. .
:”. To ſave their Livesz which they fancied tobe in ſuch preſent and extieam danger, that they durſt nor ſtay ro take away any of their Goods, bur every man fl:d rhe next way before him-
8 And when thele lepers came co the uttermoſlt part of the camp, they wenrtinto one tent, and dideat and drink, and carried thence filver,and goid, and raiment,and went aid hid#t : andeame again, and entred into anorher tent, and carried chence aſs, and went and hid zz.
9 Then they ſaid oneto another, We do not well»: this day « a day af goodrtidings, and we hold our peace : if we carry till the morning- light, f lome miſchicfwill come upon us : now therefore come, that we may gc and rell the kings houthold.
n Not well for our Brethren, whom we ſhould pity and help : nor well for our ſelves, tor we may ſuffer for this negle&t, eithet, from the Syrians, who may lie lurking hereabouts; or, from ou! King and people ; or, from Gods immediate hand..
12 So they came, and called unto the porter of che City : and they toid them o, ſaying, We came to the camp of t.1e Syrians, and behold, therewas no man there, neither voice of man, but horſes tied, and aſles tied, and tne tents as they were,
o To wit, the Porter and his Companies.
11 And he called the porters p, and they told zz ro the kings houſe within.
Þ Either, his fellow-porters of the City : or rather, the Porters or Guards of the Gate of the Kings Houle.
i2 4 And theking arole in the night, and faidunto his ſervants, I will now (hew 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 held, faying, When they come out of the ciry, we ſhall catch t'-em alive, and get into the city.
MX &- %
q So the ſenſe is, We may well venture theſe hrrſes, though we have no more. becauic both they and we are ready to periſh through hunger ; and therefore Jet us uſe them whilſt w2 may for our common good,or to make the diſcovery. Burt the repetition of the Phraſe ſeems to imply ſomething more empharical and ſignificant than the ſaving of tour or five Horſes, for which it is not probable they would be fo much concerned in their circumſtances: The
bo] ; 4 x . : words therefore may be rendred otherwiſe, Bekold, they are of a truth '" LORD would make windows f in heaven, might this ' , y are of
{ the Hebrew prefix, Caph, being not here a note of ſimilitude, as the other Tranſlations make it, and as it is commonly uſed. bur an aftirmation Gf the truth and certainty of the things, as it is taken Num: 11; 1: Deut.9g* to: Hoſt 4* 4:and 5:10: John 1-14. ( all the mult.tule of the horſes of 1/-ael that are left in it : ( to wit, in the Ciry : )behold, I fay they are even all the multitud:s of the Horſes of the Iſraelites which (i. e. which multitude ) are c:nſumed, i.e. reduced tothis ſmall number, all conſumed except theſe five. And thus the vulgar L:tin, and ſome others, underſtand ir. And this was indee! a memorable paſſage, and worthy of a double behold, ro ſhew what miſchief the Famine had done both upon Men and Beaſts, and to what alow ebb the King of 1/ra:l was come, thar all his Troops of Horſes, to which he had truſted, were ſhrunk to ſo ſmill a number.
14 They took therefore f two chariot-horſes r, and + Heb
the king ſent after the hoſt of the Syrians, ſaying, Go, 5» chk Ill: o0f5 6f Ror=:it
and ſee.
r Or, two chariots of Horſes ; or rather. two chariot-horſes: as divers) =
render the words, 1 e, Horſes which belonged to the Kings Chariots. For ſingle Horſes ſeem much more proper for this ſervice, than Cha- riots and Horſes. And whereas it was moved by the Kings Servant, that all the five Horſes ſhould be ſent, it ſeems it was thought by the King and orhers, that two were ſufficient for that purpoſe,
15 And they went after them unto Jordan, and lo; all the way was full of garments and vetlels, which the Syrians had caſt away f in their haſte / . and the meſſen- gers returned and told the king.
JS Or, in their fear or confternation, wherewith God ſtruck them.
16 And the people went out, and ſpoiled the cents of the Syrians: So a meaſure of fine flour was /«ld for a thekel, and two meaſures of barley for a ſhekel, accor- ding co the word of the LORD.
17 4 And the king appointed the lord on whoſe hand he leaned, co have the charge of the gate 7 : and the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had ſaid, who ſpake when the king came down to him. - |
t Partly to prevent tumults, and diſordersand miſchiefs amongſt the people : and partly, to take order about the ſhutting of the Gares, itneed were, and if the Syriazs ſhould happen to return upon them.
18 And ir came to paſs, as che man of God had ſpo- ken to the king, ſaying, Two meaſures of barley for a thekel, and a meaſure of fine flour for a ſhekel., ſhall be co morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria :