The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 30

The miracles showed his twofold power, of two miles from it. Ain-es-Sultil.n is de- both to confer benefits and to punish. scribed as "e. large and beautiful fountain of sweet and pleu11nt water" (Robinson, Ver. 19,-And the men of the city-i.e. 'Researches,' voL ii. p. 384), and as "scat- the inhabitants of Jericho : probably the tering, even at the hottest season, the richest civic authorities, having heard of the recent and most grateful vegetation over what miracle-said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray wonld otherwise be II bare tract of sandy thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, soil." The other springs of the neighbour- as my lord aeeth, According to the unani- hood are mostly bra.ckish. And said, Thus mous voice of travellers, the situation of saith the Lord, I have healed these watera; Jericho (now Enna) is charming. Lying there shall not be from thence-i.e. from tht on II broad plain which is traversed by a.n waters-any more death or be.rren land; abundant river, at the point where one of rather, or miscarrying. the ma.in wa.dys debouched from the Judm11u Ver. 22.-So the waters were healed unto upland upon the low country, shaded by this de.y, according to the saying of Elisha groves of pa.Im trees (Dent. xxxiv. 3) and whioh he spa.ke. It was not a mere tempo- fig-mulberries (Luke xix. 4), the e.ir scented rary, but II perme.nent, benefit which Elisha with aromatic shrubs, opoba.lsam, myroba- bestowed upon the town. la.num, and the like, facing the Orient sun, Ver. 23.-And he went up from thence and commanding II wide prospect both unto Bethel The ascent is steep and long across and also up and down the Ghor, from the Jordan valley to the highle.nds of with the mountains of Moe.b i.u the diste.nce, Benjamin, on which Bethel stood, probably Jericho was, no doubt, even before the mi- one of not less tho.n three thousand feet. The racle of Elisha, 11 "pleasant" place. But- object of Elisha's visit may have been to there was one dr11wbe.ck-the water is inform the "sons of the prophets" a.t Bethel naught, and the ground barren. Bitter e.nd (ver. 3) of the events the.t had befallen brackish springs, of which there a.re many Elijah. And 118 he we.s going up by the in the Jordan valley, gushed forth from the w11y-i.e. by the 11Bual road or pat..hway, for, foot of the mountaine, e.nd formed rivulets, in the strict sense of the word, ro11ds did which ran 110ross the plain towards the not exist in Palestine-there oa.me forth Jorda.n, not diffusing health e.nd fertility, little children out of the city. "Little but rather disease and barrenness. Un- children" is an unfortunate translation, timely births, abortions, and the like pre- raising quite II wrong idea of the tender age vailed among the oo.ttle which were fed in of the persons spoken of. On the other the neighbourhood, perho.ps eveu among the hand, Bishop Patrick's assertion tho.t the inhabitants of the locality, and were attri- words are to be "understood of 11dult buted to the bitter springs, which ma.de the persons, who he.d e. ho.tred to the prophet," lo.nd "miscarrying" (a.T~vovµ.fr11, LXX.). is quite untenable. Nadrim ketanaim would It was the prayer of the men of Jericho be best translated (e.s by our Revisers in the the.t Elisha would remove this inconvenience. margin) "young lads" -boys, thut is, from Ver. 20.-And he said, Bring me e. new twelve to fifteen. Such mischievous youths Ol"llSe. Impurity must be cleansed by means are among the chief nuise.nces of Orient11l that are wholly clean and pure. The towns: they waylay the traveller, deride prophet called for an e.bsolutely neta cruse, him, jeer him-11re keen to remurk ony one that ho.d been put to no use at 1111, and persona.I defect that he mo.y have, o.nd mer- therefore could not have been defiled. And ciless in flouting it; tuey dog his steps, put so.It therein. Sa.It, which physically shout out their rude remarks, und sometimes would be most un11pt to heal a.n unwhole- proceed from abusive words to violent o.cts, some stream e.lrea.dy holding too much solt ns the throwing of sticks, or stones, or mud. in solution, is selected doubtless as em- On this occ11Sion they only got o.s fo.r o.s blematic of purity, being that by which rude words. And mocked him, and said unto corruption is ordinarily prevented or ste.yed. him, Go up, thou bald head ! go up, thou Under the Law every offering we.a to be bald head! It ho.s been mnintained tho.t the purified by so.It (Lev. ii. 13). The same scoff of the lo.ds contained e.n allusion to the symbolism is still employed under the ascension of Elijah (Po trick, Pool, Clo.rke), gospel (see Matt. v. 13: Mark ix. 49: of which they had heard, and wo.s n call Luke xiv. 34). And they brought it to him. upon Elisho. to follow bis muster'~ e:rnmple Ver. 21.-And he went forth unto the in quitting the world, that they might be spring of the we.ters, and cast the salt in no longer troubled with him. But it is not there. The'' spring" intended is supposed at 1111 nppnrent tho.t the Inds even knew to be tho.t now called Ain-es-Sultan, "the who Elisha was-they would proonbly lluve spring of the Sultan," which is the ouly jeered at any ngcd person with whom they copious source ne11r the sito of the ancient ho.d fall~n in: and by" Go up" they lllerely Jericho. The modern town lies ut a disto.nce meant "Go on thy wo.y;" the force of lheit  'l'iIE SECOND BoOK OF 'l'HE KINGS. [cu. 11. 1-26. ----------------------~----- jeer we.s not in the word 'a.Uh, but in the may b" sure WllB just. For "shall not the word 1.-er6ach, "bald bead." Baldness was J ndge of all the ea1·th do right?" A severe sometimes produced by leprosy, and then example may have been needed under the made a man unclean (Lev. xiii, 42-U) ; circumstances of the time, when a new but the boys probably flouted the mere generation was growing up in contempt of nature.I defect, in which there we.s no "un- God and of religion ; and the sin of the lads cleanness" (Lev. xiii. 40, 41), but which was not a small one, but indicated the.t they regarded e,s e. fit subject for ridicule. determined bent of the will against good, Their sin we.s disrespect towards old age, and preference of evil, whioh is often de- combined, perhaps, with disrespect for the veloped early, and generally goes on from prophetical order, to which they may have bad to worse. :known from bis dress that Elisha belonged. Ver. 25.-And he went from thenoe to Ver. 24.-And he turned back, and looked Mount Carmel. Ewald thinks that Carmel on them; rather, and he looked behind him, was, on the whole, the main residence of and saw them, e,s in the Revised Version. Elijah, and "through him became a special The boys, after the manner of boys, were prophetic looe.lity " (' History of Israel,' following him, bangh,g upon him, not daring vol. iv. p. 68). If so, we may account for to draw too near, hooting him from behind, Elisha's visiting it on this occasion by his as ill-bred and ill-intentioned youths are desire to communice.te the facts of Elijah's apt to do. And cnrsed them in the name of removal from ee.rth to those who had been the Lord. The action cannot be defended his intimates in the.t quarter. And from from a Christian point of view-Christians thence he returned to Se.maria, Elisha does have no right to curse any one. But we not imitate the wild, half-savage life and can well understand that, under the old almost constant seclusion of his master. He covenant, a prophet newly installed in "prefers from the first the companionship office, and commencing his ministry, might of men," fixes his home in the capital of his deem it right to vindicate the honour of his country, Same.ria (eh. v. 9; vi. 32); is a office by visiting such conduct as that of friendly counsellor of the king (eh. vi. 9), these misguided youths with a malediction. and highly honoured by him (oh. viii. 4); Under the Law God's ministers were re- his whole life, indeed, is, comps.red with that quired to curse the disobedient (Dent. xxvii. of Elije.h, one of ease and tranquillity. But, 14-26). Elisha could not tell what would though living "in the world," he is not "of be the effect of his curse. It could have no the world." As Ewald says, "In spite of effect at all excepting through the will and all the seductions to whlch he we.s abun- by the action of God. And there came forth dantly exposed through the great consider- two &he-bean out of the wood ; or, the ation in which he was held, he rete.inecl at forest; ie. the forest, which, as all knew, lay every period of his life the true prophetio within a short distance of Bethel, and was simplicity and purity, and contempt for the ha.unt of wild beasts (see I Kings iii. worldly wealth and advantages" (' History 24). And ta.re forty and two ohildren of of Israel,' vol. iv. p. 83). He is thus, far them. It is not said how far the lads were more than Elijah, a pattern for Christian injured, whether fa.ta.Uy or not. But the ministers, especially for such as are highly punishment, whe.tever its severity, came placed, who will do well to follow his from God, not from the prophet, and we example.