The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 34

and onae fro; took, ,.e., e. Bingle tnm up and have mostly come to the conclusion that the down the large room e.djoining hie bed- vegetable intended is the Cuc¥mi• agre•ti• ohamber-BOarcely wHh o.ny remedial object, or Ecbaliwm elate,ium, the "squirting en- but o.e men do when they are in distress cumber" of English naturalists. Thie is a o.nd doubt. And went up, and stretched kind of gourd, the fruit of which is egg- himself upon him-i.e. repeated his former ehaped, has e. bitter ta.ate, and bursts when act, laying himself upon the child, e.nd ripe nt a slight touch, squirting out sap and wo.rming it-e.nd the ohild sneezed seven seeds, The main ground for this conclusion times-showing the recovery of suspended is etymological,nypp_ being derived from vpo, rospiration-e.nd the ohild opened his eyes ; "to crack" or "split." Another theory, i.e. co.me to himself. e.ud one which bas the e.ncient versions in Ver. 86.-And he oalled Gehazi, and said, its favour, identifies the " gourd " in ques- Call this Bhunammite ; i.e. tell her to come tion with the fruit of the colocynth, which here. No time was to be lost in restoring is a gourd-like plant that creeps along the the child to hie mother, now that be was ground, and has a round yellow fruit of the alive again. And when she was come in size of a large orange. This fruit is exceed- unto him, he·so.id, Take up thy son; i.e. lift ingly bitter, produces colic, and affects the him up, take him in thine arms, feel him to nerves. His lap full; as many as he could be all thine own once more. carry in the sinus, or large fold, of bis beged, Ver. 37.-Then she went in, e.nd fell e.t or shawl. And ea.me and shred them into his feet, e.nd bowed herself to the gro11I1d ; the pot of pottage : for they knew them in aclmowledgment of the boon conferred not ; i.e. the sollll of the prophets, who stood on her. In the Ee.et such prostre.tions are by and saw them shred into the pot, did common, and denote e.t once gratitude e.nd not recognize them, or did not know that humility. And took up her son, e.nd went they were unwholesome. out. (On some later circumstances in the Ver. 40.-So they poured out for the men life of the woman, see eh. viii. 1-6.) to eat. And it came to pass, as they were Vere. 3B-41.-3. The healing of the tm- eating of the pottage, that they cried out tJJlloluome pottage. and so.id, 0 thou man of God, there is dee.th in the pot. Either the bitter flavour alarmed •Ver. 3B.-And Elisha. came age.in to them, or they began to feel ill effects from Gilgal; i.e. revisited Gilge.l, where he had what they bad swallowed, which, if it was been previously with his master (oh. ii. I), colocynth, might very soon have produced either ce.sue.lly, or perhaps on one of bis stomach-ache or nausea. Rushing, therefore, regule.r circuits (Keil) to visit the schools at once to the worst possible supposition, of the prophets. And there was e. dearth they concluded that they were poisoned, in the le.nd-probably the dearth again e.nd exclaimed, " 0 man of God, there is mentioned in eh. viii. 1-and the sons of death in the pot!" "If eaten in any large the prophets were sitting before him. Some quantity," says Keil, "colocynthB might tranelo.te "the sons of the prophets dwelt really produce dee.th." And they could not toith him" (Vulgate, Luther, Bishop Hors- eat thereof; i.e. they could not continue to ley) ; but our version is probably correct. eat the pottage-all stopped eating. The LXX. give /,cc/.871vTo ; and Ezek. viii. I ; Ver. 41.-Bnt he so.id, Then bring meal. xvi. I ; xxxiii. 31 ; with Zech. iii. 8, show that ElishCL seems not to have hesitated for 11 'lD~ c•~el• may have the meaning of " sit- moment. Prompt measures must be taken, ting in the presence of a person." And he if poisoning is even suspected. He ho.a so.id unto hie servant, Bet on the great pot- meal broni{ht-not that meal has any virtue i.e. the one great pot that there would be in itself against oolocynth, or against uny in the house-e.nd seethe pottage for the other deleterious drug. But be acts, now sons of the prophets. Even in a fe.miue e.s always, under Divine direction, anJ is there would be some vegetables produced instructed to use meal on this occasion, as on which life might be sustained. he used salt in healing the waters of Jericho. Ver. 39,-And one went out into the field The meal, as Keil observes, "might some- to gather herbs. One of the sons of the what modify the bitterness and injurious prophets, probably, went out into the neigh- qualities of the vegetable," whatever it was, bouring country, and looked about for any but "could not possibly take them entirely wilJ fruits or vegetables that he could see away . . . , The meul, the most wholesome anvwhere. And found a wild vine. Not a food of man, was only the earthly substratum wiid gmpe vine (Vitis labrusea), the fruit for the working of the Divine effluence of which would have been harmless, but which proceeded from Elisha, 11nd made some cucurbitaceous plant, with tendrils, the noxious food perfectly wholesome." And a.ml CL growth like that of the vim,. And he oast it into the pot ; and he said, Pour gathered thereof wild gourds. The exact out now for the people-i.e. the assemble.I kinJ of gourd is uncertain. Recent oritios company of sons of the prophets-that t'te;· ,0 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [on. 1v. 1-«,