The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 60

of thf'l snme rleity, who WM called "Hadad" cha.riots, and will not travel at e. faster prtce or "11,ulnr" ns bright o.ntl glorious, "Rim- 1he.n about three miles an honr. Thus mon" o.s lofty 11.nrl exo.ltecl. To worship Gehe.zi, if be went at his best speed, could there, and he leaneth on my hand. Either expect to overtake, and rlid o.ctnally o">cr- N1mmon's leprosy must have been recent, take, the cavalcade of N aamo.n. He pro- nnd he refers to the king'• pro.ctice in former be.bi y overtook them at e. very short distance ti mos, or there mnst ha.ve been fo.r less from Samaria. And when Nao.man aaw him l,orror of leprosy o.mong the Syrio.ns than running after him. Gehazi wa.e pressed foc- there wo.s o.mong tho Hebrews. And I bow time. He could not start at once, lest he myself in the house of Rimmon-before the should make it too plain that he was going image, or e.t nny rnte before the supposecl in pursuit of Naama,n; o.nd he could not presence of the god-when I bow down absent himself from the house too long, lest myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord his master should call for him. He h:vl, pardon thy servo.nt in this thing. The therefore, at whatever loss of dignity, to repetition of the clause indicates N o.amo.n's hurry himself, and actually "run after" anxiety on the subject. the Syrian. No.aman, either BCCidentally Ve1·. rn.-And he so.id unto him, Go in looking back, or warned by some of hia peo.ce. Elisha. dcclo.red neither tho.t God train, sees him, recognizes him, and is only woulu nor the.t he would not forgive too glad to respond to bis wishes. :e:e lighted Nao.man his departure from the path of down from the oho.riot to meet him. An act strict right. He we.a not called upon to of great condescension. As Bli.hr notes, gi're an answer, sinco Naame.n lrnd not put " Descent from a veb icle is, in the East, a sign a question, but hod only expressed o. wish. of respect from the inferior to the superior;" His "Go in peace" is to be taken simply as and Nao.man, in lighting down from hia "wishing the departing Syrian the peace oho.riot, must have intended to "honour the of God upon the road." So Keil, rightly. prophet in his servant" (' Commentiuy on So he departed from him a little way. Kings,' vol. ii. p. 55). But such honour 1s N e.amo.n left the presence of Elisha, quitted not commonly po.itl, and thus the act of So.maria, e.nd he.d gone a short we.y on his Ne.a.man was abnormal. And so.id, Is all homeward journey when Gehe.zi overtook well 1 The words admit of no better trans• him. Ver. 19 ia closely connected with le.tion. Seeing Geho.zi's bo.ste a~d anxious ver. 20. looks, N ue.mau suspects that all 1s not well, Ver. 20.-Bnt Geho.zi, the servant of that something has happened since he left Elisha the man of God, se.i.t (see eh. iv. 12- the prophet's house, and accordingly puts 36 for the position held towards Elisha by bis question, c\',~!1 -Rectene aunt omnia 1 Gehe.zi), Behold, my master ho.a spared (Vulgo.te). Nao.man this Syrian. Gebe.zi either honestly Ver. 22.-And he so.id, All is well. Ge- thinks, or e.t least persuades himself, tbe.t a ho.zi's reply we.s, "All ia well." There has Syrian ought to be, not spared, but spoiled, been no accident, no calo.mity~nly a casual as being e. foreigner e.nd an enemy. In not circumstance Ima caused a change in my receiving at bis hands that which he master's wishes, which I am sent thus brought (see ver. 5). Gebe.zi mo.y not hn.ve hurriedly to communicate to thee. My known how much it was, but be he.d seen master ho.th sent me, saying, Behold, even the lo.den o.nime.ls, e.nd rightly conoluded now (i.e. just at thia time) there be come to tho.t the value wo.s great. But, o.s the Lord me from ]l[ount Ephraim two young men of liveth, I will run after him, and ta.ke some- the sons of the prophets. The details are what of him. "As the Lord liveth" seems added to give fl greater air of truthfulness e. strange phrase in the mouth of one who to the story. Give them, I pray thee, e. is bent on lying e.nd on slet\ling. But to.lent of silver, and two changes of garments; experience teaches us the.t religious formulm i.e. a change apiece, and a to.lent between. do drop from the lips of persons engaged in them-rather a large sum in respect of the equally indefensible proceedings. This ia pretendeJ. occasion, but a trifle compared partly because formulm by frequent use with thll amount which No.aman bad ex- become mere forms, to which the utterer peoted to expend (ver. 5), and probilbly very e.tte.ohes no meaning; partly because men muoh less tbe.n he bad rcco I tly pressed blind themselves to the wrongfulness of upon the prophet (ver. 16). Gebe.zi bud to their e.otions, e.ud find some excuse or other bulanco betweeu his own greed on the for any course of conduct by which they one band, anti the fear of raising suspicion hope to profit. on the other. His story was altogether Ver. 21.-So Gehe.zi followed after Nao.man. most plnusible, e.nd his dem11nd prudently A company of travellers in the Ee.at, even modemte. though it consist of the retinue of o. single Yer. 23.-And No.a.man so.id, Be oontent, great man, will always contain footmen, as ta.ke two talents; rather, 0011smt, take two well os those who ride on horses or in talents. Do not oppose thyself to my wisbe; II, KINGS. H  THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. (ell, V, 1-27,