The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 82

EXPOSITION. dwelling, or set of dwellings, was thought OHAPTER VL to be necessary; but the scholars would Ver. 1-cb. vii. 20.-FUBTHEB MIBAOLES me.ke no change without the sanction of WBOUGBT BY ELISHA. The h~torian relates their master. When he comes on one of his circuits, they make appeal to him. first a (comparatively) private miracle Ver. 2.-Let 11B go, we pray thee, unto wrought by Elisha. in the vicinity of Je- lordan. Jericho was situated at some little richo, for the benefit of one of the "sons of distance from the Jordan, on the banks of the prophets" ( vers. 1-8). He then tells a email stream, which ran into it. Along us briefly of a series of publio miracles the course of the Jordan trees e.nd ehru bs were abundant, chiefly willows, poplars, and which brought Elisha. into much note e.nd tamarisks (see Josephus,' Bell. Jud.,' iv. 8. prominence. We.r, it appears, had a.gain § 3; Strabo, xvi. 2. § 41). It would seem broken out in a. pronounced form between the.t the Jordan thickets were unappro- Israel e.nd Syria., Syria. being the aggressor. prie.ted, and that any one might cut timber The Syrian monarch prepared traps for hia in them. And take thence every man a beam. The meaning is, "Let ua all join in adversary, encamping in places where he the work, each cutting bee.ms and carrying hoped to take him e.t a disadvantage. But them ; e.nd the work will soon be accom- Elisha frustrated these plans, by address- plished." And let ua make 11B a place there. ing wamings to the King of Israel, and They propose to build the new dwelling on pointing out to him the various positions the banks of Jordan, to save the trouble of conveying the materials e.ny long distance. occupied (vers. 8-12), which he conse- Where we may dwell. And he anawe.ed, quently avoided. When this came to the Go ye. Elisha, i.e., e.pproved the proposal, ears of the King of Syria., he made an at- gave it his sanction and encouragement. tempt to obtain possession of Elisha's person Ver. 3.-And one said, Be content, I pra.y -an attempt which failed signally (vers. thee, and go with thy aerve.nts. One of the 13-23), owing to the miraculous powers of number we.s not satisfied with the prophet's mere approval of the enterprise, but wishe,l the prophet. Benhadad, some time after for his actual presence, probably as securing this, me.de a great expedition into the land a blessing upon the work. And he answered, of Israel, penetrating to the oe.pito.1, e.nd I will go. Elisha approved the man's idea, le.ying siege to it. The circumstances of as springing from piety aud faith in God. the siege, e.nd the escape of the city when He, therefore, raised no difficulty, hnt nt once, in the simplest me.uncr, acceded to at the le.et ge.sp, are rele.trd partly in the the reqnest. There is a remarkable direct- present che.pter (vers. 2!-33), partly in the ness, simplioity, and absence of fuss in e.11 next. that Elisha. says 11nd does. Ver. 4.-So he went with them. And Ver. 1.-And the sona of the prophet& when they came to lordan-i.e. to the river- aaid unto Eliaha, :Behold now, the plaoe bank-they cut down wood. 'l'hey set to where we dwell with thee-literally, be/are work, each felling his tree, and fe.shiouiug thee-is too &trait for ua. The scene of this it into e. rough beam. miracle is prohnbly the vioinity of Jericho, Ver. 5.-But aa one wu felling a beam- eiuoe both Gilgal and Bethel were remote i.e. a tree, to make it into a beam-the from the J ordo.n. The "school of the pro. axe-head; literally, the iron. We see frum phets" at Jericho, whereof we heard in eh. Deut. xix. 5 that the Hebrews maue their ii. 5, 19, hud inoreused so much, the.t the nxc-heads of iron e.s early as the time of buildings whioh hitherto had e.ooommodated Moses. 'l'hey probably learut to smelt and it were no longer auffloient. A lw-ger work iron in Egypt. Fell into the water. 120 THE SECOND DOOK OF THE KINGS. [ell, VI, 1-33.