The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 83

The troo must have been one that grew 2) shall be my CAmp ; or, my encampment. clOBC to the river'e edge. Ae the man n\mn appeare to be "a uouu in the form hewed II way nt the stem a little nbove th 3 of ihe infinitive.'' It doea not occur oleo- root, the axe-hcnd flew from the ha.ft, into where. which it wu insccurelv fitted, and foll int.o Ver. 9.-And the man of God-i.e. Elieha, Oie wnter. The slipping of an e.xe-heacl who at the time was " the mo.n of God "(1eo.T' was a Yery common occurrence (Deut. xix. l~ox~•)-llent tlllto the King of Iara.el-Je- 5). 1111cl ordin&rily was of little consequence, hora.m, undoubtedly (see ver. 32)-saying, since it was easily restored to its place. Beware that thou pass not such a. plaoe ; Dut now the he11d hnd dieappaa.red. And tor thit.her the Syria.us o.re come down. he cried, a.nd so.id, Alas, me.ster !-rather, Some translate, "Beware that thou neglect Ala1, my mC£Ster I or, A/,as, my lord !-for not such a place, for thither the Syrians it we.a borrowed ; re.ther, and it tDas a bor- are coming down; " but our version is prob- r011led one. The words a.re pa.rt of the man's ably correct, o.nd is approved by Bii.lu· and nddrese to Elisha.. He means to say, "It Thenius. Elieba. did not suffer his hostile is no common misfortune; it is not a.s if it feeling towards J ehoram personally ( oh, iii. ha.d been my own axe. I had borrowed it, 13; v. 8; vi. 32) to interfere with his pa- ond now what sha.11 I ee.y to the owner?" triotism. When disa.ster threatened his There is no dil'Cct reque.st for help, but the country, he felt it incumbent on him to tone of the compla.int constitutes a sort of warn even an ungodly king. silent appeal. Ver. 10.-And the King of Israel aent to Ver. 6.-And the man of God said, Where the pla.ce. Recent commentators (Keil, The- fell it 1 And he showed him the place. nins, Bii.hr) mostly euppoee this to mean that And he cut down a stick, a.nd cast it in Jehora.m sent troops to the place pointed thither ; a.nd the iron did swim. Two na- out by the prophet, and anticipated the tural expla.natious of this miracle have been Syrians by occupying it. But it agreee attempted: (l) that Elisha passed a piece better with the prophet's injunction, " Be- of wood underneath the axe-bee.cl, which ho ware that thou pa8B not such a place," to could see lying at t.he bottom of the river, suppose that he merely sent out scouts to lllld then lifted it up to the surfe.ce (Von see if the place were occupied or no, and Gerlach); (2) that he thrust a stick or bar finding, in each case, Elisha's warning of wood through the hole in the axe-head, true, he a.voided the locality. Which the ma.n made to rcodve the haft, and so pulled it of God told him and wa.rned him of, a.nd out (Thenius). But both explanations do aaved himself there, not onoe nor twioe ; i.e. violence to the text; and we ma.y be sure repeatedly ; et least three several times, that, had either been true, the occurrence perhaps more. would not have been recorded. The sacred Ver. 11.-Therefore the heart of the King lYriters are not concerned to put on record of Syria was sore troubled for thil thing. mere acts of manual dexterity. Keil ea.ye, " The King of the Syrians was Ver. 7.-Therefore said he, Take it up to enraged at this;" but ,pp exactly expresses thee. And he put out hi.I ha.nd, a.nd took it. "trouble,"" disturbance," not "rage," being Elisha does not take tbe e.xe-hea.d out of the used of the toseing of the sea., in Jonah i. wutcr himself, but requires the scholar to 11. And he called his serva.nts, and said do it. in order to test his faith. He muat UJ1to them, Will ye not show me which of show' ihat be believes the miracle, and re- us is for the King of Israel 1 Denha.dad gard,; tLe iron as really floating on the top not unnatumlly euapected treachery among of the water, not as merely appearing to hie own subjects. How otherwise could do eo. the King of Israel become, over and over Ver. 8-ch. viL 20.-Pum.IC MIRACLES OF age.in, a.ware of his intentions? Some one ELISHA (reaum,ed). or other of hie officers must, be thought, Ver. 8.-Then the Xing of Syria warred betray hie plans to the enemy. Uannot the against IaraeL lt may seem strange that, others point out the traitor? B'.l soon after sending an embassy to the Ver. 12.-A.nd one of his servants said- court of Samaria, and asking a. favour (eh. i.e. one of those interrogated, anewered- v, 5, 6), Benhuclad should resume hostilities, None, my lord, 0 king ; literally, Nay, my especially a.a the favour had been obtained lord, the king-meaning, "Think uot eo; (eh. v. 14); but the normal relations be- it is nut as thou supposest; there is no tween the two countries were those of traitor in thy camp or in thy court; we ellillity (eh. v. 2), and o. few years would are all true men. The explanation of the suffice to dim the memory of what had hnp- circumstsncee that surprise thee is quite peu,-<l. The gratitude of kings is prover- different." llut Elisha., the prophet that is LLlly short-lived. And took oou.nael with in Israel-compu1·0 "the mnn of God" (ver. hil serva.nts-i.e. his chief officers-saying, 9); so much above the others, tho.t he is b. eucil and such a place (comp. I 811.m. u.i. spoken of as if there were no other-telletll, Olt, VI, 1-33.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 121