The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 124

EXPOSITION. OBAPTER vm. Ver. 2.-And the woman aroso, and did after the saying of the man of God. It is a Ver11. 1-29.-THE SEQUEL OF THE STORY satisfaction to find that there was yet faith OF THE 8BUNAMIDTE. THE KILLING OF in Israel. There were still those to wllom BENlliDAD BY HAZA.EL ; AND THE WICKED the prophet was the mouthpiece of God, who waited on his words, and aocepted them as JlEIGNS OF JEHORAlll AND AHAZIAH IN JUDAH. Divine oommands whereto they were ready Vere. 1-15.-Elisha is still the IJf'Dfa• to render immediate and entire obedience. goniste.s of the historical drama. The writer It is conjectured by some that the woman bringB together in the present section two had become a widow, and fallen into com- parative poverty; but the narrative gives more occe.sions of a publie obaract.er in no indication of this. Even opulent persons which he was conoerned, and in which have to migrate in times of severe dearth. kings also bore a part. One of the oocssions And she went with her household, and is domestio, and shows the interest which sojourned in the land of the Philistines. Jehoram took in the miracles of the prophet, Philistia was a great grain country (Judg. and in those who were the objects of them xv. 5), and, though not altogether exempt from famine, was less exposed to it than (ver11. 1-6). The other belongB to Syrian, either Judroa or Sa.maria. The soil was :rather than to Israelite, history, and proves exceedingly fertile, and the vapours from that the infinenoe of Elisha was not con.fi.n.ed the Mediterranean descended upon it in to Palestine (vers. 7-15). dews and showers, when their beneficial Vers. 1--6.-The aequel of the story of the influence was not felt further inland. The Shunammite may have had other :reasons Shunammiu. for fixing her :residence in the Philistine Ver. 1.-Then spake Eliaha unto the oountry; but probably she was chiefly deter- woman, whose son he had restored to life. mined in her choice by its proximity and There is no "then" in the original, of which its productiveness. Seven years. As long, tbe simplest rendering wonld be, " And i.e., us the famine last.ed (see the last Elisha spa.ke unto tl!e woman," et.o. The ole.use of ver. I). trne sense is, perhaps, best brought ont by Ver. 3.-And it oame to pan at the seven the Revised Version, which gives the follow- years' end, that the woman returned out of ing : NO'IIJ Elisha had spoken unto the !Doman, the land of the Philistines. She stayed no etc. The referenoe is to a time long anterior longer the.n she could help. Her own land, to the siege of Samaria. Baying, A.rise, and where she could have the ministrations of ,ro thou and thine household, and eojourn e. "man of God" (eh. iv. 23), was dear to 'lvheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the her; and no sooner had tho famine abated Lord hath oslled for a fa.min.e. A famine is than she returned to it. And she went forth mentioned in eh. iv. 38, which must belong to ary unto the king for her house and for to the :reign of Jehoram, and which is her land. Dnring her prolonged absence, probably identified with that here spoken some grasping neighbour had seized on the of. Elisha, on its approe.ch, recommended unoccupied house and the uncultivated the Shunammite, though she was a woman of estate adjoining it, and now refused to l!llbstance (eh. iv. 8), to quit her home and restore them to the rightful owner. Widows remove to some otuer residence, where she were especially liable to such treatment on might escape the pressure of the calamity. the part of greedy oppressors, since they He left it to her to choose the place of her w"ere, comparatively speaking, weak and temporary abode. The phraae, "God hath defenceless (see Isa.. x. 2; Matt. xxiii. 14). called for a famine," means no more and no Under such circumstances the injured party less than "God has determined that there would naturally, iu au Orienlul country, she.II be a famine." With God to speak the make appeal to the king (comp. 2 Se.m. word is to bring a.bout the event. And it xiv. 4; l Kings iii. 16; eh. vi. 26, etc.), shall also oome upon the land seven years. Ver. 4.-And the king talked with Gehe.zi; Seven yea.re was the actual duration of the rather, now the leing was talking u:ith great famine which Joseph foretold in Egypt Gehazi, as in the Uevised Version. The (Gen. :rli. 27), and was the ideally perfect king, i.e., happened to be talking with period for a severe fa.mine (2 Chron. xxiv. Gehazi at the moment when the woman 13). Many of the best meteorologist• are came into his presence and "cried" to him. inclined to regard the term of" seven years" It has been reasonably concluded from this, e.s a cyclic period in eonoection with weather that chronological order is not observed iu cbang011. the portion of the narrative which treats of en. vm. 1-20.] THE SJWOND BOOK OF 'fHE KINGS. 165