The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 126

cithC'r to kill him or t.o keep him confined Le. Elisha-and took a present with him; ns R prisoner (oh. vi. 13-19). Elisho had literally, in his hand; but we must not subsequently helped to baffle his plans of press this expression. "In his hand" mel\nB conquest, and might be thought to have "under his control." The present was far osuscd the disgrnceful retl'81l.t of the Syrian too large to be carried by an individual. ,may from the walls of Samaria, which he It consisted even of every good thing of hnd certnioly prophesied (eh. vii. 1). But Dame.sous ; i.e. of gold and silver and costly Elishn was not afraid. He was probably raiment, of the luscious wine of Helbon, eommu,ioned to take his journey, whether which was the drink of the Persian kings its purpose Wll.S the anointing of Hazael or (Strab., xv. 3. § 22), of the soft white wool of no. And Benhadad the King of Syria was the Antilibanus (Ezek. xxvii. 18), of damask Bick. Ewald supposes that this "sickness" coverings of couches (Amos iii. 12), perhaps was the result of the disgrace and discredit of Damascus blades, and of various manu- into which be had fallen since his ignomi- factured artiolee, the produots of Tyre, nious retre.at, without assignable reason, Egypt, Nineveh, and Babylon, which her from before the walls of Samaria; but Ben- extensive land trade was always bringing he.de.d must he.ve been of au age when the to the Syrian capital. Forty oe.mels' burden. infirmities of nature press in upon a man, Not as much as forty camels could car1·y, but and wl,en illness has to be expected. He a gift of such a size that it was actually was a contemporary of Ahab (l Kings xx. placed on tile backs of forty camels, which 1), who bad now been dead ten or twelve paraded the town, and conveyed in e. long years. And it was told him, saying, The procession to the prophet's house the king's man of God is come hither. Elisha seems mo.,anificent offering. Orientals are guilty to have attempted no concealment of his of extreme ostentation with respect to the presence. No sooner was he arrived than presents that they make. As Che.rdin says, his coming was reported to Benhadad. The "Fifty persons often carry whe.t a single Syrians hnd by this time learnt to give him one could have very well borne"(' Voyage tl,e no.me by which he was commonly known en Perse,' vol. iii. p. 217). The practice is (eh. i.. 7, 21, 40; v. 20; vi. 6, 10; vii. 2, illustrated by the bas-reliefs of Nineveh and IS) in Israel. Persepolis, which furnish proofs of Bits Ver. 8.-And the Icing said UD.to Kamel antiquity. One present-bearer ce.rries a few It is implied that Hazael was in attendance pomegranates; another, a bunch of grapes ; a on Benh.e.de.d in liiB sick-room, either per- third, a string of locusts; a fourth, two small manently as a chamberlain, or occasionally ointment-pots; a fifth, a branch of an olive as a minister. According to JosephUB tree, and the like (La.yard, ' Monuments of (' Ant. J ud.,' ix. 4. § 6), he was " the most Nineveh,' second series, pie. 8, 9, etc.). U faithful of the king's domestics" ( 6 .,,.,a-.,.oTa.Tos is not unlikely that a single camel could -rii,v oi1<<Tiiiv ). We cannot presume from ver. have carried the whole. And oame and 12 that he lla.d as yet distinguished himself stood before him, and said, Thy son Beu- as a warrior. Take a present in thine hand, hadad King of Byria hath sent me to thee, and go, meet the man of God. It was usual, se.ying-Benhadad seeks to propitiate Elisha botll among the heathen and among the by calling himself his son, thus indicating Israelites, for those who consulted a prophet the respect he feels for him (comp. eh. vi. to bring him a present (see 1 Sam. ix. 7; 21 ; xiii. 14)-Bhall I reoover of this disease 1 I Kings xiv. 3). Hence, mainly, the great Nothing was more common in the ancient wealth of the Delphic and other oracles. world than the consultation of an oracle or Naaman (eh. v. 5) had brought with him a a prophet in cases of disease or other bodily rich present when he went to consult Elisha affliction. 'l'wo questions were commonly in Samaria.. And inquire of the Lord by him, asked, " Shall I recover?" and " How may saying, Bhall I recover of this disease 1 The I recover?" So Pheron of Egypt is said to miracles of Elisha had had at any rate this have consulted an oracle with respect to bis effoct---they had convinced the Syrians that blindness (Heroa., ii. 111), and Dattus of Jellove.11 was a great and powerful God, and Cyrene to have done tile same with respect made them regard Elisha hi.mllelf as a true to his stammering (ibid., iv. 155). It wo.s propllet. Their faith in their own super• seldom that a clear and direct answer was hlitions mUBt have been at least partially given. she.ken by these convictions. It was by Ver. 10.-And Elisha said uto him, Go, these aud similar weakenings of established sa.y UD.to him, Thon mayest oertainly re- errors tlle.t the world was gradually educated., cover. The existing Masoretio text (11,-,9.tt and the way prepared for the introduction n;ri:i n:I')) is untranslatable, since l!m,fr-lo of Christianity. Tllere was very early cannot mean, " say not," on accouut of among the Syrianll a flourishing Christian the order of the words ; and lo cannot be Church. joined with khayih thikhyah, first on account Ver. 9.-Bo Har.ael went to meet him- of the makkeph which attaches it to /!mar, OH. vm. 1-29.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 187