Matthew Poole's Commentary Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Elisha prophesieth incredible plenty in Samaria; and the death of a great lord, who would not believe the prophecy, 2 Kings 7:1,2. Four lepers visit the camp of the Syrians, and bring tidings of their flight, being hasted away by God, 2 Kings 7:3-11. The king sendeth spies, who confirm this report; and he spoileth their tents. Great plenty. The lord on whose hand the king leaned is trodden upon by the people, and dieth, 2 Kings 7:12-20. Elisha said; either to the messenger, to be reported to the king; or rather, to the king, being then come to him, as it is expressed, 1 Kings 7:18; and to his courtiers, who were come with him, 1 Kings 7:2. Thus saith the Lord: the Lord, whom you have so highly offended, and at present despise and refuse to wait upon, of his own mere grace and bounty hath sent you the glad tidings of your deliverance. A measure, Heb. seah; a measure containing 6 cabs, or 144 egg-shells, or about a peck and a pottle of our measure. Be sold for a shekel: compare this with 2 Kings 6:25. Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. On whose hand the king leaned, when he walked. See 2 Kings 5:18. If the Lord would make windows, through which he could rain down corn, as once he did manna. Shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof; a just punishment for such peremptory unbelief, whereby he made not only the prophet, but even God himself, (in whose name it was evident Elisha said and did this and other things,) a liar. And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? At the entering in of the gate, to wit, of the city, out of which they were shut by virtue of God’s law, Leviticus 13:46 14:3 either the the dwelling place of the lepers was near the gate, or they were come very near to the gate, for fear of the Syrians. If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. No text from Poole on this verse. And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. in the twilight; in the evening twilight, as appears from 2 Kings 7:9,12. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. To hear a noise; either in the air; or rather, in their ears; otherwise the Samaritans had heard it. The Hittites under which name (as elsewhere under the name of the Amorites) he seems to understand all or any of the people of Canaan. For though the greatest number of that people were destroyed, yet very many of them were spared, and many of them upon Joshua’s coming fled away, some to more remote parts, (which that famous and ancient inscription upon a pillar in Africa testifies,) and others to the lands bordering upon Canaan, where by reason of the scarcity of inhabitants there was in that age room enough for them; and there they seated themselves, and grew numerous and powerful and had (after their ancient and constant manner) kings over them. The kings also of Tyrus or Sidon may be here included. The kings of the Egyptians; by which they may understand either the king of Egypt, the plural number being put for the singular, as it is elsewhere; of the princes and governors of the several nomi or provinces in Egypt, such being oft called kings in Scripture. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. To save their lives; which they fancied to be in such present and extreme danger, that they durst not stay to take away any of their goods, but every man fled the next way before him. And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it. No text from Poole on this verse. Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household. We do not well; not well for our brethren, whom we should pity, and help; nor well for ourselves; for we may suffer for this neglect; either from the Syrians, who may lie lurking hereabouts; or from our king and people; or from God’s immediate hand. So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were. They told them, to wit, the porter and his companies. And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within. The porters; either his fellow porters of the city; or rather, the porters or guards of the gate of the king’s house. And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city. No text from Poole on this verse. And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see. So the sense is, We may well venture these horses, though we have no more, because both they and we are ready to perish through hunger; and therefore let us use them whilst we may for our common good, or to make the discovery. But the repetition of the phrase seems to imply something more emphatical and significant than the saving of four or five horses, for which it is not probable they would be so much concerned in their circumstances. The words therefore may be reordered otherwise, Behold, they are of a truth (the Hebrew prefix caph being not here a note of similitude, as the other translations make it, and as it is commonly used; but an affirmation of the truth and certainty of the things, as it is taken Numbers 11:1 Deu 9:10 Hosea 4:4 5:10 John 1:14) all the multitude of the horses of Israel that are left in it (to wit, in the city); behold, I say, they are even all the multitude of the horses of the Israelites which (i.e. which multitude) are consumed, i.e. reduced to this small number, all consumed except these five. And thus the vulgar Latin, and some others, understand it. And this was indeed a memorable passage, and worthy of a double behold, to show what mischief the famine had done both upon men and beasts, and to what a low ebb the king of Israel was come, that all his troops of horses, to which he had trusted, were shrunk to so small a number. They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. Two chariot horses, or, two chariots of horses; or rather, two chariot horses, as divers render the words, i.e. horses which belonged to the king’s chariots. For single horses seem much more proper for this service than chariots and horses. And whereas it was moved by the king’s servant, that all the five horses should be sent, it seems it was thought by the king and others that two were sufficient for that purpose. And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king. In their haste, or, in their fear, or consternation, wherewith God struck them. And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD. No text from Poole on this verse. And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. To have the charge of the gate; partly to prevent tumults and disorders and mischiefs amongst the people; and partly to take order about the shutting of the gates, if need were, and if the Syrians should happen to return upon them. And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: No text from Poole on this verse. And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. No text from Poole on this verse. And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died. No text from Poole on this verse. |
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