2 Kings 13

IN † the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king, of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign Heb. reigned: which is put for began to reign, 2 King. 3. 1. and 8. 16, 25. and 12. 1. over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin, he departed not therefrom.

¶ And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days Or rather, all his days, as it is explained ver. 22..

And Jehoahaz besought the LORD, and the LORD hearkned unto him Not for his sake, for God regards not the prayers of the wicked and impenitent, Psal. 66. 18. Prov. 1. 28. and 15. 8. but for other reasons expressed below, ver. 23.: for he saw i. e. He observed it with care and compassion. the oppression of Israel His chosen and once beloved people. He now helps them, because of his former and ancient kindness to them., because the king of Syria oppressed them To wit, very grievously, as it is expressed ver. 7. So that he helped them no... for their own sakes, but because of the rage of their Enemies, and their Blasphemies which doubtless accompained it See Deut. 32. 27. Psal. 12......

(And the LORD gave a... our Either Elisha, below, ver 1.... or rather,, the Son of this Iehoahaz, below, ver. 2.... and his Son, 2 King. 14. 25., so that they went out from... der the hand of the Syrians: and the children... ael dwelt in their tents as before time In peace and security, not only in th... strong Cities, but even in their... ents in the fields..

Nevertheless, they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove Which Ahab had planted for the worship of Baal, 1 King. 16. 32. and which should have been destroyed, Deut. 7. 5. also in Samaria.)

Neither did he i. e. The King of Syria, ver. 4. with which this Verse is to be joyned; ver. 5. and 6 being put within a Parenthesis, as it is in our Translation. But this Verse may be Translated otherwise, Although he (either the King of Syria, v. 4. or the Lord, ver. 5. to whom Judgments are oft ascribed, even when wicked men are the instruments of executing it) had not left, &c. And so it may be joyned with the next foregoing Verse, as a great aggravation of their impenitency, and obstinate continuance in their Idolatry, notwithstanding such terrible Judgments, which in all reason should have driven them from it. leave of the people i. e. Of his Army, or Men of War, as the following words evince. to Jehoahaz, but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen: for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing i. e. Had broken and ground them to dust, or powder, as the Corn is many times broken by threshing..

¶ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might For though his success was not good, he showed much personal valour and courage. Which is noted to intimate, that the Israelites were not conquered, because of the baseness and cowardise of their King, but merely from the Righteous and Dreadful Judgment of God, who was now resolved to reckon with them for their filthy Apostacy., are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his stead.

¶ In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah By which, compared with v. 1. it may be gathered, that Iehoahaz had two or three Years before his death made his Son Iehoash King with him: which is very probable, because he was perpetually in the state of War, and consequently in danger of an untimely death; and because he was a Man of valour, as is implied here ver. 12. and declared 2 Chron 25., began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.

And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nabat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.

And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

¶ Now Elisha was fallen sick, of his sickness whereof he died, and Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face No... for any true Love and Respect to him, for then he would have followed his counsel in forsaking the Calves, and returning to the Lord; but for his own and the Kingdoms inestimable loss in him., and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof See 2 King. 2. 12..

And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.

And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the kings hands.

And he said, Open the window east-ward Either, towards Syria, which lay North-East-ward from the Land of Israel: or, towards the Israelites Land beyond Iordan, which lay East-ward from Canaan, and which was now possessed by the Syrians. Either way this Arrow is shot against the Syrians, as a token what God intended to do against them.: and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot: and he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORDS deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek Not in the City, but in the Territory of it, where it seems there was a great Battel to be fought between the Israelites and Syrians. Of Aphek see 1 Sam. 4. 1. and 29. 1, 1 King. 20. 30. though it is possible there might be several Cities of that name. Or, as in Aphek, i. e. thou shalt smite them as they were smitten in the City and Territory of Aphek, i. e. utterly destroy them. See 1 King. 20. 26, 29, 30. the Particle as being oft understood, as has been formerly and frequently proved., till thou have consumed them i. e. The Syrians, not all that people, but their Armies, or at least that which was to be at Aphek, where a dreadful Battel was to be fought. Or, if this be meant of all the Syrian Armies, this is to be understood conditionally, if he did not hinder it by his unbelief or neglect, signified in the following Verses..

And he said, Take the arrows: and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground The former sign portended Victory, and this was to declare the number of the Victories.: and he smote thrice, and stayed.

And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times, then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice Quest. Wherein was Iehoash his fault, or why was the Propher angry with him? Ans. The Prophet himself did not yet know how many Victories Iehoash should obtain against the Syrians, but God had signified to him that he should learn that by the number of the Kings strokes. And he was angry with him, not simply, because he smote only thrice, but because by his unbelief and Idolatry he provoked God so to over-rule his heart and hand, that he should smite but thrice, which was a token that God would assist him no further. Although his smiting but thrice might proceed either from his unbelief or negligence. For by the former sign, and the Prophets Comment upon it, he might clearly perceive that this also was intended as a sign of his success against the Syrians, and therefore he ought to have done it frequently, and vehemently..

¶ And Elisha died, and they buried him In or near Samaria.: and the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year In the Spring, when the Fruits of the Earth grew ripe..

And it came to pass as they were burying Or, were about to bury, as that Particle is oft used in the Hebrew Tongue. a man, that behold, they spied a band of men Coming towards them, but at some distance., and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha Not daring to carry the dead Corps further to the place appointed for his burial, they made use of the next burying-place, where Elisha was buried, and there they removed some Stone, or opened some Door, and hastily flung down their dead Corps there.: and when the man i. e. The mans dead Body, or the Coffin in which he was put. was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha Which might easily be, the Coffin and Linen in which Elisha's Body was put and the Flesh of his Body being now consumed: for this was some considerable time after his death., he revived, and stood up on his feet Which Miracle God wrought there, partly, to do honour to that great Prophet, and that by this Seal he might confirm his Doctrine, and thereby confute the false Doctrine and Worship of the Israelites; partly, to strengthen the Faith of Ioash, and of the Israelites, in his promise of their success against the Syrians; and partly, in the midst of all their Calamities to comfort such Israelites as were Elisha's followers, with the hopes of that Eternal life, whereof this was a manifest pledge, and to awaken the rest of that people to a due care and preparation for it..

¶ But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence i. e. From the Land of Canaan, to which the presence, and publick and solemn Worship of God was confined. as yet.

So Hazael king of Syria died, and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead.

And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war: three times did Joash beat him According to the Prediction above, v. 19., and recovered the cities of Israel.