1.
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.
1. Hear ye the word of the Lord—This
prediction, though uttered first to the assembled elders, was
intimated to the king's messengers, who reported it to Jehoram ().
To-morrow about this time
shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, &c.—This
may be estimated at a peck of fine flour for 2s. 6d.,
and two pecks of barley at the same price.
in the gate of
Samaria—Vegetables, cattle, all sorts of country produce, are
still sold every morning at the gates of towns in the East.
2.
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.
2. a lord on whose hand the king
leaned—When an Eastern king walks or stands abroad in the open
air, he always supports himself on the arm of the highest
courtier present.
if the Lord would make
windows in heaven—The scoffing infidelity of this remark, which
was a sneer against not the prophet only, but the God he served, was
justly and signally punished (see ).
3.
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?
3. there were four leprous men—The
account of the sudden raising of the siege and the unexpected supply
given to the famishing inhabitants of Samaria, is introduced by a
narrative of the visit and discovery, by these poor creatures, of the
extraordinary flight of the Syrians.
leprous men at the entering
in of the gate—living, perhaps, in some lazar house there
(Leviticus 13:4-6; Numbers 5:3).
4.
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.
5.
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.
5. they rose up in the twilight—that
is, the evening twilight ().
the uttermost part of the
camp of Syria—that is, the extremity nearest the city.
6.
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.
6, 7. the Lord had made the host of
the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots—This illusion of the
sense of hearing, whereby the besiegers imagined the tramp of two
armies from opposite quarters, was a great miracle which God wrought
directly for the deliverance of His people.
7.
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.
8.
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.
8-11. these lepers . . . did eat and
drink—After they had appeased their hunger and secreted as many
valuables as they could carry, their consciences smote them for
concealing the discovery and they hastened to publish it in the city.
9.
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.
10.
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.
10. horses tied, and asses tied, and
the tents as they were—The uniform arrangement of encampments
in the East is to place the tents in the center, while the cattle are
picketed all around, as an outer wall of defense; and hence the
lepers describe the cattle as the first objects they saw.
11.
And he called the porters; and they told it to the king's house within.
8-11. these lepers . . . did eat and
drink—After they had appeased their hunger and secreted as many
valuables as they could carry, their consciences smote them for
concealing the discovery and they hastened to publish it in the city.
12.
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.
12-15. the king . . . said unto his
servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done—Similar
stratagems have been so often resorted to in the ancient and modern
wars of the East that there is no wonder Jehoram's suspicions were
awakened. But the scouts, whom he despatched, soon found unmistakable
signs of the panic that had struck the enemy and led to a most
precipitate flight.
. THE
UNBELIEVING LORD
TRODDEN TO DEATH.
13.
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.
14.
They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
15.
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.
16.
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.
17.
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.
17. the king appointed the lord on
whose hand he leaned,—c. The news spread like lightning through
the city, and was followed, as was natural, by a popular rush to the
Syrian camp. To keep order at the gate, the king ordered his minister
to keep guard but the impetuosity of the famishing people could not
be resisted. The lord was trodden to death, and Elisha's prophecy in
all respects accomplished.
18.
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:
19.
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.
20.
And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.