2 Kings 4
4:1 a The widow’s husband had been a member of the group of prophets ... who served Elisha (2:3-18 b).• take my two sons as slaves: The law of Moses allowed a creditor to place a debtor and his children into slavery to work off a debt (Exod 21:2-4 c; Lev 25:10 d).
4:4 e shut the door: Elisha was meeting a private need; the miracle was not for public show.
• Olive oil, an important staple, had commercial value (see 1 Kgs 5:11 f; 2 Chr 11:11 g; Hos 12:1 h).
Summary for 2Kgs 4:5-6: 4:5-6 i Elisha was absent during the miracle so the woman and her son would recognize that the provision was by the Lord’s power.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:8-37: 4:8-37 j Elisha’s dealings with the woman from Shunem are presented in two parallel sections (4:8-20 k, 21-37 l). Shunem was a border town in the tribal allotment to Issachar (Josh 19:18 m).
Summary for 2Kgs 4:9-10: 4:9-10 n Because the Shunemite woman recognized that Elisha was a true prophet—a holy man of God—she wished to provide hospitality for him during his frequent travels (see Isa 58:7 o; Heb 13:2 p; 3 Jn 1:5 q).
• A small room ... on the roof, reached by an outside stairway, assured privacy for both Elisha and his hosts.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:11-14: 4:11-14 r Elisha wanted to return some favor to his host.
• his servant Gehazi: Gehazi served as an apprentice, as Elisha had served with Elijah (1 Kgs 19:21 s). It would not be unusual for a prophet to consult with his attendant.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:15-16: 4:15-16 t Cp. similar promises and responses at Gen 18:9-15 u; Luke 1:6-20 v.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:18-20: 4:18-20 w “My head hurts!” The boy probably suffered a brain aneurysm. The woman’s faith and character were put to the test with the sudden death of her son on her lap.
4:21 x laid him on the bed of the man of God: The woman’s action kept her son’s death a secret from others and demonstrated her confidence in Elisha’s ability to do a miracle.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:24-26: 4:24-26 y Mount Carmel lay about twenty miles northwest of Shunem. The length of the trip and the woman’s obvious haste aroused Elisha’s suspicion that some tragedy concerning the child had occurred.
• “everything is fine”: The woman brushed off Gehazi’s inquiries; she was resolved to deal with no one but Elisha.
4:27 z caught hold of his feet: With this sign of deep respect and supplication, the woman poured out her heart to Elisha (see Matt 28:9 aa; Luke 8:41 ab, 47 ac; 17:16 ad; Rev 1:17 ae).
4:28 af The loss of her son undid all the joy she felt at his promised birth and seemed to make that birth a cruel deception.
4:29 ag Elisha instructed Gehazi not to talk to anyone along the way, indicating the seriousness and urgency of the mission. Jesus gave similar instructions when he sent out the seventy-two disciples (Luke 10:4 ah).
• Laying Elisha’s staff on the child’s face signified the prophet’s intention to identify with the boy and claim God’s power.
4:31 ai no sign of life: Elisha’s staff held no magical power; only God is the author of life (Acts 17:25-28 aj).
4:33 ak shut the door: Elisha followed the same procedure he had advised the widow to take earlier (4:4 al). If God were to perform the miracle, it would not be for public display. Only the mother knew of the boy’s death and only she needed to know of Elisha’s efforts to petition God for the boy’s life.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:34-35: 4:34-35 am lay down on the child’s body: Elisha’s actions and faith in the Lord were similar to Elijah’s (1 Kgs 17:17-24 an).
Summary for 2Kgs 4:36-37: 4:36-37 ao Again, Gehazi summoned the woman (4:12 ap, 15 aq), and again, she fell at Elisha’s feet (4:27 ar), this time overwhelmed with gratitude rather than anguish.
4:38 as Like Bethel (2:3 at) and Jericho (2:5 au, 15 av), Gilgal was the center for a group of prophets (2:1 aw). Elisha was the leader of these groups, and thus sat at the head of the table for meals.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:39-41: 4:39-41 ax The men immediately recognized that the young man’s wild gourds were poisonous; they did not want to be poisoned or to waste the stew during a famine, so they turned to Elisha for help. The flour was a tangible symbol of God’s miraculous provision of food.
Summary for 2Kgs 4:42-44: 4:42-44 ay grain ... loaves of barley ... first grain: This offering was similar to the first of the crops that were normally presented to God (Lev 23:20 az) and to the priests (Deut 18:4-5 ba) as their portion. Because of the famine, Elisha shared the offering with all the people.
• Elisha’s feeding a hundred people with a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread anticipated the miraculous ministry of Jesus (Matt 14:15-21 bb; 15:32-38 bc). Nothing is impossible for God (Matt 19:26 bd; Luke 1:37 be; 18:27 bf).
2 Kings 5
5:1 bg The king of Aram was probably Ben-hadad II (860–843 BC).• the Lord had given Aram great victories: The Lord is sovereign over all nations (Pss 47:8 bh; 99:1-2 bi; Rom 13:1 bj).
• from leprosy: Naaman’s access to society and Gehazi’s later social freedom (2 Kgs 8:4-5 bk) suggest that the problem was not Hansen’s disease but another incurable skin disease (see Lev 13:10-11 bl, 45-46 bm).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:2-3: 5:2-3 bn During Joram’s reign, strained relations between Israel and the Arameans led to incursions by Aramean raiders into the northern kingdom (see 6:8 bo, 24 bp).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:5-6: 5:5-6 bq The lavish gifts and the royal letter of introduction, common practices in the ancient Near East, underscored Naaman’s wealth, his value to the Aramean king, and Elisha’s reputation. Unlike Ahaziah, who sent his messengers directly to the temple of Baal-zebub in Philistia (1:2 br), the Aramean king followed diplomatic protocol by sending Naaman first to King Joram.
5:7 bs tore his clothes: This action was often a sign of intense agitation (11:4 bt), grief (Gen 37:34 bu; 2 Sam 13:31 bv), or sorrow (2 Kgs 6:30 bw; Job 1:20 bx; 2:12 by). Due to the perennial distrust and hostilities between the Arameans and the Israelites, Joram assumed that the Aramean king was trying to pick a fight, as had occurred in the days of his father Ahab (1 Kgs 20:1-12 bz).
5:8 ca Elisha had no respect for King Joram (3:14 cb), but he sent the message because of the opportunity for a testimony to the Lord’s power.
Summary for 2Kgs 5:9-12: 5:9-12 cc Rather than receiving Naaman, who came to buy his healing, Elisha left him standing at the door and communicated with him by messenger. Naaman expected special treatment befitting his station and was disappointed both in Elisha’s failure to receive him and at his instructions to wash ... seven times in the Jordan River, which he considered inferior to the rivers of Aram. Washing in the Jordan would be a visible reminder that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, could heal Naaman.
Summary for 2Kgs 5:13-14: 5:13-14 cd Naaman swallowed his pride. He did as the man of God had instructed him and experienced God’s healing power. Obedience to God brings God’s blessings and purity (Ps 119:9-11 ce).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:15-16: 5:15-16 cf No God ... except in Israel: Naaman’s physical healing led to spiritual conversion. Like the Samaritan leper healed by Jesus, Naaman returned to give thanks to his benefactor (Luke 17:15-16 cg).
• Naaman offered a gift out of gratitude, but Elisha refused; God’s grace and blessings were not to be obtained through money, gifts, or favors (Isa 55:1-5 ch; Rom 2:4 ci; 1 Cor 2:12 cj; Eph 4:8 ck).
5:17 cl earth from this place: Ancient Near Eastern custom identified a nation’s god with the soil of the country where he was worshiped; Naaman apparently believed he needed Israelite soil in order to build an altar to properly worship Israel’s God.
5:18 cm The name Rimmon appears in the name Tabrimmon (1 Kgs 15:18 cn), the father of Ben-hadad I. In Aramean, the god’s name is properly Ramman (the thunderer), a storm-god noted in Assyrian inscriptions. The spelling Rimmon (which means pomegranate) may reflect a deliberate pun belittling the deity.
Summary for 2Kgs 5:22-23: 5:22-23 co Naaman believed Gehazi’s fabricated story to be genuine and was happy to repay Elisha.
5:24 cp the citadel: The Hebrew word means hill or high point in a city. Citadels were often erected in such places (2 Chr 27:3 cq).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:25-27: 5:25-27 cr Gehazi could not conceal his deed from Elisha. Gehazi’s deception and misuse of his privileged position earned his master’s disapproval and the loss of his status as Elisha’s servant. But it also brought on him the penalty of Naaman’s leprosy, a sign that Gehazi had traded places with Naaman spiritually as well.
2 Kings 6
Summary for 2Kgs 6:1-2: 6:1-2 cs logs ... new place for us to meet: The forest areas of the Jordan Valley near Jericho and Gilgal (see 2:1 ct, 4 cu) provided several types of wood for building.6:5 cv The Hebrew text indicates that the ax head was made of iron, quite valuable in a time when few iron tools were available. Because it was ... borrowed, the loss was even more acute.
Summary for 2Kgs 6:8-10: 6:8-10 cw Elisha’s ability to know the Aramean king’s raiding strategies allowed him to warn Joram of danger. Apparently, the healing of Naaman (5:1-19 cx) had improved relations between Elisha and Joram (see 3:13-14 cy).
Summary for 2Kgs 6:11-14: 6:11-14 cz When the king of Aram learned that Elisha had the ability to give advance warning to the king of Israel, he commanded his men to capture the prophet.
• Dothan was situated about ten miles north of Samaria. Archaeological excavations have confirmed the city’s existence in this period.
6:15 da The identity of Elisha’s alarmed servant is unknown. He was evidently the replacement of Gehazi (5:27 db).
Summary for 2Kgs 6:16-17: 6:16-17 dc Elisha asked the Lord to open the young man’s eyes, revealing an angelic force protecting the city. Angels are active in the affairs of the world (Ps 34:7 dd; Dan 10:20–11:1 de; Heb 1:7 df).
6:21 dg My father: Elisha had used this term of respect when addressing Elijah (2:12 dh), as had Naaman’s servant when speaking to his master (5:13 di).
6:23 dj great feast: The Israelites’ kind treatment had the result that the Arameans no longer raided Israel. However, it only provided a temporary suspension of hostilities.
Summary for 2Kgs 6:24-25: 6:24-25 dk So severe was this famine that normally unclean things were not only eaten but sold for an exorbitant price. Donkey meat, for example, was forbidden by the laws regarding unclean foods (Lev 11:1-7 dl). Dove’s dung may be a variety of wild vegetable, but the consumption of dung is known from other sources describing siege conditions (Isa 36:12 dm). The dove’s dung might also have been used for fuel.
Summary for 2Kgs 6:26-29: 6:26-29 dn Cannibalism under severe conditions was part of God’s curse for unfaithfulness and disobedience (Deut 28:53 do, 57 dp). It also occurred during the siege that brought about the fall of Jerusalem (Lam 4:9-10 dq).
6:30 dr When Joram learned of cannibalism in the city, he tore his clothes in despair.
• wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin: Doing this was an outward sign of mourning.
6:31 ds separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders: Decapitation of one’s enemy was frequent (10:6-8 dt; 1 Sam 17:51 du; 31:9 dv; 2 Sam 4:7-8 dw, 12 dx; 20:22 dy; Matt 14:11 dz) in the ancient Near East. Joram reasoned that the situation stemmed from Elisha’s earlier sparing of Ben-hadad’s troops (2 Kgs 6:22-23 ea). Moreover, Ben-hadad had been after Elisha (6:13 eb), so the prophet’s presence had endangered the whole city.
6:32 ec Elisha was aware that Joram was sending a messenger to assassinate him and that the king was not far behind.
6:33 ed And the king said: Literally And he said. The messenger might have been delivering the king’s words verbatim.
• Because the misery of the siege appeared to be from the Lord, Joram felt that further prayer for rescue was useless.
2 Kings 7:1-2
7:1 ee This is what the Lord says: Despite Joram’s pessimism and hostility, Elisha brought a message of hope. Tomorrow would bring a complete change in conditions, with good products again available.• twelve quarts ... only one piece of silver: Cp. with the prices in 6:25 ef.
7:2 eg The disbelief of Joram’s officer would cause him to miss God’s blessings.
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