2 Kings 5
5:1 a 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 b; 99:1-2 c; Rom 13:1 d).
• from leprosy: Naaman’s access to society and Gehazi’s later social freedom (2 Kgs 8:4-5 e) suggest that the problem was not Hansen’s disease but another incurable skin disease (see Lev 13:10-11 f, 45-46 g).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:2-3: 5:2-3 h During Joram’s reign, strained relations between Israel and the Arameans led to incursions by Aramean raiders into the northern kingdom (see 6:8 i, 24 j).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:5-6: 5:5-6 k 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 l), the Aramean king followed diplomatic protocol by sending Naaman first to King Joram.
5:7 m tore his clothes: This action was often a sign of intense agitation (11:4 n), grief (Gen 37:34 o; 2 Sam 13:31 p), or sorrow (2 Kgs 6:30 q; Job 1:20 r; 2:12 s). 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 t).
5:8 u Elisha had no respect for King Joram (3:14 v), 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 w 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 x 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 y).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:15-16: 5:15-16 z 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 aa).
• 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 ab; Rom 2:4 ac; 1 Cor 2:12 ad; Eph 4:8 ae).
5:17 af 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 ag The name Rimmon appears in the name Tabrimmon (1 Kgs 15:18 ah), 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 ai Naaman believed Gehazi’s fabricated story to be genuine and was happy to repay Elisha.
5:24 aj the citadel: The Hebrew word means hill or high point in a city. Citadels were often erected in such places (2 Chr 27:3 ak).
Summary for 2Kgs 5:25-27: 5:25-27 al 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 am logs ... new place for us to meet: The forest areas of the Jordan Valley near Jericho and Gilgal (see 2:1 an, 4 ao) provided several types of wood for building.6:5 ap 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 aq 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 ar) had improved relations between Elisha and Joram (see 3:13-14 as).
Summary for 2Kgs 6:11-14: 6:11-14 at 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 au The identity of Elisha’s alarmed servant is unknown. He was evidently the replacement of Gehazi (5:27 av).
Summary for 2Kgs 6:16-17: 6:16-17 aw 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 ax; Dan 10:20–11:1 ay; Heb 1:7 az).
6:21 ba My father: Elisha had used this term of respect when addressing Elijah (2:12 bb), as had Naaman’s servant when speaking to his master (5:13 bc).
6:23 bd 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 be 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 bf). 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 bg). The dove’s dung might also have been used for fuel.
Summary for 2Kgs 6:26-29: 6:26-29 bh Cannibalism under severe conditions was part of God’s curse for unfaithfulness and disobedience (Deut 28:53 bi, 57 bj). It also occurred during the siege that brought about the fall of Jerusalem (Lam 4:9-10 bk).
6:30 bl 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 bm separate Elisha’s head from his shoulders: Decapitation of one’s enemy was frequent (10:6-8 bn; 1 Sam 17:51 bo; 31:9 bp; 2 Sam 4:7-8 bq, 12 br; 20:22 bs; Matt 14:11 bt) 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 bu). Moreover, Ben-hadad had been after Elisha (6:13 bv), so the prophet’s presence had endangered the whole city.
6:32 bw Elisha was aware that Joram was sending a messenger to assassinate him and that the king was not far behind.
6:33 bx 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
7:1 by 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 bz.
7:2 ca The disbelief of Joram’s officer would cause him to miss God’s blessings.
7:3 cb These four men were outcasts because of their condition and remained outside the city gates (Lev 13:45-46 cc; see Luke 17:11-13 cd).
Summary for 2Kgs 7:5-7: 7:5-7 ce The Hittites had settled in the areas just north of Aram and were often in conflict with the Arameans.
Summary for 2Kgs 7:8-9: 7:8-9 cf The men realized that they needed to share their good fortune with the people in Samaria.
Summary for 2Kgs 7:10-12: 7:10-12 cg Joram suspected that the Arameans had set a trap, perhaps attempting to lure the Israelites into an ambush. Joshua had used a similar battle tactic in taking the city of Ai (Josh 8:3-23 ch).
Summary for 2Kgs 7:13-17: 7:13-17 ci The trail of abandoned articles confirmed the Arameans’ rush to escape, and the Israelites plundered the Aramean camp. True to Elisha’s prophecy, food supplies were now readily available, and Joram’s doubting officer was knocked down and trampled to death.
Summary for 2Kgs 7:18-20: 7:18-20 cj The repetition of Elisha’s previous conversation with Joram’s officer emphasizes the exact fulfillment of the prophecy.
2 Kings 8
8:3 ck getting back her house and land: Her property might have been held in trust or confiscated.Summary for 2Kgs 8:4-5: 8:4-5 cl Gehazi, Elisha’s former servant, had gained sufficient social standing to serve the king. Although Joram had often been Elisha’s adversary, he apparently wanted to know more about the great things Elisha had done.
8:6 cm everything ... was restored: Not only did the woman receive her land but Joram made sure that she received all income due to the selling of crops that had been harvested during her absence. Joram, who sometimes displayed less than noble characteristics (3:13-14 cn; 6:31-33 co), on this occasion showed higher ethical standards than his father Ahab had regarding Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kgs 21:1-16 cp).
8:7 cq Elisha’s freedom to visit Damascus demonstrated the great respect that even Israel’s enemies had for him. The visit fulfilled the commission originally given to Elijah (1 Kgs 19:15 cr).
8:8 cs Will I recover? Cp. 1:2 ct.
8:9 cu forty camels with the finest products: Although gifts were not unusual when inquiring of a prophet (see 1 Sam 9:6-8 cv), Ben-hadad’s gifts were lavish, testifying both to his wealth and to the esteem he had for Elisha.
8:10 cw Elisha instructed Hazael to tell the king that he would surely recover because his illness was not life-threatening. Yet Elisha knew that Ben-hadad would surely die.
8:11 cx Elisha started weeping because he foresaw the atrocities that Hazael would commit against God’s people when he became king (8:28 cy; 9:14-15 cz; 10:32-33 da; 12:17-18 db; 13:3 dc, 22 dd).
8:13 de a nobody like me: Literally a dog. As scavengers, dogs were held in low esteem in the ancient Near East. King Shalmaneser III of Assyria observed in his annals, “Hazael, son of a nobody, seized the throne.”
8:15 df Hazael became the next king of Aram: Although Hazael obediently delivered Elisha’s answer to Ben-hadad, the next day he hastened the fulfillment of Elisha’s prophecy by assassinating the king and taking the throne for himself. Perhaps Hazael falsely reasoned that the prophecy gave him a divine mandate.
8:16 dg Jehoram was co-regent with his father, Jehoshaphat, for five years before becoming king of Judah on his own in the fifth year of the reign of Joram (848 BC).
8:17 dh Jehoram reigned from 853 to 841 BC, including a five-year co-regency with his father, Jehoshaphat.
8:18 di evil in the Lord’s sight: Not only did Jehoram marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah but he followed the example of the kings of Israel in worshiping idols. Some have suggested that Ps 45 dj was composed in honor of the marriage between Jehoram and Athaliah, which joined the royal houses of Judah and Israel (see Ps 45:12 dk; Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel, the princess of Tyre). While the marriage created temporary harmony between the kingdoms, it brought disastrous spiritual results. Under Athaliah’s influence, Jehoram instituted various false forms of worship (2 Chr 21:11 dl), including worship of Baal (2 Kgs 11:17-18 dm).
8:19 dn Despite Jehoram’s wickedness, God did not destroy Judah but honored his covenant with David (2 Sam 7:11-16 do).
• The Lord had promised to preserve David’s descendants on the throne of Judah as a shining ... lamp of God’s grace (1 Kgs 11:36 dp). God’s promises to David ultimately find fulfillment in Jesus (Ezek 34:23-31 dq), the light of the world (John 4:1-5 dr).
8:22 ds The town of Libnah was located in southwestern Judah, not far from the Philistine border. The Philistines and the Arabians also launched an attack against Jerusalem during Jehoram’s reign; all of Jehoram’s sons except Ahaziah were killed (2 Chr 21:16-17 dt).
8:24 du Jehoram died of a painful disease of the bowels and was excluded from the royal tombs (2 Chr 21:18-20 dv).
8:25 dw twelfth year of the reign of Joram: The year of Ahaziah’s accession to the throne of Judah (841 BC) was pivotal in ancient Near Eastern history. Before the year was out, both Joram and Ahaziah lay dead, Hazael was confirmed as king of Damascus, and Shalmaneser III of Assyria dominated the region.
Summary for 2Kgs 8:28-29: 8:28-29 dx Once again, a king of Judah joined an Israelite king in battle against the Arameans at Ramoth-gilead (see 1 Kgs 22:1-40 dy).
• Jezreel served as a second capital for Israel during Ahab’s reign (1 Kgs 21:1 dz); he retreated there after witnessing Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:46 ea).
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