Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. VI.

Vers. 1. BEhold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us, &c.] The succession of two such famous prophets, Elijah and Elisha, and the many miracles which were wrought by them, could not but draw many in these corrupt times to joyn themselves to these sacred societies of the sonnes of the prophets: and hence it was, that their colledge had not now room enough for them; and therefore they desire liberty of Elisha their master to build another, and that they affected not either pomp or state, but were contented with a very homely dwelling, is evident by this, that themselves were to be the builders of it; Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam; and let us make us a place there, vers. 2.

Vers. 8. In such and such a place shall be my Camp.] That is, the king of Sy∣ria resolved upon a place where he would lie in ambush with his army; knowing that the army of the Israelites was to passe that way, and so hoping on a sudden to fall out upon them.

Vers. 9. And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware thou passe not such a place, &c.] That is, he sent to Jehoram the sonne of Ahab, who was now king, and succeeded his brother Amaziah in the throne of Israel, Chap. 3.1. Had not Ahab his father spared the king of Syria, when he had him in his power, 1. Kings 20.34. the Syrians had not been (perhaps) such continuall thornes in the sides of his sonne; but now he smarted for his fathers foolish pity: onely God was pleased to save his people by the prophet Elisha, that so they might thereby be rendred more carefull to keep God for their friend, or else might be left without excuse.

Vers. 13. And he said, Go and spie where he is, that I may send and fetch him.] A resolution that discovered no lesse folly then rage; for what a madnesse was it to lay a plot to surprise him, of whom they had said, that he knew every word that the king spake in his greatest secrecie.

Vers. 15. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, &c.] Be∣cause Gehazi is after this Chap. 8.4. called the servant of the man of God, some Expositours hold, that it was Gehazi that the text here speaks of; and consequently that the leprosie of Gehazi was of that sort which did not make those that had it unclean, and so unfit to converse with others: But yet because Gehazi is no more mentioned in the story, as imployed in the ministring to Elisha, therefore it is most probable, that upon that fact of his mentioned in the former chapter, being stricken with Leprosie, he was dismissed from his attendance upon Elisha, and this other ser∣vant here mentioned, was one that succeeded in his room.

Vers. 18. And he smote them with blindnesse, according to the word of Elisha.] To wit, such a blindnesse as the Sodomites were stricken with, Gen. 19.11. which was not a deprivation of sight (for they would never have followed a man that promised to shew them the citie where the prophet was, if they had been stark blind) but rather a withholding of their sight from seeing that which they desired

to see, or a dazeling and deluding the sense, that made them mistake what they saw, and apprehend it to be something else then what it was.

Vers. 19. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, &c.] Elisha going forth of the city to meet them, when he saw them coming towards it, it seems they enquired of him both concerning the town and concerning the prophet, and hereup∣on he answered them, as secretly mocking them, and insulting over them with these ambiguous words, This is not the way; to wit, which you must go, Neither is this the citie where you must meet with Elisha; Follow me, &c.

Vers. 21. And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? &c.] It is not likely that Elisha would bring such an army of Syrians into the city, but that first he would give warning to the king to arm themselves in a readinesse, that when they came into Samaria, instead of being able to do any hurt there, upon the opening of their eyes, they should see themselves begirt with their enemies, ready upon a word given to cut all their throats: And hence is this speech of the kings to the prophet, My father, shall I smite them, shall I smite them? his repeating those words, showing that his fingers itched to make use of this advantage, to be revenged on the Syrians, though yet he would not do it without the prophets leave.

Vers. 22. Wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword, and with thy bow?] As if he should have said, if thou hadst taken them prisoners in the battell thou wouldest not have slain them, much lesse being cast into thy hands, not by any force and policie of thine, but onely by this miraculous providence of the Almighty: Now thus God was pleased to have these bloudy enemies of Gods people dismissed in peace, that even they might publish these miraculous works of God in a strange land.

Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.] To wit, that both he and his Syrians might there heare what God had done to this army, whom they had sent to apprehend his prophet.

Vers. 23. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.] That is, they gave over those inrodes into the land, which before had been usuall with them; and that happely as overcome with the favour which was shown them, at least for the present, yea and when (perhaps some long time after) they did again invade the land, it was not by sending out such bands of boote-halers as formerly (fearing per∣haps, lest they should be catched in a trap, as now they had been:) but the king ga∣thered all his host, and went up against them with a power which he thought they would be no way able to resist.

Vers. 24. Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and be∣sieged Samaria.] This was that Ben-hadad that had once before besieged Samaria in Ahabs time, 1 Kings 20.1. Then the Israelites raised the siege, and made him fly with shame and losse; and the rather happely did he now attempt the besieging of this city again, that be might blot out the reproach of his shamefull flight from the former siege, encouraged thereto by the great overthrow he had given the Israelites, in that battell wherein Ahab was slain, 1 Kings 22.34. It may indeed seem strange that Naaman, being so great with the king of Syria, did not keep him off from in∣vading the land of Israel; But for this we must consider, first, that Naaman might in

this time be dead; or secondly, that he durst not shew himself so farre a friend to Gods people, as to disswade the king from this warre; or thirdly, that perhaps he had lost his place and favour with the king, beacuse he had embraced the Religion of Israel. However, in this second siege of Samaria, we see how the Israelites still smarted for Ahabs impious pitty, in sparing this Ben hadad when he had him in his power.

Vers. 25. An asses head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, &c.] Which was as some account, about ten pound sterling But though it were very strange that so great a price should be given for an asses head, and a clear evidence that they were put to exceeding great straits in Samaria to get food, not onely because there could be but little meat in an asses head, and asses flesh must needs be very untoothsome; but e∣specially, because it was an unclean meat, which the Israelites, by the Law of God, were forbidden to eat, Levit. 11.13. yet the second instance that is here given is farre more strange, to wit, that the fourth part of a kab of doves dung, was sold for five pieces of silver, to wit, about twelve shillings and six pence, and therefore some Expositours hold, that this doves dung was bought for salt or firing; (the inhabi∣tants of the citie being in as great straits for salt or firing, as for food) and others conceive that some few seeds of corn might be found in the dung, and that for this they bought it; or that the crop of pigeons, in which there will be some corn undi∣gested, is here comprehended under the Hebrew word here translated doves dung. But indeed, why should we think it incredible that they should eat doves dung, when we find afterwards, vers. 29. that mothers did eat their own children; extre∣mitie of famine will force men to feed on any thing that is most loathsome; whence was that insulting speech of Rabshakeh to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that he would make them eat their own dung, and drink their own pisse, chap. 18.27.

Vers. 26. As the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, &c.] To wit, to see if he could descry the attempts of the enemy against the citie; and especially to see whether the watches were kept, and the walls guarded by his own souldiers, as they ought to be.

Vers. 27. And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?] If we reade this as it is in the margin of our Bibles, then it seems to be a passionate speech of the kings, wherein he curseth the poore woman for troubling him with her outcries (Let not the Lord save thee, &c.) as if he should have said, the Lord confound thee thou wretched woman; how can I help thee unlesse God send help? but according to the translation that is in our text the meaning is clear; namely, that he did in gentle terms seek to satisfie the woman, (as thinking she had cried to him for food) that it was not in his power to help her, unlesse the Lord would send them help from heaven.

Vers. 29. I said unto her on the next day, Give thy sonne, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her sonne.] To wit, to save her child alive, or with a purpose to eat him alone, and not to let her neighbour share with her.

Vers. 31. Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha, &c.] Joram the king being deeply affected with that sad complaint of the wo∣man that had eaten her child (whereby he saw, to what extremities the inhabitants of the citie were brought by the famine) in a rage presently vowed that day to cut off Elishaes head, to wit, either because Elisha had threatned this judgement before it

came, or, because the king perswaded himself that Elisha could have procured help by his prayers, as formerly he had done to the army of the Syrians at Dothan, and would not; or else, because he had perswaded the king to hold out the siege, and had assured him of timely help from God, and so now he looked upon him as the cause of all the misery they now lay under: And thus the prophet that erewhiles was re∣spected by him as a father, vers. 21. My father, shall I smite them? is now in a fury designed to lose his head, as if he had been the sole cause of all their misery.

Vers. 32. But Elisha sate in his house, and the elders sate with him.] That is, some of the godly magistrates of the city, who were come to consult with him con∣cerning the misery of the city and to desire his prayers, and were now hearing him comforting them and instructing them what they should do.

See ye how this sonne of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head?] As if he should have said, he is his father Ahabs own sonne, he was a murderer, to wit the murderer of Naboth and others, and so is this his sonne Joram; for behold he hath sent one to take away my head.

Shut the doore, and hold him fast at the doore, is not the sound of his masters feet behind him? &c.] The most Expositours understand this thus; That the prophet per∣swaded the elders to shut the doore against the kings messenger, and not to let him come in, and that because immediately his master would come to recall this sentence, which in his rage he had passed against him. But others again hold, that the elders were appointed by the prophet to hold fast the doore, that the kings messenger might not enter in to take off the prophets head, as his master the king had appointed him; and that because the king himself was coming immediately after him, and then the prophet meant to make known to him how suddenly the Lord would re∣lieve them, by sending them all kind of provision in great plenty.

Vers. 33. The messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold this evil is of the Lord, what should I wait for the Lord any longer?] This may be the speech either of the messenger, or of the king that came immediately after the messenger; whose∣soever it was, it seems the prophet had perswaded the king still to wait upon God; and received this answer, that having waited so long, it was altogether in vain to wait any longer; they might plainly perceive, that the Lord meant to deliver them into the hands of the Syrians, and therefore to what end should they suffer the peo∣ple still to perish for hunger?