And Elisha said unto him, take bow and arrows ,.... The usual instruments of war in those days: and he took unto him bow and arrows; which though they might not be had in the house of the prophet, he could have some from his guards that attended him. read more
And he said unto the king of Israel, put thine hand upon the bow, and he put his hand upon it ,.... His left hand: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands ; on both his hands, which were put, the one on the bow, the other on the arrow F13 See Virgil. Aeneid. 11. ver. 831,862. ; hereby signifying, that though the king would draw the bow in battle, the Lord, whom the prophet represented, would give the success; and that it would be by his help, and through his blessing on his... read more
And he said, open the window eastward ,.... Syria lying east of the land of Israel, as the Jewish commentators in general observe, and for which they quote Isaiah 9:12 , but it lay northeast, or rather more to the north; wherefore this may respect the eastward part of the land of Israel, which the Syrians had got possession of, and should be recovered, as this sign showed, see 2 Kings 10:33 , and he opened it: then Elisha said, shoot, and he shot ; the arrow, out of the window, being... read more
Take bow and arrows - The bow, the arrows, and the smiting on the ground, were all emblematical things, indicative of the deliverance of Israel from Syria. read more
Open the window eastward - This was towards the country beyond Jordan, which Hazael had taken from the Israelites. The arrow of - deliverance from Syria - That is, As surely as that arrow is shot towards the lands conquered from Israel by the Syrians, so surely shall those lands be reconquered and restored to Israel. It was an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear into the country which an army intended to invade. Justin says that, as soon as Alexander the... read more
The death of Elisha. "In the three and twentieth," etc. The Book of Kings is, to a large extent, a record of crime, and of crime of the most heinous and aggravated character. The terrible monstrosities recorded are, for the most part, ascribable, directly or indirectly, to kings. In this very chapter we have a sketch of two of those monarchs who have been among the greatest curses of their race. Jehoahaz, son and successor of Jehu King of Israel, whose reign was disastrous to the kingdom to... read more
REIGNS OF JEHOAHAZ , SON OF JEHU , AND JOASH , SON OF JEHOAHAZ , OVER ISRAEL . NOTICES OF ELISHA . WAR OF ISRAEL WITH SYRIA . read more
Joash and Elisha. Jehoahaz reigned for seventeen years, and was succeeded by his son Jehoash, or Joash. In this reign, after a long interval, Elisha again appears. I. ACCESSION OF JOASH . The change of rulers was in some respects a gain for Israel. Joash was a man of better disposition than his father, and under his reign the kingdom, which has been so sorely broken down, was again partially built up. But he still adhered to the cardinal sin of the nation—the calf-worship-so that... read more
THE REIGN OF JOASH . The writer passes from the reign of Jehoahaz, Jehu's son, to that of Joash, Jehu's grandson, which he seems to have intended at first to dispatch in the short space of four verses ( 2 Kings 13:10-13 ). He afterwards, however, saw reason to add to his narrative, first, an account of an interview between Joash and Elisha, shortly Before the death of the latter ( 2 Kings 13:14-19 ); secondly, an account of a miracle wrought soon afterwards by means of Elisha's... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 13:10-19
We have here Jehoash, or Joash, the son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu, upon the throne of Israel. Probably the house of Jehu intended some respect to the house of David when they gave this heir-apparent to the crown the same name with him that was then king of Judah. I. The general account here given of him and his reign is much the same with what we have already met with, and has little in it remarkable, 2 Kgs. 13:10-13. He was none of the worst, and yet, because he kept up that ancient... read more