2 Kings 3:20

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 3:20-27

I. We have here the divine gift of both those things which God had promised by Elisha?water and victory, and the former not only a pledge of the latter, but a means of it. God, who created, and commands, all the waters, both above and beneath the firmament, sent them an abundance of water on a sudden, which did them double service. 1. It relieved their armies, which were ready to perish, 2 Kgs. 3:20. And, which was very observable, this relief came just at the time of the offering of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 3:20

And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered ,.... At Jerusalem; which always went along with the daily burnt offering of the lamb, which might not indeed be offered before break of day, yet quickly after; for no sacrifice could be offered before that; see Gill on Exodus 29:39 , that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom ; not from the heavens, but it may be out of some rock, rolling along on the earth from the hills and mountains, down into the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 3:20

When the meat-offering was offered - This was the first of all offerings, and was generally made at sun-rising. There came water - This supply was altogether miraculous, for there was neither wind nor rain, nor any other natural means by which it could be supplied. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:1-27

THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF JEHORAM 'S REIGN OVER ISRAEL ; HIS WAR WITH MOAB . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:4-27

THE WAR WITH MOAB . The historian goes back to the origin of the war. He had already, in 2 Kings 1:1 , mentioned the revolt of Moab at the death of Ahab; but he now recalls his readers' attention to the fact, and to some extent explains it and accounts for it. Moab had been treated oppressively—had been forced to pay an extraordinarily heavy tribute—and was in a certain sense driven into rebellion ( 2 Kings 1:4 , 2 Kings 1:5 ). Jehoram, when he came to the kingdom, determined to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:9-20

Man's extremity is God's opportunity. This expedition, begun without consulting God, soon landed the allies in dire straits. I. THE STRAITS OF THE ARMY . 1. The failure of water . The host must have been a large one, and they had much cattle with them for sustenance. For some reason, the journey occupied seven days, and the desert was waterless. They were in the same distress that the Israelites were in centuries before under Moses ( Exodus 17:1-3 ; Numbers 20:1-5 ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:13-27

Aspects of a godly man. "And Elisha said unto the King of Israel, What have I to do with thee?' etc. Elisha was confessedly a godly man of a high type, and these verses reveal him to us in three aspects. I. AS RISING SUPERIOR TO KINGS . When these three kings—Jehoshaphat the King of Judah, Jehoram the King of Israel, and the King of Edom—approached Elisha, was he overawed by their splendor? or was he elated by their visit? No. He was no flunkey ; no true man ever is. Here... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:16-25

The valley full of ditches. Two troubles had come upon Israel at this time. The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom were gone forth to battle against the King of Moab. Strife is an evil between nations or individuals. It takes years for a nation to recover from the devastating effects of war. Terrible is the destruction of life and property which war causes. To the horrors and perils of war in this case was added a fresh difficulty. Their armies, passing through the desert, had no water to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:18-27

The defeat of Moab. This also was foretold by Elisha as a mercy from the Lord, in comparison with which the supply of water was "a light thing." If these are God's "light things," surely we need not fear to ask from him all that we require. Our sin is, not in asking too much, but in asking too little ( John 16:24 ). "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" ( Ephesians 3:20 ). I. LOST THROUGH ILLUSION . The manner in which the defeat of the Moabites... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 3:20

And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered — i.e. about sunrise, which was the time of the morning sacrifice— that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom. The Wady-el-Ahsy drains a portion of Southern Moab, and also a considerable tract of Northern Edom. The nocturnal storm had burst, not in the Moabite country, where it would have attracted the attention of the Moabites, but in some comparatively distant part of the Idumaean territory, so that the... read more

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