ELISHA CAUSES AN AXE HEAD TO FLOAT (2 KINGS 6:1). This seemingly trivial incident is probably intended by the prophetic author to lay emphasis on an important fact. Just as the axe head was borrowed or begged, and, on being lost, was recovered by Elisha, so the power of Israel was ‘borrowed' (or ‘b... [ Continue Reading ]
ISRAEL'S ONE MAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE AND THE FAILED ATTEMPT TO ABDUCT HIM (2 KINGS 6:8). The king of Aram was puzzled because he kept raiding Israel only to discover each time that the king of Israel appeared to have advanced information, and thus had troops ready to forestall him. He could only a... [ Continue Reading ]
1). THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SIEGE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES (2 KINGS 6:24 TO 2 KINGS 7:1). Analysis. a And it came about after this, that Benhadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria, and, behold, they besieged it, until... [ Continue Reading ]
RELIEF OF THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA (2 KINGS 6:24 TO 2 KINGS 7:20). The incident that follows appears here because it is a part of the Elisha narrative, in which the wonders wrought by YHWH for Elisha are described, not because it is in its chronological position. For it probably occurred in the time of... [ Continue Reading ]