Samaria Cycle of Elisha Stories the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27 And he said, Ii Jehovah does not help you, whence can I help you? Out of the threshing-floor or out of the winepress? 28However, the king said to her, What is the trouble with you? And she answered, This woman said to me, 'Give your son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow! 29 So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him;' but she has hidden her son. 30 And when the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes— king's and as he was passing by upon the wall, the people looked and saw that he wore sackcloth within on his naked flesh-31and he said, may God do to me whatever he will, if to-day the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders! The resolve to kill Elisha Elisha's 32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders beside him. And prediction of the king sent a man from before him. But before the messenger came to plenty him, he said to the elders, See how this murderous villain has sent to take off my head. Look! when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him; is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? 33 And while he was still talking with them, the king came down to him and said, See, this is the evil that comes from Jehovah! Why should I wait for Jehovah any longer? 7 1But Elisha said, Hear the word of Jehovah; thus saith Jehovah, 'To-morrow about this time shall a peckm of fine meal be sold for a shekel and two pecks of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.' 2Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be? And he said, You yourself shall see it with your own eyes, but shall not eat of it. The discov that the ing Ara means had fled 3Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they epers' said one to another, Why do we sit here until we die? If we say, 'We will ery enter into the city,' then famine is in the city, and we shall die there; but if besieg we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come and let us go over to the army of the Arameans. If they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5So they rose up at twilight to go over to the camp of the Arameans. And when they came to the outermost part of the camp of the Arameans, there was no man there, for the Lord had made the army of the Arameans hear a noise of chariots and of horses and of a great army, so they said to one another, Surely the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Muçrin to come upon us. 7Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight and left their tents, and their horses and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and ate and drank and carried away silver and gold and clothing and went 1633 Translating according to the demands of the context. A scribe has mistaken the original for the very similar Heb. word, messenger. m 71 Heb., seah. n 76 A later scribe has read for Muçri the more familiar Miçraim (Egypt). The people of Muçri, however, were near neighbors of the Hittites in Northern Syria, while the Egyptians were too distant for practical alliance. Samaria Cycle of Elisha Stories and hid it. Then they came back and entered into another tent, and carried away its contents also and went and hid it. 9Then they said to one another, We are not doing right; this day is a day Incredulity of good news, while we are keeping still. If we wait until morning light, of the punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and inform king the palace. 10So they came and called the watchmen° at the city gate and told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Arameans, and behold there was no one there and no voice of man, but the horses had been tied and asses were tied and their tents were as they had been. 11And the watchmen at the city gate called and announced it to the palace within. 12And the king arose in the night, and said to his servants, I will now tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, thinking, 'When they come out of the city we shall take them alive and get into the city.' mation 13But one of his servants spoke and said, Let some men take five of the Confirremaining horses which survive in the city; if they live, they are as all the of the multitude of Israel that survive here; if they perish, they are as all the mul- report titude of Israel that are consumed. Therefore let us send and see. r 14So they took two mounted men, and the king sent them after the army of the Arameans, saying, Go and see. 15 And they went after them to the Jordan, and behold all the way was full of garments and vessels which the Arameans had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned and told the king. zation predic 16 And the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. RealiSo a peck of fine meal was sold for a shekel, and two pecks of barley for a of Elishekel, just as Jehovah had said. 17And the king appointed the captain sha's on whose hand he leaned to take charge of the gate; but the people trod tion upon him in the gate so that he died, just as the man of God had said, when the king came down to him. 18 Also it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two pecks of barley will be sold for a shekel and a peck of fine meal for a shekel, to-morrow about this time at the gate of Samaria; 19and the captain answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if Jehovah himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be? and he said, You yourself shall see it with your own eyes, but shall not eat of it. 20So it came to pass to him; for the people trod upon him at the gate so that he died. 710 Heb., watchman, but the plural is demanded by the subsequent context. P 710 So Gk. and Luc. The Heb. has simply, the. 47 So Gk., Luc., Syr., and Targ. Heb., he called. 713 The construction is broken and the sense very obscure. The above reconstruction at least brings out the probable meaning of the passage. 714 Restoring the original text. The present Heb. is tautological. * 718-20 The original narrative evidently ends with 17. Vss. 18-20 are later editorial additions, 18, 19 repeating in expanded form what has already been stated in 16, and 20 being but a repetition of 17. Elisha's messages hadad and Hazael § 91. Elisha and Hazael, II Kgs. 87-15 Samaria Cycle of Elisha Stories II Kgs. 8 "Now Elisha came to Damascus. And Ben-hadad" the king of Aram was sick. And when it was told him, saying, The man of God to Ben- has come here, the king said to Hazael, take a present in your hand and go to meet the man of God and inquire of Jehovah through him whether or not I shall recover of this sickness? 9So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, all kinds of precious things from Damascus, forty camel loads. When he came he stood before him and said, Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you to inquire, 'Shall I recover of this sickness? 10 And Elisha said to him, Go, say to him, 'You shall surely recover!' but Jehovah hath showed me that he will nevertheless die. 11 And he looked intently at him, until he was ashamed; and the man of God wept. 12And Hazael said, Why does my lord weep? And he answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the Israelites: their strongholds will you set on fire, their young men will you slay with the sword, their little ones will you dash in pieces, and their women with child will you rip up. 13 And Hazael said, But what is your servant, the dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, Jehovah hath showed me that you shall become king over Aram. Assas of Ben you 14 And when he departed from Elisha and came to his master, he asked, sination What did Elisha say to you? And he answered, He told me that would recover. 15But the next day he took the coverlet, dipped it in water, and spread it over his face, so that he died. And Hazael became king in his place. hadad by Hazael Elisha's dying predic Israel's § 92. Elisha's Farewell Blessing and Death, II Kgs. 1314-21 Samaria Cycle of Elisha Stories II Kgs. 13 14Now when Elisha fell sick of the sickness of which he was to die, Joash the king of Israel came down to him, wept over him and said, tion of My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen ! 15 And Elisha said to him, take bow and arrows; and he took bow and arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, Lay your hand upon the bow. And when he had laid on his hand, Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. 17And he victo ries § 91 Elisha figures here in the same commanding rôle as in the preceding stories. He is represented as in fact, although not in the letter, carrying out the divine command to Elijah, recorded in I Kgs. 19. Cf. note § 71. Like all the Elisha stories this tradition has no real connection with those which precede and follow, and it leaves out many details which an historian would deem important, as for example, a more detailed description of Hazael and the events preceding this incident. u 87 Ben-hadad II. Cf. chronological chart after p. 199. 811 Heb., And he steadied his countenance and set (it) until he was ashamed. The meaning apparently is that he stared Hazael out of countenance. Otherwise it may be translated, And he stared immovably before him and became horrified in the extreme. In this case the reference would be to the prophet's ecstasy. $92 This section has no real connection with its immediate context in II Kgs., for it is inserted after the death of Joash (who figures in it) has been recorded. It is evidently a passage taken by the editor from the Samaria cycle of Elisha stories, and placed in 13 because of its reference to Joash. Originally it doubtless stood at the end of the group of stories in 21-815, of which it is the natural conclusion. Samaria Cycle of Elisha Stories said, Open the window toward the east. And when he opened it, Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Jehovah's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you should have smitten the Arameans in Aphek until you had destroyed them. 18Thereupon he said, Take arrows. And when he had taken them, he said to the king of Israel, Smite on the ground; and he smote three times and then ceased. 19And the man of God was angry with him and said, You should have smitten five or six times; then you would have smitten Aram until you had destroyed it, but as it is you will smite Aram but three times. tency 20 And when Elisha died they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites The po were wont to invade the land each year. 21And while they were burying a of his man, they suddenly spied a marauding band. And they cast the man into healing the sepulchre of Elisha and went on their way, but as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet. W power IV FROM JEHU TO THE FALL OF SAMARIA, II Kgs. 9, 10, 132-13, 22-25, 148-29, 158-31, 17 § 93. The Prophetic Revolution Led by Jehu, II Kgs. 91-1027 Prophetic Jehu History com II Kgs. 9 1Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets Anointand said to him, Gird up your loins, take this flask of oil in your hand and ingo Jehu at go to Ramoth in Gilead. 2And when you arrive there look for Jehua the Elisha's son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from mand among his kinsmen and bring him into an inner chamber. 3Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, 'Thus saith Jehovah, “I have 1321 Making a slight correction demanded by the text. From Jehu to the Fall of Samaria.-As far as II Kgs. 17 the larger northern kingdom receives the greater attention. The narrative, however, is disjointed and fragmentary. No one source except the Jehu history is quoted at length. For the majority of the reigns the editor only epitomizes the data which he drew from his older source, occasionally expanding or supplementing his summaries with quotations from the state annals, which probably were known to him only through the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel to which he constantly refers his readers for further information. Cf. Introd., pp. 16, 17. The period is significant because it witnessed the grimly practical application of the principles laid down by Elijah, the appearance of the new school of the prophets represented by Amos and Hosea, the final downfall of the proud northern kingdom, and the amalgamation of those diverse racial elements which later reappeared as the Samaritans. § 93 Regarding the classification of this important narrative there is considerable difference of opinion. 91-13 may come from the Elisha stories and constitute a companion piece to the account of Elisha's interview with Hazael, § 91; but the subsequent record of Jehu's revolutionary measures implies that he was supported by the prophets of Jehovah, and Jehu's words in 15b find their natural preface in 1-13. It is also characterized by a directness and explicitness regarding details which are lacking in the Elisha stories. On the other hand, there are many points of contact between these chapters and the Elijah stories. The kings are designated in both, not by their 92 The Jaua son of Humri, twice mentioned on the inscriptions of Shalmaneser II among the Palestinian rulers who brought tribute to the Assyrians. Cf. for the Assyrian record, Appendix V. king Prophetic Jehu History anointed thee king over Israel."’ Then open the door and flee without delay. 4So the young man (the servant of the prophet)b went to Ramoth in Gilead. 5And just as he arrived, the commanders of the army were sitting together. And he said, I have a word for you, O commander. And Jehu said, To which of us all? And he said, To you, O commander. Then he arose and went into the house. And [the young man] poured the oil on his head and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over Jehovah's people Israel. "And thou shalt cut off the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah upon Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab must perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every male, and him who is kept in and him who is at large in Israel. 'And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the field of Jezreel and none shall bury her.' Then he opened the door and fled. Proc- 11When Jehu came out to the servants of his lord, they askede him, Is all lamawell? Why did this insane fellow come to you? And he said to them, tion of Jehu as You know the man and his talk. 12 And they said, It is false! Tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, 'Thus saith Jehovah, "I have anointed thee king over Israel."' 13Then they quickly took each his garment, laid it at his feet and on the bare stairs,f and blew the trumpet, crying, Jehu is king! His slay Jeho 14So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against plan to Joram. Now Jehu, together with all Israel, was defending Ramoth in Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, 15but King Jehoram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Aram.h And Jehu said, If it be in your mind,i then let none escape from the city to go to tell it in Jezreel. 16Then Jehu ram titles, as in the Ahab history, but by their names. The persecutions instigated by Jezebel, the prevalence of Baalism, and the predicted fate of the house of Ahab are alone referred to in the Elijah stories. The events recorded in this section are the natural sequel to I Kgs. 18 and 21. On the other hand, the interest in II Kgs. 9, 10, is primarily political. Ahab and his house are not viewed as adversely as in I Kgs. 17-19, 21. While there is a prophetic flavor to the present narrative, its point of view resembles most clearly that of the Ahab history in I Kgs. 20 and 22. They also share certain peculiar idioms in common. For these reasons 91-1027 are by many classified with I Kgs. 20 and 22. Their many variations, as well as their close relation with the Elijah stories, point, however, to an originally independent source, which may be designated, the prophetic Jehu history. The author appears to have been acquainted, either in oral or written form, with both the Ahab history and the Elijah stories. Being a prophet he is in general in sympathy with the movement inaugurated by Jehu, but to all the usurper's bloody acts he does not give his full approval. The revolution proved an important turning-point in Israel's history, for it brought not only the overthrow of Baalism, but a series of political disasters which nearly proved the ruin of the northern kingdom. b94 Evidently an explanatory scribal note. 97 So Gk. and Luc. Heb., smite. d 98-10 The characteristic idioms (cf. I Kgs. 2120b-22) and the variations from the explicit command in 3 indicate that this expansion of the original brief oracle is from the late prophetic editor. e 911 So all the versions except the Heb., which has a singular verb. 1913 Cf. Mt. 217. The apparent meaning is that Jehu was standing upon the stairs which probably led to the inner chamber. 914 Heb., Joram, probably a scribal error for, Jehu. h 914, 15b The contents of this explanatory note are again inserted very awkwardly in 828, 29 The present context appears to contain the original quotation from what was probably a still older source, as is shown by the name Jehoram instead of Joram. i 915 I.e.. to make me king, as the anointing by a prophet and their act in acclaiming him king implied. |