2 Raja-raja 1:1--5:27
Konteks1:1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel. 1 1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria 2 and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders, 3 “Go, ask 4 Baal Zebub, 5 the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”
1:3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron. 6 1:4 Therefore this is what the Lord says, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.
1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, 7 he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 1:6 They replied, 8 “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. 9 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king 10 asked them, “Describe the appearance 11 of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, 12 “He was a hairy man 13 and had a leather belt 14 tied around his waist.” The king 15 said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”
1:9 The king 16 sent a captain and his fifty soldiers 17 to retrieve Elijah. 18 The captain 19 went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. 20 He told him, “Prophet, 21 the king says, ‘Come down!’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, 22 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down 23 from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:11 The king 24 sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, 25 “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” 26 1:12 Elijah replied to them, 27 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God 28 came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:13 The king 29 sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell 30 on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed, 31 fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. 32 So now, please have respect for my life.” 1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down 33 with him to the king.
1:16 Elijah 34 said to the king, 35 “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! 36 Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” 37
1:17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah. 38 In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son. 39 1:18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 40
2:1 Just before 41 the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2:2 Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” 42 But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 2:3 Some members of the prophetic guild 43 in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” 44 He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” 45 But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 2:5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
2:6 Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. 2:7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha 46 stood by the Jordan. 2:8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
2:9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you, 47 before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you.” 48 2:10 Elijah 49 replied, “That’s a difficult request! 50 If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”
2:11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot 51 pulled by fiery horses appeared. 52 They went between Elijah and Elisha, 53 and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 2:12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” 54 Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 2:13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 2:14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, 55 hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.
2:15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, 56 who were standing at a distance, 57 saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah 58 rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 2:16 They said to him, “Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord 59 may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” But Elisha 60 replied, “Don’t send them out.” 2:17 But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah. 61 2:18 When they came back, Elisha 62 was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”
2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our 63 master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.” 64 2:20 Elisha 65 said, “Get me a new jar and put some salt in it.” So they got it. 2:21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have purified 66 this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.” 67 2:22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied. 68
2:23 He went up from there to Bethel. 69 As he was traveling up the road, some young boys 70 came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!” 2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. 71 Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces. 2:25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria. 72
3:1 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; 73 he ruled for twelve years. 3:2 He did evil in the sight of 74 the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Yet he persisted in 75 the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. 76
3:4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. 77 He would send as tribute 78 to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 3:5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 3:7 He sent 79 this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat 80 replied, “I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 81 3:8 He then asked, “Which invasion route are we going to take?” 82 Jehoram 83 answered, “By the road through the Desert of Edom.” 3:9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom 84 set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them. 3:10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no! 85 Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!” 3:11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?” 86 One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.” 87 3:12 Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” 88 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.
3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here? 89 Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him, “No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.” 3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 90 lives (whom I serve), 91 if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 92 I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. 93 3:15 But now, get me a musician.” 94 When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 95 3:16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ 96 3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel 97 any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 3:18 This is an easy task for the Lord; 98 he will also hand Moab over to you. 3:19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important 99 city. You must chop down 100 every productive 101 tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.” 102
3:20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land. 103 3:21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, 104 so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. 105 3:22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood. 3:23 The Moabites 106 said, “It’s blood! The kings are totally destroyed! 107 They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!” 3:24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites 108 thoroughly defeated 109 Moab. 3:25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. 110 They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.
Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, 111 but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 3:26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, 112 he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack 113 the king of Edom, but they failed. 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel, 114 so they broke off the attack 115 and returned to their homeland.
4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets 116 appealed 117 to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. 118 Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 4:2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 4:3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. 119 Get as many as you can. 120 4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; 121 set aside each one when you have filled it.” 4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 4:6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, 122 “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 4:7 She went and told the prophet. 123 He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent 124 woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. 125 So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 126 4:9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure 127 that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. 128 4:10 Let’s make a small private upper room 129 and furnish it with 130 a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
4:11 One day Elisha 131 came for a visit; he went 132 into the upper room and rested. 133 4:12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” 134 So he did so and she came to him. 135 4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, 136 “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. 137 What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” 138 4:14 So he asked Gehazi, 139 “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 4:15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” 140 So he did so 141 and she came and stood in the doorway. 142 4:16 He said, “About this time next year 143 you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 4:17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 144 4:19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father 145 told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 4:20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap 146 until noon and then died. 4:21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s 147 bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 4:22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 4:23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon 148 or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” 149 4:24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on. 150 Do not stop unless I say so.” 151
4:25 So she went to visit 152 the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he 153 saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 4:26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, 154 “Everything’s fine.” 4:27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. 155 The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 4:28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 4:29 Elisha 156 told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, 157 and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! 158 Place my staff on the child’s face.” 4:30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha 159 got up and followed her back.
4:31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha 160 he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 4:32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was 161 the child lying dead on his bed. 4:33 He went in by himself and closed the door. 162 Then he prayed to the Lord. 4:34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over 163 the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s 164 mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin 165 grew warm. 4:35 Elisha 166 went back and walked around in the house. 167 Then he got up on the bed again 168 and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 4:36 Elisha 169 called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so 170 and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him 171 and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire 172 and boil some stew for the prophets.” 173 4:39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. 174 He picked some of its fruit, 175 enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices 176 into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. 177 4:40 The stew was poured out 178 for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. 4:41 He said, “Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.” 179 There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.
4:42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet 180 – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. 181 Elisha 182 said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 4:43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” 183 He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” 184 4:44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. 185
5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, 186 for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. 187 5:2 Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. 5:3 She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! 188 Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
5:4 Naaman 189 went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5:5 The king of Syria said, “Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman 190 went, taking with him ten talents 191 of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, 192 and ten suits of clothes. 5:6 He brought the letter to king of Israel. It read: “This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman, 193 whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease.” 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease? 194 Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!” 195
5:8 When Elisha the prophet 196 heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, “Why did you tear your clothes? Send him 197 to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.” 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s house. 5:10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored 198 and you will be healed.” 5:11 Naaman went away angry. He said, “Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease. 5:12 The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel! 199 Could I not wash in them and be healed?” So he turned around and went away angry. 5:13 His servants approached and said to him, “O master, 200 if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, 201 you would have been willing to do it. 202 It seems you should be happy that he simply said, “Wash and you will be healed.” 203 5:14 So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed. 204 His skin became as smooth as a young child’s 205 and he was healed.
5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman 206 came and stood before him. He said, “For sure 207 I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.” 5:16 But Elisha 208 replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives (whom I serve), 209 I will take nothing from you.” Naaman 210 insisted that he take it, but he refused. 5:17 Naaman said, “If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough for a pair of mules to carry, 211 for your servant will never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to a god other than the Lord. 212 5:18 May the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” 213 5:19 Elisha 214 said to him, “Go in peace.”
When he had gone a short distance, 215 5:20 Gehazi, the prophet Elisha’s servant, thought, 216 “Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. 217 As certainly as the Lord lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.” 5:21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” 218 5:22 He answered, “Everything is fine. 219 My master sent me with this message, ‘Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite hill country. 220 Please give them a talent 221 of silver and two suits of clothes.’” 5:23 Naaman said, “Please accept two talents of silver. 222 He insisted, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them for Gehazi. 223 5:24 When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants 224 and put them in the house. Then he sent the men on their way. 225
5:25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.” 5:26 Elisha 226 replied, “I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. 227 This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants. 228 5:27 Therefore Naaman’s skin disease will afflict 229 you and your descendants forever!” When Gehazi 230 went out from his presence, his skin was as white as snow. 231
[1:1] 1 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
[1:2] 2 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:2] 3 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
[1:2] 4 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
[1:2] 5 sn Apparently Baal Zebub refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal corruption of Baal Zebul, “Baal, the Prince,” a title known from the Ugaritic texts. For further discussion and bibliography, see HALOT 261 s.v. זְבוּב בַּעַל and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 25.
[1:3] 6 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are going to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question.
[1:5] sn The narrative is elliptical and telescoped here. The account of Elijah encountering the messengers and delivering the Lord’s message is omitted; we only here of it as the messengers report what happened to the king.
[1:6] 9 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are sending to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question. In v. 3 the messengers are addressed (in the phrase “you are on your way” the second person plural pronoun is used in Hebrew), but here the king is addressed (in the phrase “you are sending” the second person singular pronoun is used).
[1:7] 10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:7] 11 tn Heb “What was the manner…?”
[1:8] 12 tn Heb “said to him.”
[1:8] 13 tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).
[1:8] 14 tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).
[1:8] 15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 17 tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”
[1:9] 19 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 20 sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.
[1:9] 21 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).
[1:10] 22 tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”
[1:10] 23 tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.
[1:11] 24 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:11] 25 tc The MT reads, “he answered and said to him.” The verb “he answered” (וַיַּעַן, vayya’an) is probably a corruption of “he went up” (וַיַּעַל, vayya’al). See v. 9.
[1:11] 26 sn In this second panel of the three-paneled narrative, the king and his captain are more arrogant than before. The captain uses a more official sounding introduction (“this is what the king says”) and the king adds “at once” to the command.
[1:12] 27 tc Two medieval Hebrew
[1:12] 28 tn Or “intense fire.” The divine name may be used idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the fire. Whether one translates אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) here as a proper name or idiomatically, this addition to the narrative (the name is omitted in the first panel, v. 10b) emphasizes the severity of the judgment and is appropriate given the more intense command delivered by the king to the prophet in this panel.
[1:13] 29 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:13] 30 tn Heb “went up and approached and kneeled.”
[1:14] 32 tn Heb “their fifty.”
[1:15] 33 sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.
[1:16] 34 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:16] 35 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:16] 36 tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”
[1:16] 37 sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.
[1:17] 38 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[1:17] 39 tn Heb “Jehoram replaced him as king…because he had no son.” Some ancient textual witnesses add “his brother,” which was likely added on the basis of the statement later in the verse that Ahaziah had no son.
[1:18] 40 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not recorded in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[2:2] 42 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[2:3] 43 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets.”
[2:3] 44 tn Heb “from your head.” The same expression occurs in v. 5.
[2:4] 45 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[2:7] 46 tn Heb “the two of them.” The referents (Elijah and Elisha) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:9] 47 tn Heb “Ask! What can I do for you….?”
[2:9] 48 tn Heb “May a double portion of your spirit come to me.”
[2:10] 49 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:10] 50 tn Heb “You have made difficult [your] request.”
[2:11] 51 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
[2:11] 52 tn Heb “look, a chariot of fire and horses of fire.”
[2:11] 53 tn Heb “and they made a division between the two of them.”
[2:12] 54 sn Elisha may be referring to the fiery chariot(s) and horses as the Lord’s spiritual army that fights on behalf of Israel (see 2 Kgs 6:15-17; 7:6). However, the juxtaposition with “my father” (clearly a reference to Elijah as Elisha’s mentor), and the parallel in 2 Kgs 13:14 (where the king addresses Elisha with these words), suggest that Elisha is referring to Elijah. In this case Elijah is viewed as a one man army, as it were. When the Lord spoke through him, his prophetic word was as powerful as an army of chariots and horses. See M. A. Beek, “The Meaning of the Expression ‘The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel’ (II Kings ii 12),” The Witness of Tradition (OTS 17), 1-10.
[2:14] 55 tn Heb “Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him.” The wording is changed slightly in the translation for the sake of variety of expression (see v. 13).
[2:15] 56 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[2:15] 57 tn Heb “and the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, [who were standing] opposite, saw him and said.”
[2:15] 58 tn Heb “the spirit of Elijah.”
[2:16] 59 tn Or “the spirit of the
[2:16] 60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:17] 61 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:18] 62 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:19] 64 tn Heb “miscarries” or “is barren.”
[2:20] 65 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:21] 67 tn Heb “there will no longer be from there death and miscarriage [or, ‘barrenness’].”
[2:22] 68 tn Heb “according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.”
[2:23] 69 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[2:23] 70 tn The word נַעַר (na’ar), here translated “boy,” can refer to a broad age range, including infants as well as young men. But the qualifying term “young” (or “small”) suggests these youths were relatively young. The phrase in question (“young boy”) occurs elsewhere in 1 Sam 20:35; 1 Kgs 3:7 (used by Solomon in an hyperbolic manner); 11:17; 2 Kgs 5:14; and Isa 11:6.
[2:24] 71 tn Heb “he cursed them in the name of the
[2:25] 72 sn The two brief episodes recorded in vv. 19-25 demonstrate Elisha’s authority and prove that he is the legitimate prophetic heir of Elijah. He has the capacity to bring life and blessing to those who recognize his authority, or death and judgment to those who reject him.
[2:25] map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[3:1] 73 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[3:2] 74 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[3:3] 75 tn Heb “held tight,” or “clung to.”
[3:3] 76 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, “it.” Some ancient witnesses read the plural, which seems preferable since the antecedent (“sins”) is plural. Another option is to emend the plural “sins” to a singular. One ancient Greek witness has the singular “sin.”
[3:4] 77 tn For a discussion of the meaning of term (נֹקֵד, noqed), see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 43.
[3:4] 78 tn The vav + perfect here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause. See IBHS 533-34 §32.2.3e.
[3:7] 79 tn Heb “went and sent.”
[3:7] 80 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoshaphat) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:7] 81 tn Heb “I will go up – like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
[3:8] 82 tn Heb “Where is the road we will go up?”
[3:8] 83 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:9] 84 tn Heb “the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom.”
[3:11] 86 tn Heb “that we might inquire of the
[3:11] 87 tn Heb “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” This refers to one of the typical tasks of a servant.
[3:12] 88 tn Heb “the word of the
[3:13] 89 tn Or “What do we have in common?” The text reads literally, “What to me and to you?”
[3:14] 90 tn Traditionally “the
[3:14] 91 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[3:14] 92 tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”
[3:14] 93 tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”
[3:15] 94 tn The term used refers to one who plays a stringed instrument, perhaps a harp.
[3:15] 95 tn Heb “the hand of the
[3:16] 96 tn Heb “making this valley cisterns, cisterns.” The Hebrew noun גֵּב (gev) means “cistern” in Jer 14:3 (cf. Jer 39:10). The repetition of the noun is for emphasis. See GKC 396 §123.e. The verb (“making”) is an infinitive absolute, which has to be interpreted in light of the context. The translation above takes it in an imperatival sense. The command need not be understood as literal, but as hyperbolic. Telling them to build cisterns is a dramatic way of leading into the announcement that he would miraculously provide water in the desert. Some prefer to translate the infinitive as an imperfect with the Lord as the understood subject, “I will turn this valley [into] many pools.”
[3:18] 98 tn Heb “and this is easy in the eyes of the
[3:19] 99 tn Heb “choice” or “select.”
[3:19] 100 tn Elisha places the object first and uses an imperfect verb form. The stylistic shift may signal that he is now instructing them what to do, rather than merely predicting what would happen.
[3:19] 102 tn Heb “and ruin every good portion with stones.”
[3:20] 103 tn Heb “and in the morning, when the offering is offered up, look, water was coming from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.”
[3:21] 104 tn Heb “had come up to fight them.”
[3:21] 105 tn Heb “and they mustered all who tied on a belt and upwards, and they stood at the border.”
[3:23] 106 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Moabites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:23] 107 tn The translation assumes the verb is חָרַב (kharav, “to be desolate”). The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb form for emphasis. (For another example of the Hophal infinitive with a Niphal finite verb, see Lev 19:20. Cf. also IBHS 582 §35.2.1c.) Some prefer to derive the verb from a proposed homonym meaning “at HALOT 349 s.v. II חרב and BDB 352 s.v. חָרְבָה).
[3:24] 109 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) suggests, “and they went, striking down,” but the marginal reading (Qere) is “they struck down, striking down.” For a discussion of the textual problem, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 46.
[3:25] 110 tn Heb “and [on] every good portion they were throwing each man his stone and they filled it.” The vav + perfect (“and they filled”) here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause (where a customary imperfect is used, “they were throwing”). See the note at 3:4.
[3:25] 111 tn Heb “until he had allowed its stones to remain in Kir Hareseth.”
[3:26] 112 tn Heb “and the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him.”
[3:26] 113 tn Heb “he took with him seven hundred men, who drew the sword, to break through against.”
[3:27] 114 tn Heb “there was great anger against Israel.”
[3:27] sn The meaning of this statement is uncertain, for the subject of the anger is not indicated. Except for two relatively late texts, the noun קֶצֶף (qetsef) refers to an outburst of divine anger. But it seems unlikely the Lord would be angry with Israel, for he placed his stamp of approval on the campaign (vv. 16-19). D. N. Freedman suggests the narrator, who obviously has a bias against the Omride dynasty, included this observation to show that the Lord would not allow the Israelite king to “have an undiluted victory” (as quoted in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 52, n. 8). Some suggest that the original source identified Chemosh the Moabite god as the subject and that his name was later suppressed by a conscientious scribe, but this proposal raises more questions than it answers. For a discussion of various views, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 47-48, 51-52.
[3:27] 115 tn Heb “they departed from him.”
[4:1] 116 tn Heb “a wife from among the wives of the sons of the prophets.”
[4:1] 118 tn Heb “your servant feared the
[4:3] 119 tn Heb “Go, ask for containers from outside, from all your neighbors, empty containers.”
[4:3] 120 tn Heb “Do not borrow just a few.”
[4:4] 121 tn Heb “all these vessels.”
[4:6] 122 tn Heb “to her son.”
[4:7] 123 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 16, 22, 25, 27 [twice]).
[4:8] 124 tn Heb “great,” perhaps “wealthy.”
[4:8] 125 tn Or “she urged him to eat some food.”
[4:8] 126 tn Or “he would turn aside there to eat some food.”
[4:9] 128 tn Heb “holy man of God.”
[4:10] 129 tn Heb “a small upper room of a wall”; according to HALOT 832 s.v. עֲלִיָּה, this refers to “a fully walled upper room.”
[4:10] 130 tn Heb “and let’s put there for him.”
[4:11] 131 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:11] 132 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[4:11] 133 tn Or “slept there.”
[4:12] 134 tn Heb “Call for this Shunammite woman.”
[4:12] 135 tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood before him.”
[4:13] 136 tn Heb “he said to him.”
[4:13] 137 tn Heb “you have turned trembling to us with all this trembling.” The exaggerated language is probably idiomatic. The point seems to be that she has taken great pains or gone out of her way to be kind to them. Her concern was a sign of her respect for the prophetic office.
[4:13] 138 tn Heb “Among my people I am living.” This answer suggests that she has security within the context of her family.
[4:14] 139 tn Heb “and he said.”
[4:15] 140 tn Heb “Call for her.”
[4:15] 141 tn Heb “and he called her.”
[4:15] 142 tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood in the door.”
[4:16] 143 tn Heb “at this appointed time, at the time [when it is] reviving.” For a discussion of the second phrase see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57.
[4:18] 144 tn Heb “to his father, to the harvesters.”
[4:19] 145 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the boy’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:21] 147 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[4:23] 148 sn The new moon was a time of sacrifice and special feasts (Num 28:14; 1 Sam 20:5). Apparently it was a convenient time to visit a prophet. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57.
[4:24] 150 tn Heb “lead [the donkey on] and go.”
[4:24] 151 tn Heb “do not restrain for me the riding unless I say to you.”
[4:25] 152 tn Heb “went and came.”
[4:25] 153 tn Heb “the man of God.” The phrase has been replaced by the relative pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[4:26] 154 tn Heb “she said.” The narrator streamlines the story at this point, omitting any reference to Gehazi running to meet her and asking her the questions.
[4:27] 155 tn Heb “her soul [i.e., ‘disposition’] is bitter.”
[4:29] 156 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:29] 157 tn Heb “take my staff in your hand.”
[4:29] 158 tn Heb “If you meet a man, do not greet him with a blessing; if a man greets you with a blessing, do not answer.”
[4:30] 159 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent must be Elisha here, since the following verse makes it clear that Gehazi had gone on ahead of them.
[4:31] 160 tn Heb “to meet him.”
[4:33] 162 tn Heb “and closed the door behind the two of them.”
[4:34] 163 tn Heb “he went up and lay down over.”
[4:34] 164 tn Heb “his” (also in the next two clauses).
[4:34] 165 tn Or perhaps, “body”; Heb “flesh.”
[4:35] 166 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:35] 167 tn Heb “and he returned and went into the house, once here and once there.”
[4:35] 168 tn Heb “and he went up.”
[4:36] 169 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:36] 170 tn Heb “and he called for her.”
[4:38] 171 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.”
[4:38] 172 tn The words “the fire” are added for clarification.
[4:38] 173 tn Heb “sons of the prophets.”
[4:39] 174 tn Heb “a vine of the field.”
[4:39] 175 tn Heb “[some] of the gourds of the field.”
[4:39] 176 tn Heb “he came and cut [them up].”
[4:39] 177 tc The Hebrew text reads, “for they did not know” (יָדָעוּ, yada’u) but some emend the final shureq (וּ, indicating a third plural subject) to holem vav (וֹ, a third masculine singular pronominal suffix on a third singular verb) and read “for he did not know it.” Perhaps it is best to omit the final vav as dittographic (note the vav at the beginning of the next verb form) and read simply, “for he did not know.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.
[4:40] 178 tn Heb “and they poured out [the stew].” The plural subject is probably indefinite.
[4:41] 179 tn Or “and let them eat.”
[4:42] 180 tn Heb “man of God.”
[4:42] 181 tn On the meaning of the word צִקְלוֹן (tsiqlon), “ear of grain,” see HALOT 148 s.v. בָּצֵק and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.
[4:42] 182 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:43] 183 tn Heb “How can I set this before a hundred men?”
[4:43] 184 tn The verb forms are infinitives absolute (Heb “eating and leaving over”) and have to be translated in light of the context.
[4:44] 185 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[5:1] 186 tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”
[5:1] 187 tn For a discussion of מְצֹרָע (mÿtsora’), traditionally translated “leprous,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 63. Naaman probably had a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy/Hansen’s disease.
[5:3] 188 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[5:4] 189 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:5] 190 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:5] 191 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 750 pounds of silver (cf. NCV, NLT, CEV).
[5:5] 192 tn Heb “six thousand gold […].” The unit of measure is not given in the Hebrew text. A number of English versions supply “pieces” (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, TEV) or “shekels” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[5:6] 193 tn Heb “and now when this letter comes to you, look, I have sent to you Naaman my servant.”
[5:7] 194 tn Heb “Am I God, killing and restoring life, that this one sends to me to cure a man from his skin disease?” In the Hebrew text this is one lengthy rhetorical question, which has been divided up in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[5:7] 195 tn Heb “Indeed, know and see that he is seeking an occasion with respect to me.”
[5:8] 196 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 15, 20).
[5:8] 197 tn Heb “Let him come.”
[5:10] 198 tn Heb “will return to you.”
[5:12] 199 tn Heb “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all of the waters of Israel?” The rhetorical question expects an emphatic “yes” as an answer.
[5:13] 200 tn Heb “my father,” reflecting the perspective of each individual servant. To address their master as “father” would emphasize his authority and express their respect. See BDB 3 s.v. אָב and the similar idiomatic use of “father” in 2 Kgs 2:12.
[5:13] 201 tn Heb “a great thing.”
[5:13] 202 tn Heb “would you not do [it]?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you would.”
[5:13] 203 tn Heb “How much more [when] he said, “Wash and be healed.” The second imperative (“be healed”) states the expected result of obeying the first (‘wash”).
[5:14] 204 tn Heb “according to the word of the man of God.”
[5:14] 205 tn Heb “and his skin was restored, like the skin of a small child.”
[5:15] 206 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:16] 208 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:16] 209 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[5:16] 210 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:17] 211 tn Heb “and [if] not, may there be given to your servant a load [for] a pair of mules, earth.”
[5:17] 212 tn Heb “for your servant will not again make a burnt offering and sacrifice to other gods, only to the
[5:18] 213 tn Heb “When my master enters the house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he leans on my hand and I bow down [in] the house of Rimmon, when I bow down [in] the house of Rimmon, may the
[5:18] sn Rimmon was the Syrian storm god. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 65.
[5:19] 214 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:19] 215 tn Heb “and he went from him a distance of land.” The precise meaning of כִּבְרַה (kivrah) “distance,” is uncertain. See BDB 460 s.v. כִּבְרַה, and HALOT 459-60 s.v. II *כְּבָרַה, and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 65.
[5:20] 216 tn Heb “said” (i.e., to himself).
[5:20] 217 tn Heb “Look, my master spared this Syrian Naaman by not taking from his hand what he brought.”
[5:21] 218 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[5:22] 220 tn Heb “Look now, here, two servants came to me from the Ephraimite hill country, from the sons of the prophets.”
[5:22] 221 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver (cf. NCV, NLT, CEV).
[5:23] 222 tn Heb “Be resolved and accept two talents.”
[5:23] 223 tn Heb “before him.”
[5:24] 224 tn Heb “from their hand.”
[5:24] 225 tn Heb “and he sent the men away and they went.”
[5:26] 226 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:26] 227 tn Heb “Did not my heart go as a man turned from his chariot to meet you?” The rhetorical question emphasizes that he was indeed present in “heart” (or “spirit”) and was very much aware of what Gehazi had done. In the MT the interrogative particle has been accidentally omitted before the negative particle.
[5:26] 228 tn In the MT the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Is this the time…?” It expects an emphatic negative response.
[5:27] 230 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gehazi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:27] 231 tn Traditionally, “he went from before him, leprous like snow.” But see the note at 5:1, as well as M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 66.
