Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2 Kings 3

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  Jehoram's reign.
4  Mesha rebels.
6  Jehoram, with Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, being distressed for want of water, by Elisha obtains water, and promise of victory.
21  The Moabites, deceived by the colour of the water, coming to spoil, are overcome.
26  The king of Moab, failing in his attempt to break through to the king of Edom, sacrifices his son, and raises the siege.
Verse 1

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
Jehoram
1:17, 8:16
Joram
1 Kings 22:51
Verse 2

And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.
wrought
6:31,32, 21:6,20, 1 Samuel 15:19, 1 Kings 16:19
but not
1 Kings 16:33, 21:20,25
and like
9:22,34, 1 Kings 21:5-15,25
image
Heb. statue. Baal.
10:18,26-28, 1 Kings 16:31,32
Verse 3

Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
he cleaved
10:20-31, 1 Kings 12:28-33
which made
1 Kings 14:16, 15:26,34, 16:31
he departed
13:2,6,11, 14:24, 15:9,18, 17:22, 1 Kings 12:26-28, 13:33, 1 Corinthians 1:19,20
Verse 4

And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
a sheepmaster
Genesis 13:2, 26:13,14, 2 Chronicles 26:10, Job 1:3, 42:12
rendered
2 Samuel 8:2, 1 Chronicles 18:2, Psalms 60:8, 108:9,10
lambs
Isaiah 16:1
Verse 5

But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
1:1, 8:20, 2 Chronicles 21:8-10
Verse 6

And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
A. M. 3109. B.C. 895. numbered
1 Samuel 11:8, 15:4, 2 Samuel 24:1-25, 1 Kings 20:27
Verse 7

And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
wilt thou go
1 Kings 22:4,32,33, 2 Chronicles 18:3,29-32, 19:2, 21:4-7, 22:3,4,10-12
Verse 8

And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
the wilderness of Edom
The wilderness of Edom was probably the same as that of Zin or Kadesh, through which the children of Israel passed; extending southward from the Dead Sea, to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. See Note on Nu 13:21.
Numbers 21:4, Malachi 1:2,3
Verse 9

So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
Edom
1 Kings 22:27
no water
Exodus 15:22, 17:1, Numbers 20:2,4, 21:5, 33:14
that followed them
Heb. at their feet.
Exodus 11:8; *marg:; Judges 4:10
Verse 10

And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
the Lord
6:33, Genesis 4:13, Psalms 78:34-36, Proverbs 19:3, Isaiah 8:21, 51:20
Verse 11

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
Is there not here
1 Kings 22:7, Psalms 74:9, Amos 3:7
that we may
1,3, Joshua 9:14, Judges 20:8-11,18,23,26-28, 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14:10,14, 15:13
poured water
That is, was his constant and confidential servant. Mr. Hanway, speaking of a Persian supper, says, "Supper being now brought in, a servant presented a basin of water, and a napkin hung over his shoulders; he went to every one in the company, and poured water on their hands to wash."
Genesis 18:4, Joshua 1:1, 1 Kings 19:21, Luke 22:26,27, John 13:4,5,13,14, 1 Timothy 5:10, Philippians 2:22
Verse 12

And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
The word
2:14,15,21,24, 1 Samuel 3:19-21
Israel
2:25, 5:8,9,15, Isaiah 49:23, 60:14, Revelation 3:9
Verse 13

And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
What
Ezekiel 14:3-5, Matthew 8:29, John 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:16, 6:15
get
Judges 10:14, Ruth 1:15, Proverbs 1:28, Jeremiah 2:27,28
the prophets
1 Kings 18:19, 22:6,10,11,22-25
Nay
10, Deuteronomy 32:37-39, Hosea 6:1
Verse 14

And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
As the Lord
5:16, 1 Kings 17:1, 18:15
I regard
2 Chronicles 17:3-9, 19:3,4, Psalms 15:4
I would not look
1 Samuel 15:26-31, 1 Kings 14:5-18, 21:20, Jeremiah 1:18, Daniel 5:17-23, Matthew 22:16
Verse 15

But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
bring me
This was evidently intended to soothe and tranquillize the prophet's mind, which had been agitated and discomposed with holy indignation by the presence of the idolatrous king, and the recollection of his abomination. The soothing influence of music is generally acknowledged in every civilized nation.
1 Samuel 10:5, 16:23, 18:10, 1 Chronicles 25:2,3, Ephesians 5:18,19
the hand
1 Kings 18:46, Ezekiel 1:3, 3:14,22, 8:1, Acts 11:21
Verse 16

And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
Make this valley
4:3, Numbers 2:18,16-18
Verse 17

For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
Ye shall not
1 Kings 18:36-39, Psalms 84:6, 107:35, Isaiah 41:17,18, 43:19,20, 48:21
that ye may
Exodus 17:6, Numbers 20:8-11
Verse 18

And this is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD: he will deliver the Moabites also into your hand.
And this
1 Kings 3:13, Jeremiah 32:17,27, Luke 1:37, Ephesians 3:20
a light
20:10, 1 Kings 16:31, Isaiah 7:13, 49:6, Ezekiel 8:17
he will
1 Kings 20:13,28, Isaiah 7:1-9
Verse 19

And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
And ye
13:17, Numbers 24:17, Judges 6:16, 1 Samuel 15:3, 23:2
fell
Deuteronomy 20:19,20
mar
Heb. grieve.
Verse 20

And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
when the meat
Exodus 29:39,40, 1 Kings 18:36, Daniel 9:21
there came water
This supply was altogether miraculous; for there was neither wind nor rain, nor any other natural means to furnish it.
filled
Psalms 78:15,16,20, Isaiah 35:6,7
Verse 21

And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.
gathered
Heb. were cried together. put on armour. Heb. gird himself with a girdle.
1 Kings 20:11, Ephesians 6:14
Verse 23

And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
This is blood
6:18-20, 7:6
slain
Heb. destroyed. now therefore.
Exodus 15:9, Judges 5:30, 2 Chronicles 20:25, Isaiah 10:14
Verse 24

And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
smote the
Joshua 8:20-22, Judges 20:40-46, 1 Thessalonians 5:3,4
went forward
or, smote in it even.
Verse 25

And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
beat down
19, Judges 9:45, 2 Samuel 8:2, Isaiah 37:26,27
stopped
Genesis 26:15,18, 2 Chronicles 32:4
and felled
Deuteronomy 20:19,20
only in, etc
Heb. until he left the stones thereof in Kir-haraseth. Kir-haraseth. Supposed to be the same as Ar, or Areopolis, the capital of Moab.
Deuteronomy 2:9, Isaiah 16:7,11, Jeremiah 48:31,36
Kir-heres
Verse 26

And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
unto the king of Edom
9, Amos 2:1
Verse 27

Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
offered him
In cases of great extremity, it was customary in various heathen nations, to offer human sacrifices, and even their own children. This was frequent among the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Scythians, Gauls, Africans, and others; and was the natural fruit of a religious system, which had for the objects of its worship cruel and merciless divinities. The king of Moab, in this case, sacrificed his son to obtain the favour of Chemosh his god, who, being a devil, delighted in blood and murder, and the destruction of mankind. The dearer any thing was to them, the more acceptable those idolaters thought the sacrifice, and therefore burnt their children in the fire to their honour.
Genesis 22:2,13, Deuteronomy 12:31, Judges 11:31,39, Psalms 106:37,38, Ezekiel 16:20, Micah 6:7
they departed
1 Samuel 14:36-46, 1 Kings 20:13,28,43

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