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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 6:13-23

Here is, 1. The great force which the king of Syria sent to seize Elisha. He found out where he was, at Dothan (2 Kgs. 6:13), which was not far from Samaria; thither he sent a great host, who were to come upon him by night, and to bring him dead or alive, 2 Kgs. 6:14. Perhaps he had heard that when only one captain and his fifty men were sent to take Elijah they were baffled in the attempt, and therefore he sent an army against Elisha, as if the fire from heaven that consumed fifty men could... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 6:18

And when they came down to him ,.... The Syrian army, from the hill on which they were first seen, who came down from thence to the bottom of the hill on which the city stood; and whither Elisha came out, in order both to meet them, and proceed on his journey to Samaria: Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness ; or "blindnesses" F7 בסנורים "in caecitatibus", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.; ; with great blindness, such as the men of Sodom... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 6:18

Smite this people - with blindness - Confound their sight so that they may not know what they see, and so mistake one place for another. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 6:8-23

Wicked men vainly attempt to outwit God. Benhadad, after the miracle wrought upon his favorite Naaman, had abundant reason to know that Israel was the people of God, and enjoyed special Divine protection and superintendence. Had he been truly wise, he would have laid aside his hostile designs against the nation, and have made it his endeavor to cultivate friendly relations with them, and, if possible, secure their alliance. But true wisdom is a plant of rare growth, while its counterfeit,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 6:8-23

The King of Syria and Elisha. "Then the King of Syria warred against Israel," etc. In these sixteen verses we have four subjects worth looking into—wickedness thwarted, timidity dispelled, supernatural power manifested, and revenge overcome. I. WICKEDNESS THWARTED . The King of Syria had determined on an enterprise of bloodshed and wickedness. He had made all arrangements, fixed on the place for his camp. "In such and such a place shall be my camp." Bat Elisha thwarted the bloody... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 6:8-23

A bootless invasion. The chronic hostility which subsisted between the Israelitish and the Syrian kingdoms soon broke out again in war. In this, as in other instances, Syria was the aggressor. The invaded kingdom was delivered, not through "the sword and the bow" ( 2 Kings 6:22 ) of its king, but once more through the interposition of Elisha. I. FRUSTRATED PLANS . 1. Royal strategy . The war which the King of Syria commenced was intended to be carried on, not by battle in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 6:17-23

Eyes closed, and eyes opened. I. EYES CLOSED . 1. The young man ' s eyes were closed . Me did not see the horses and chariots of fire that were round about Elisha. He did not realize that deliverance was at hand. How many like him are blind to the power of God, to the providences of God! How many are quick to see anything that concerns their temporal advantage, but slow to see that which concerns their immortal souls! How many see no beauty in Christ! 2. The Syrians '... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 6:18

And when they came down to him. Keil and others suppose this to mean that the Syrians "came down" to Elisha; hut, if they were in the plain that surrounds the hill whereon Dothan was built, as appears from 2 Kings 6:15 , they would have had to ascend in order to reach Elisha, not to descend. We must, therefore, with F. Meyer, Thenius, and Bahr, translate, "When they [Elisha and his servant] came down to them [the Syrians]"—either changing אֵלָיו into אֲלַיהֶם , as Thenius does, or... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 6:18

They came down to him - The Syrians, who had been encamped on rising ground opposite the hill of Dothan, now descended and drew near to the city.The blindness with which they were smitten was not real - blindness actual loss of sight - but a state of illusion in which a man sees things otherwise than as they are (compare 2 Kings 6:20). read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Kings 6:18

2 Kings 6:18. And when they came down to him Either in the city, into which they easily got admission, when they declared that the only end of their coming was to take Elisha; or rather, in the field, without the city, whither he went to meet them. Elisha prayed, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness Not of the eyes, or, at least, not with total blindness, for in that case they could not have seen to have followed him; but rather with blindness of the mind, or... read more

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