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In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria for seventeen years.
Verse 1. Years. Two with his son Joas, (Usher) or three. Capell. D. See verse 10.
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin. He didn’t depart from it.
The LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael, continually.
Verse 3. Days, while Joachaz lived, verse 22. Menochius.—Yet Benadad only molested his son. Calmet.—Hazael proved a dreadful scourge in the hand of God, to punish his people, Calmet. 8:12. Bible.
Jehoahaz begged the LORD, and the LORD listened to him; for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them.
(The LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians; and the children of Israel lived in their tents as before.
Verse 5. Saviour, in the person of Joas, (verse 23. Tostat.) after the death of Joachaz, whose repentance preserved him, at least, in this world. Bible.
Nevertheless they didn’t depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, with which he made Israel to sin, but walked in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.)
Verse 6. A grove, dedicated to the worship of idols. Challoner.—Hebrew “and the Ascera (grove of Astarte) was standing even in Samaria.” That impure worship had gained ground again, after Jehu was dead.
For he didn’t leave to Jehoahaz of the people any more than fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria destroyed them and made them like the dust in threshing.
Verse 7. Floor. Amos (1:3) informs us, that Hazael had crushed the inhabitants of Galaad to death with iron chariots.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Verse 8. Valour, or personal courage, ( Calmet.) though he gained no complete victory. The most valiant are not always successful. Tirinus.—Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest. Mart. Bible.—Joachaz did not quite sink under his troubles. Tirinus.
Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria; and Joash his son reigned in his place.
In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria for sixteen years.
Verse 10. Seven. To complete the number seventeen, (verse 1.) it ought to be “nine” ending. Houbigant, p. 109. See Calmet. 14:23.—Years. If Jeroboam reigned in the 15th year of Amasias, and his father in the 37th of Joas, and not in the 39th almost complete, this king would have held dominion eighteen years. Ibid.
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin; but he walked in them.
Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Verse 12. Juda, who was the aggressor. See 2 Chronicles 25:23.
Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat on his throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
Verse 13. Throne, for ten years, along with his father. From this period the reign of Azarias must be dated. Calmet. 15:1. Usher. Calmet.
Now Elisha became sick with the illness of which he died; and Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over him, and said, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”
Verse 14. The illness. Hebrew Septuagint and Chal. “of his sickness whereof he also died;” insinuating that he had been before afflicted with this infirmity.—To him, probably in the same city of Samaria.—Wept. See how he loved him! He was concerned for the welfare of his kingdom. Menochius.—Thereof. Eliseus had addressed Elias in the same terms. Calmet. 2:12. Calmet.
Elisha said to him, “Take bow and arrows;” and he took bow and arrows for himself.
He said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow;” and he put his hand on it. Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands.
He said, “Open the window eastward;” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he shot. He said, “The LORD’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for you will strike the Syrians in Aphek until you have consumed them.”
Verse 17. East, looking towards Galgaad, ( Bible.) which the Syrians occupied. Menochius.—These actions were all significative and prophetical. The throwing of a dart was formerly the mode of declaring war. Virg. Æneid ix. Justin (ii.) says, “Alexander first threw a javelin, as against a hostile country.” Thus also the ancients took possession. Varro. V. Max. iii. and so forth The people of Andros and Chalicis, sent each a deputy to seize Acanthos, when it had been abandoned by its inhabitants. The man from Andros, perceiving the other before him, threw his dart at the gate, and it was decided that he had thus lawfully obtained possession. Plutarch, q. Græc. Selden, Mare. Claus. iv.—The action of Joas may be considered in both lights.—Them. We do not read the particulars of this battle: but it must have been very bloody. One of the three victories (verse 25.) of Joas was probably obtained at Aphec, ( Calmet.) a place memorable for the victory of Achab, over the same Syrians. 3 Kennicott. 20:26. Menochius.
He said, “Take the arrows;” and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground;” and he struck three times, and stopped.
Verse 18. Still. This shewed a degree of remission. Bible.—It was natural for the king to conclude, that the more he struck the earth, the greater would be his success; ( Calmet.) and the prophet had, perhaps, insinuated as much. Menochius.
The man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it, but now you will strike Syria just three times.”
Verse 19. Angry. Septuagint “grieved.” Bible.—Or seven is omitted in Hebrew and Septuagint This text proves that God knows what would take place conditionally. Tirinus.—If, and so forth By this it appears, that God had revealed to the prophet that the king should overcome the Syrians, as many times as he should then strike on the ground; but, as he had not, at the same time, revealed to him how often the king would strike, the prophet was concerned to see that he struck but thrice. Challoner.—Joas was assured that he should consume the Syrians. But this was to be understood, provided he performed this part, ( Menochius. Tirinus.) and that destruction was not said to be entire. Bible.
Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
Verse 20. Buried him, near Samaria. Menochius.—He had been chosen by Elias sixty-eight years before, and had lived eleven with him. His perfect character is given, Sirach 48:13. His double spirit represents the plentitude of grace in Jesus Christ; as his raising the child to life, in such a wonderful manner, denotes his incarnation. The waters of Jericho made sweet, and the healing of Naaman, set before us the virtue of baptism: as the widow’s oil shews the great graces which are bestowed by Christ upon his Church. The children devoured, and the Syrians struck blind, remind us of the perversity and blindness of infidels, who will not acknowledge the truth. Matthew 13:14. We must now see how the bones of Eliseus prophesied: 1. By raising the dead to life, as a confirmation of all his former predictions; 2. as proof of a future resurrection, of the virtue of relics, and of the influence of the saints in heaven, whose souls were formerly united to their bodies, and were filled with the Holy Spirit; (Saint Cyril of Jer. cat. xviii. Illum.) 3. in as much as this miracle was a figure of Christ’s resurrection, who raised himself to life, and those who believe in him: ( Calmet.) while Eliseus, in the like state of death, had only raised another. Bible. S. Max. hom. i. de pasc.—Same. Septuagint Hebrew and Syr. “at the coming in of the year;” ( Bible.) or, “the next year.” Pagnin.
As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a band of raiders; and they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. As soon as the man touched Elisha’s bones, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
Verse 21. Eliseus. His tomb was not in the city, but in a spacious cave, the entrance of which was secured with a stone, according to custom. This was removed in the hurry, and the corpse thrown into the same recess, which had been prepared for the remains of the prophet. Josephus (ix. 8.) relates the history in a different manner, and pretends that robbers having slain a person, threw his corpse accidentally into the tomb of Eliseus. The Rabbins tell us his name was Sellum, and that he died again immediately, because he was a wicked man, which would render the miracle, in a manner, useless. Calmet.—By it God honoured his servant, and convinced the Israelites that what he had so lately foretold, respecting the Syrians, would undoubtedly take place. Menochius.
Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
But the LORD was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and favored them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them and he didn’t cast them from his presence as yet.
Verse 23. Time. Long before the captivity of Babylon, the Israelites had been led captives, to return no more in a body. Some stragglers mixed with the Jews, and inhabited the country under that appellation. It would seem that this was written before the overturning of the kingdom of Israel. Bible.
Hazael king of Syria died; and Benhadad his son reigned in his place.
Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Joash struck him three times, and recovered the cities of Israel.
Verse 25. Israel, on the east side of the Jordan; (Calmet. 10:33. Calmet.) at least ( Bible.) those which had been taken from his father. Jeroboam retook what had been lost by Jehu. Menochius.—Hence both these kings are styled saviours, verse 5. Calmet. 14:27. Salien.