2 Kings 6:8-23

2 Kings 6:8-23

[8] Then the king  of Syria  warred  against Israel,  and took counsel  with his servants,  saying,  In such  and such  a place  shall be my camp.  [9] And the man  of God  sent  unto the king  of Israel,  saying,  Beware  that thou pass  not such  a place;  for thither the Syrians  [10] And the king  of Israel  sent  to the place  which the man  of God  told  him and warned  him of, and saved  himself there, not once  nor twice.  [11] Therefore the heart  of the king  of Syria  was sore troubled  for this thing;  and he called  his servants,  and said  unto them, Will ye not shew  me which of us is for the king  of Israel?  [12] And one  of his servants  said,  None, my lord,  O king:  but Elisha,  the prophet  that is in Israel,  telleth  the king  of Israel  the words  that thou speakest  in thy bedchamber.  [13] And he said,  and spy  where  he is, that I may send  and fetch  him. And it was told  him, saying,  Behold, he is in Dothan.  [14] Therefore sent  he thither horses,  and chariots,  and a great  host:  and they came  by night,  the city  about.  [15] And when the servant  of the man  of God  was risen  early,  and gone forth,  behold, an host  compassed  the city  both with horses  and chariots.  And his servant  said  unto him, Alas,  my master!  how shall we do?  [16] And he answered,  Fear  not: for they that be with us are more  [17] And Elisha  prayed,  and said,  LORD,  I pray thee, open  his eyes,  that he may see.  And the LORD  opened  the eyes  of the young man;  and he saw:  and, behold, the mountain  was full  of horses  and chariots  of fire  round about  Elisha.  [18] And when they came down  to him, Elisha  prayed  unto the LORD,  and said,  Smite  this people,  I pray thee, with blindness.  And he smote  them with blindness  according to the word  of Elisha.  [19] And Elisha  said  unto them, This is not the way,  neither is this  the city:  you to the man  whom ye seek.  them to Samaria.  [20] And it came to pass, when they were come  into Samaria,  that Elisha  said,  LORD,  open  the eyes  of these men, that they may see.  And the LORD  opened  their eyes,  and they saw;  and, behold, they were in the midst  of Samaria.  [21] And the king  of Israel  said  unto Elisha,  when he saw  them, My father,  shall I smite  [22] And he answered,  Thou shalt not smite  those whom thou hast taken captive  with thy sword  and with thy bow?  set  bread  and water  before  them, that they may eat  and drink,  to their master.  [23] And he prepared  great  provision  for them: and when they had eaten  and drunk,  he sent them away,  to their master.  So the bands  of Syria  came  no more  into the land  of Israel. 

What does 2 Kings 6:8-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The king of Aram was probably Ben-Hadad II, though the writer did not mention him by name ( 2 Kings 6:8). Perhaps since he only identified Elisha and Yahweh by name, he wished to focus attention on them as the main characters in this drama. Dothan stood about12miles north of Samaria ( 2 Kings 6:13). Compare Genesis 37:17-28 where another hostile foreign foe, the Ishmaelites, surrounded another prophet, Joseph, at Dothan. Here is another vain attempt by a king to silence prophecy (cf. 1 Kings 17:1-24; 1 Kings 18:1-15; 1 Kings 19:1-18; 2 Kings 1:1-15). The Aramean king tried again to surprise the Israelites ( 2 Kings 6:14) after having failed many times in his previous attempts to do so ( 2 Kings 6:8-12). This shows that he did not really believe Elisha could predict his movements. The events that followed proved him wrong.
The Arameans surrounded Dothan ( 2 Kings 6:15; cf. 2 Kings 6:13). Elisha realized that God"s angelic army was in control ( 2 Kings 6:17; cf. 2 Kings 2:11; Psalm 34:7). His protg, whomever he may have been, needed to learn to see with the eyes of faith, as Elisha could ( 2 Kings 6:17). Elisha led the temporarily blinded Aramean army into Samaria because Dothan was not the city where God wanted them ( 2 Kings 6:19).
King Jehoram referred to Elisha as his father ( 2 Kings 6:21) because he realized this great victory had come from Elisha, who was superior to him for accomplishing it. It was not God"s purpose to kill the Arameans but to deliver the Israelites and to teach them a spiritual lesson ( 2 Kings 6:22). In the ancient Near East eating together under one"s roof often constituted making a covenant of peace. [1] Social custom now bound the Arameans not to attack the friend who had spared their lives and had extended the honor of hospitality. Consequently the Arameans did not invade Israel for some time ( 2 Kings 6:23; cf. 2 Kings 6:8-10; 2 Kings 6:24). It is less likely, I believe, that we should understand 2 Kings 6:23 to mean that the Arameans never again sent small companies of troops against Israel. [2]
What the Israelite army could not have accomplished without much fighting and loss of life, God did peacefully through one man. This should have been a clear lesson to everyone in Israel that Yahweh was her strong deliverer as well as her sovereign. God did not provide this victory because of the Israelites" obedience but to teach them lessons.