2 Kings 6:11

2Ki 6:11 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?

Ver. 11. Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled.] Heb., Was tempested, or tossed with passions, as chaff is with whirlwinds, or the sea with counterblasts.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 6:11-12. Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? — Betrays my counsels to him: for he could not suppose that he should meet with such constant disappointments, unless it were by treachery. One of the servants said, &c. — It is likely Naaman had spread the fame of the prophet so much in this court, that some of them made further inquiry after him, and heard more of his miraculous works; and thence concluded that he could tell the greatest secrets, as well as do such wonders as were reported of him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6:11-14 When the king of Aram learned that Elisha had the ability to give advance warning to the king of Israel, he commanded his men to capture the prophet. • Dothan was situated about ten miles north of Samaria. Archaeological excavations have confirmed the city’s existence in this period.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(11) Troubled.—Literally, storm-tost. The phrase is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament. (Comp. the use of the same verb in Jon_1:11; Jon_1:13; Isa_54:11.)

Which of us is for the king of Israel?—“Which of us?” is an expression only found here (mishshellânû). Pointed differently, the word would give the sense of the LXX., τίς προδίδωσί με βασιλεῖ Ίσραήλ —“Who betrays me to the king of Israel?”—malshînçnû, “our betrayer,” an Aramaic term. (Comp. Prov. XXX. 10.) Better still is Böttcher’s correction: “Who leads us astray unto the king of Israel?” (mashlçnû). This would be the natural supposition of the Syrian king when he found himself unexpectedly confronting an armed Israelitish force, and harmonises well enough with the LXX. and Vulg. The received text, which the Targum, Syriac, and Arabic support, can only mean, “Which of those who belong to us inclines to the king of Israel?” (Comp. Psa_123:2.) The Syriac follows the Hebrew exactly; the Targum and Arabic add a verb—“reveals secrets”—before “to the king of Israel.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

11. Therefore [R.V. And] the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled] Because he saw on all these occasions that the opportunity he had looked for was taken away. He appears to have been acting on information which told him of expected movements of the forces of Israel. When his design was frustrated over and over again it was natural to think of treachery among his own people.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And one of his servants said, none, my lord, O king,.... He believed everyone of his counsellors were true and faithful to him:

but Elisha the prophet, that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber; what is said in the most private place, and in the most secret manner: this man had heard much of Elisha, by Naaman, very probably; or perhaps he had attended him in his journey to Israel for a cure, and so might have personal knowledge of Elisha, and be acquainted with the affair of Gehazi; from whence he concluded, that he, who had the thoughts of men revealed to him, had knowledge of their words and counsels, though ever so secret; see Ecc 10:20.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Benhadad supposed that there must be a traitor in his camp. He asks therefore, “Will no one denounce him?”

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

11. Sore troubled — Ben-hadad was vexed and chagrined to find that all his plans and movements were made known to the Israelites, and that they could thus treat all his stratagems with derision. He at once suspected that there were traitors in his own camp.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Therefore the heart of the King of Syria was sore troubled for this thing. Keil says, "The King of the Syrians was enraged at this;" but rs; exactly expresses "trouble," "disturbance," not "rage," being used of the tossing of the sea, in Jon_1:11. And he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? Benhadad not unnaturally suspected treachery among his own subjects. How otherwise could the King of Israel become, over and over again, aware of his intentions? Some one or other of his officers must, he thought, betray his plans to the enemy. Cannot the others point out the traitor?

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The king of the Syrians was enraged at this, and said to his servants, "Do ye not show me who of our men (leans) to the king of Israel?" i.e., takes his part. משּׁלּנוּ = לנוּ מאשׁר, probably according to an Aramaean dialect: see Ewald, 181, b., though he pronounces the reading incorrect, and would read מכּלּנוּ, but without any ground and quite unsuitably, as the king would thereby reckon himself among the traitors.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Over this situation. Who was revealing his secret.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.