2 Kings 6:23

2Ki 6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

Ver. 23. So the bands of Syria came no more.] Those bands did not - though others did; - so much they were wrought upon by this miracle and the prophet’s courtesy. The king of Israel also hath done that by his feast, which he could not so easily have done by his sword. He is eased at least of his bands of brigands. In doing good to our enemies, we do most to ourselves.

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 6:23. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away — Refreshed, but disarmed, as is most probable. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel — For some considerable time, came no more as yet, as Dr. Waterland reads it; not until the memory and influence of these examples were gone out of their minds: or they came no more upon this errand, to take Elisha: they saw it was to no purpose to attempt that; nor would any of their bands be persuaded to make an assault on so great and good a man. The most glorious victory over an enemy is to turn him into a friend.

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

6:23 great feast: The Israelites’ kind treatment had the result that the Arameans no longer raided Israel. However, it only provided a temporary suspension of hostilities.

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

For this gentle entreaty and the miracle wrought by the Prophet, did more prevail for common quietness, than if they had been overcome in battle: for they returned no more at that time to fight against Israel, or in that King’s days.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 23. He prepared great provision for them] These, on the return to their master, could tell him strange things about the power of the God of Israel, and the magnanimity of its king.

So the bands of Syria came no more] Marauding parties were no more permitted by the Syrian king to make inroads upon Israel. And it is very likely that for some considerable time after this, there was no war between these two nations. What is mentioned in the next verse was more than a year afterwards.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(23) He.—The king of Israel.

Prepared great provision.—Or, a great feast. The Hebrew verb (kârâh) occurs nowhere else in this sense. The noun (kçrâh) is cognate with it, and the root meaning seems to be union: such as takes place at a common meal. Thenius renders kçrâh by “das Gastrund”—i.e., the circle of guests.

So the bands of Syria came no more.—The stress lies on the word “bands.” The Syrians, dreading Elisha, did not make any further clandestine attempts to injure Israel, like those above described, which only involved the despatch of predatory bands. They now resolved to try the fortunes of regular war with the whole strength of their army (2Ki_6:24). It is evident, therefore, that we must not think of any gratitude on their part for the clemency of Jehoram.

Into the land.—Syriac, “into the border;” Targum, “into the border of the land.” (Comp. 1Sa_7:13.)

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

23. he prepared great provision for them] We can see from the use of the phrase ‘bread and water’ in other passages that the words embrace all kinds of food, and hence that Elisha’s injunction was equivalent to saying ‘Feed them well, and let them go’. Cf. for the phrase Deu_23:4; 1Ki_18:4 and 1Sa_25:11. In the last passage the extent of meaning in the words may be estimated by the gifts which, in verse 18, Abigail takes to David and his men.

the bands of Syria] i.e. these marauding parties, protected by the king of Syria’s authority.

came no more] The generous treatment had its effect. Josephus (Ant. IX. 44) says ‘King Adad was wonderstruck at the strange occurrence, as well as the manifestation and the power of the God of the Israelites, and at the prophet in whom the divine spirit was so manifestly present, hence he determined through fear of Elisha no longer to attack the king of Israel secretly, but decided to make open war’.

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 there was a great famine in Samaria,.... No care, perhaps, having been taken to lay up stores against a siege:

and, behold, they besieged it until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver; shekels, as the Targum explains the word in the next clause, which amounted to about nine or ten pounds of our money; a great price for the head of such a creature, by law unclean, its flesh disagreeable, and of that but very little, as is on an head:

and the fourth part of a cab of doves' dung for five pieces of silver; some of the Jewish writers say (h), this was bought for fuel, which was scarce: Josephus says (i), for salt, and so Procopious Gazaeus, and Theodoret; others, for dunging the lands, which is the use of it in Persia (k) for melons; neither of which are probable; most certainly it was for food; but as doves' dung must be not only disagreeable, but scarce affording any nourishment, something else must be meant; some have thought that the grains found in their crops, or in their excrements, undigested, and picked out, are meant; and others, their crops or craws themselves, or entrails; but Bochart (l) is of opinion, that a sort of pulse is meant, as lentiles or vetches, much the same with the kali or parched corn used in Israel, see Sa1 17:17 and a recent traveller (m) observes, that the leblebby of the Arabs is very probably the kali, or parched pulse, of the Scriptures, and has been taken for the pigeons' dung mentioned at the siege of Samaria; and indeed as the "cicer" (a sort of peas or pulse) is pointed at one end, and acquires an ash colour by parching, the first of which circumstances answers to the figure, the other to the usual colour of pigeons' dung, the supposition is by no means to be disregarded: a "cab" was a measure with the Jews, which held the quantity of twenty four egg shells; according to Godwin (n), it answered to our quart, so that a fourth part was half a pint; and half a pint of these lentiles, or vetches, or parched pulse, was sold for eleven or twelve shillings.

(h) R. Jonah in Ben Melech, Kimchi & Abarbinel in loc. (i) Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4. (k) Universal History, vol. 5. p. 90. (l) Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 1. c. 7. col. 44, &c. (m) Shaw's Travels, p. 140. (n) Moses & Aaron, B. 6. c. 9.

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

Jehoram did not merely follow the letter of the prophet’s direction, but understood its spirit and acted accordingly. The plundering bands which had been in the habit of ravaging the territory 2Ki 5:2 ceased their incursions in consequence either of the miracle, or of the kind treatment which Elisha had recommended.

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

Meats. So the apostle orders us to treat our enemies, Romans xii. 20. --- The robbers, these soldiers, who were dismissed. (Haydock) --- No more, (ultra) or, "no farther." (Haydock) during this war, or in small troops; but, a little later, Benadad came with all his forces to besiege Samaria. (Tirinus) --- He was enraged at Eliseus and Joram, as if they despised his power. (Salien)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He sent them away, refreshed, but disarmed, as is most probable.

The bands of Syria came no more; either,

1. In such a manner, to wit, in small bands, or companies, which might be entrapped, as these had been; but their next attempt was by all open and solemn war, and a conjunction of all their forces, which they still ridiculously conceited would be too hard for the king, and prophet, and God of Israel, notwithstanding their multiplied experiences to the contrary. Or,

2. For some considerable time, until the terror of these examples was got out of their minds.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

23. The bands of Syria came no more — Such predatory hordes of Syrian warriors were no longer allowed by the king of Syria to invade the land of Israel. The signal defeat which all his plans and movements met at the hand of Elisha struck him with a terror of the prophet and of his God. But though it ended this predatory kind of warfare, it did not prevent Ben-hadad from a subsequent invasion of Israel with all his host.

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

And he prepared great provision for them. Jehoram followed the directions of the prophet, carrying them out, not in the letter merely, but in the spirit. He entertained the captives at a grand banquet (Josephus, "Ant. Jud:," 9:4. and then gave them leave to depart. And when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. The Syrian raids, which had hitherto been frequent, perhaps almost continuous, (2Ki_5:2) now ceased for a time, and the kingdom of Israel had a respite. Bahr supposes that the raids were discontinued simply "because the Syrians had found out that they could not accomplish anything by these expeditions, but rather brought themselves into circumstances of great peril" ("Commentary on Kings," vol. it. p. 69). But the nexus of the clause, "So the bands," etc., rather implies that the cessation was the consequence of Jehoram"s sparing and entertaining the captives.

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

No more - For some considerable time.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He prepared. An expression of preparing a meal.

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.