2 Kings 6:30

2Ki 6:30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, [he had] sackcloth within upon his flesh.

Ver. 30. He rent his clothes.] He said nothing to the case propounded, because it was horrid and hard to be judged. But this cruel mother should have died for a murderess.

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 6:30. When the king heard the words of the woman, he rent his clothes — Partly through grief for such a horrid fact, and partly through indignation at the prophet. And the people looked — Who were in great numbers upon the wall, chiefly for the defence of the city. And behold, he had sackcloth upon his flesh — Under his inner garments, in token of his sorrow for the miseries of his people, and lamenting that it was not in his power to help them.

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

6:30 When Joram learned of cannibalism in the city, he tore his clothes in despair. • wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin: Doing this was an outward sign of mourning.

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

Or, under his clothes.

Thus hypocrites when they feel God’s judgments, think to please him with outward ceremonies, whom in prosperity they will not know.

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

had sackcloth within upon his flesh--The horrid recital of this domestic tragedy led the king soon after to rend his garment, in consequence of which it was discovered that he wore a penitential shirt of haircloth. It is more than doubtful, however, if he was truly humbled on account of his own and the nation's sins; otherwise he would not have vowed vengeance on the prophet's life. The true explanation seems to be, that Elisha having counselled him not to surrender, with the promise, on condition of deep humiliation, of being delivered, and he having assumed the signs of contrition without receiving the expected relief, regarded Elisha who had proved false and faithless as the cause of all the protracted distress.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 30. He had sackcloth within upon his flesh.] The king was in deep mourning for the distresses of the people.

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

(30) And he passed.—Now he was passing. The people in the streets below would see him well as he passed along the rampart.

Looked.—Saw.

He had sackcloth.—Rather, the sackcloth was. “The sackcloth”—i.e., the well-known garb of penitence and woe (1Ki_21:27). Jehoram had secretly assumed this ascetic garment in order to appease the wrath of Jehovah. That the king should wear sackcloth was a portent in the eyes of his subjects. The prophets wore it over the tunic as an official dress.

Within.—Under his royal robes, “upon his flesh”—i.e., next the skin. (Comp. Isa_20:2-3.)

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

30. and he passed by upon the wall] The R.V. places these words in a parenthesis rendering (Now he was passing by upon the wall).

the people looked] At such an appeal many would congregate beside the two persons concerned in the matter.

he had sackcloth within upon his flesh] Cf. the action of his father Ahab (1Ki_21:27) when God threatened him with punishment after the murder of Naboth. But neither in one case nor the other does the sorrow appear to have worked any good result. ‘I find his sorrow, I find not his repentance. The worst man may grieve for his smart, only the good heart grieves for his offence’ (Bp Hall). The result of Jehoram’s anguish seems to have been only rage against Elisha.

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 Elisha sat in his house,.... In Samaria:

and the elders sat with him; not the elders of the city, or the magistrates thereof, but his disciples, as Josephus says (p), the eldest of them, whom he admitted to greater familiarity and converse with him:

and the king sent a man from before him; to execute what he had sworn should be done that day to the prophet:

but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, see ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? which he knew by a spirit of prophecy, and spoke of it before the executioner came; he calls Joram the son of a murderer, because of his mother Jezebel, who killed Naboth, and the prophets of the Lord, and to which his father Ahab also consented, and therefore might be so called too; and he intimates hereby that he was of the same temper and disposition, and as the above oath, and his orders, showed:

look when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door; and not suffer him to come in:

is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? that is, of Joram king of Israel, who followed the messenger, either to listen and hear what the prophet would say unto him; or repenting of his order, as Josephus (q) thinks, he followed him to prevent the execution.

(p) Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4.) (q) Ibid.

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

Sackcloth - Jehoram hoped perhaps to avert Yahweh’s anger, as his father had done 1Ki 21:29. But there was no spirit of self-humiliation, or of true pentitence in his heart 2Ki 5:7. See the next verse.

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

Passed by, without punishing such a horrid crime, as he esteemed his own sins the occasion of it. (Menochius) --- Flesh. Behold the advantage to be derived from afflictions! They make the most hardened enter into sentiments of humility and penance. (Calmet) --- Abulensis thinks that God was pleased to cause the siege to be raised, to reward this act; as a similar one of Joram’s father had merited a delay and mitigation of punishment, (Haydock) 3 Kings xxi. 27. (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).

If I do not this day take his head and life. This wretched and partial prince overlooks his own great and various sins, and, amongst others, his obstinate cleaving to the idolatry of the calves, and the whoredoms and witchcrafts of his mother Jezebel, 2Ki 9:22, and the wickedness of his people, which was the true and proper cause of this and all their calamities; and lays the blame of all upon Elisha; either supposing that he who had the spirit of Elijah resting upon him, had brought this famine by his prayers, as Elijah had formerly done, 1Ki 17:1; or because he had encouraged them to withstand the Syrians, by promising them help from God in due time; or because he would not, by his intercession to God and the working of a miracle, deliver them from these calamities, as he easily could have done. But he did not consider that the prophets could not work what miracles and when they pleased, but only as far as God saw fit, whose time was not yet come; otherwise it was Elisha’s interest as well as theirs to be freed from this distress.

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

30. He rent his clothes — The king was shocked and horror-stricken at the woman’s story of her grief.

Behold,… sackcloth — He had already put sackcloth on his flesh, but had hitherto kept this sign of humiliation concealed under his outer garment.

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

And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes. In horror and consternation at the terrible state of things revealed by the woman"s story. (comp. 2Ki_5:7) And he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked. It is better to translate, with our Revisers, (Now he yeas passing by upon the wall;) and the people looked; or, and, as he was passing by upon the wall, the people looked. And, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. Jehoram had secretly assumed the penitential garment, not a mere sign of woe, but a constant chastisement of the flesh. He wore sackcloth next his skin, no one suspecting it, until, in the exasperation of his feelings at the woman"s tale, he rent his robe, and exposed to view the sackcloth which underlay it. We are scarcely entitled to deny him any true penitential feeling, though no doubt he was far from possessing a chastened or humble spirit. Poor weak humanity has at one and the same time good and evil impulses, praiseworthy and culpable feelings, thoughts which come from the Holy Spirit of God, and thoughts which are inspired by the evil one.

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

heard the words of the woman

The words "the words" are a metonym for what the woman said. AT: "heard the woman tell what she and the other woman had done" (See: Metonymy)

he tore his clothes

The king ripped his outer garment to show his distress. AT: "he tore his clothes in grief" (See: Symbolic Action)

now he was passing by on the wall

He had been walking on the city wall when the woman called out to him in 2 Kings 6:24. Now he continued walking along it.

he had sackcloth underneath, against his skin

By wearing sackcloth even for his undergarments, the king showed that he was very sad and upset. AT: "he had sackcloth underneath his outer garment, against his skin" or "he was wearing sackcloth underneath his robe because he was very upset" (See: Symbolic Action)

May God do so to me, and more also

The king is saying he hopes God will punish him and even kill him if Elisha the prophet does not die because of the things that have happened in the city of Samaria. AT: "May God punish me and kill me" (See: Euphemism)

if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on him today

This refers to Elisha dying, specifically be being beheaded. AT: "if Elisha son of Shaphat is not beheaded today" or "if my soldiers do not behead Elisha son of Shaphat today" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

sackcloth

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

The people saw. Through the tear [they saw] the sackcloth under his garments.

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.