2 Kings 7:17

THE UNBELIEVING LORD TRODDEN TO DEATH. (Kg2 7:17-20)

the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned,--&c. The news spread like lightning through the city, and was followed, as was natural, by a popular rush to the Syrian camp. To keep order at the gate, the king ordered his minister to keep guard; but the impetuosity of the famishing people could not be resisted. The lord was trodden to death, and Elisha's prophecy in all respects accomplished.

Next: 2 Kings Chapter 8

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

2Ki 7:17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

Ver. 17. And the king appointed.] Not without a divine overruling providence, for a just punishment of this profane prince’s unbelief.

And the people trode upon him in the gate.] Whether he had been an oppressor of the people, and was therefore justly trodden to death by them, is uncertain: but that he had shamefully trodden underfoot the honour of God’s power, is upon record, {2Ki 7:2} wherefore he was worthily trampled on by the hungry people, who would not be kept in by his authority. The belly hath no ears, we say; and hunger breaketh through stone walls. Such a like death Constantinus Paleologus, the last Greek emperor, suffered in the gate of Constantinople, when the Turkish army pressed into that city and took it, A.D. 1453.

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_7:17-20

And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken.

Gods promise realised and His truth vindicated

We have here an instance of two things--

I. Gods promise realised. In the first verse of this chapter Elisha had said. Hear ye the word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord, To-morrow, about this time, shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel. The morrow had come, and here is the fine flour and the barley selling in the gate of Samaria. Here is the Divine promise fulfilled to the letter. God is ever faithful Who hath promised.

II. Gods truth vindicated. The haughty courtier said to the prophet yesterday, when he was told that a measure of fine flour would be sold for a shekel, If the Lord would make windows in heaven, then might this thing be. As if he had said, Do not presume to impose on me, a man of my intelligence and importance. The intellectual rabble may believe in you, but I cannot. Whereupon the prophet replied, Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it became. Here are the flour and the barley, and there lies dead the haughty sceptic. Truth has ever vindicated itself, and will ever do so. Mens unbelief in facts does not either destroy or weaken facts, the facts remain. Though all the world deny the existence of a God, moral obligation and future retribution, the facts remain. (Homilist.)

The people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

The fate of unbelief

1. We see that God will punish unbelief. There is an impression in the minds of many that the old dispensation was one of works, and that belief or faith in God is a doctrine only of the new. It is, however, the teaching of the entire Bible, and for all time, that in the eye of God the great sin of man is unbelief. The language is clear and unmistakable. Without faith it is impossible to please Him. He that cometh unto Him must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that seek Him. He must believe that when the necessities of His kingdom on earth, or the wants and salvation of His people demand it, no laws of nature can stand in the way of His giving relief.

2. We note that this mans final doom was pronounced at least one whole day before his death. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin, and yet there is such a thing as a sin that shall never be forgiven. I believe this is oftener committed by what the world calls moral men than by the desperately wicked. I believe it consists in a deliberate and persistent rejection of Gods truth with the heart, while that truth is clearly known with the head. It is a combination of light in the understanding and determined darkness in the will. This man had been privileged to walk with Gods servant, but would not walk with God.

3. We note that this man perished in sight of blessing. It is possible to realise truth too late. It has been forcefully said, earth is the only place in Gods universe where there is any infidelity. Hell itself is nothing but the truth believed too late. The fabled Tantalus was placed in sight of water and food, yet left to die of thirst and starvation. Dives lifted up his eyes in torment and saw Lazarus in Abrahams bosom, and there is such a thing as rejecting the offers of Jesus and then being compelled to witness the delight of those who are foolish enough to believe Gods promises and wise enough to accept them. (W. H. MCaughey, D. D.)

.

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 7:17-20. The king appointed the lord to have the charge of the gate — To prevent tumults and disorders among the people, and to take care to have the gates shut, if need were, and if the Syrians should happen to return upon them. And that lord answered, &c. — This part of the history is repeated, because it attests a remarkable fulfilment of a divine prediction. The people trode upon him in the gate, and he died — Before he could enjoy, in any measure, the benefit of that plenty which God had bestowed upon them. This fact is an awful proof how heinously God resents men’s distrust of him, and of his power, providence, and promise. When Israel said, Can God furnish a table? the Lord heard and was wroth. Infinite wisdom will not be limited by our folly. God never promises the end, but he knows where to provide the means. Here also we learn how certain God’s threatenings are, and how sure to fall on the heads of the guilty. Let all men fear before the great God, who treads upon princes as mortar, and is terrible to the kings of the earth.

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

As the people preased out of the gate to run to the Syrian’s tents, where they had heard was meat, and great spoil left.

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

Verse 17. And the people trode upon him] This officer being appointed by the king to have the command of the gate, the people rushing out to get spoil, and in to carry it to their houses, he was borne down by the multitude and trodden to death. This also was foreseen by the spirit of prophecy. The literal and exact fulfillment of such predictions must have acquired the prophet a great deal of credit in Israel.

DR. Lightfoot remarks that, between the first and last year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, there are very many occurrences mentioned which are not referred nor fixed to their proper year; and, therefore, they must be calculated in a gross sum, as coming to pass in one of these years. These are the stories contained in chapters iv., v., vi., and vii., of this book; and in 2Ch 21:6-19. They may be calculated thus: In the first year of Jehoram, Elisha, returning out of Moab into the land of Israel, multiplies the widow's oil; he is lodged in Shunem, and assures his hostess of a child. The seven years' famine was then begun, and he gives the Shunammite warning of its continuance.

The second year she bears her child in the land of the Philistines, 2Kg 8:2. And Elisha resides among the disciples of the prophets at Gilgal, heals the poisoned pottage, and feeds one hundred men with twenty barley loaves and some ears of corn. That summer he cures Naaman of his leprosy, the only cure of this kind done till Christ came.

The third year he makes iron to swim, prevents the Syrians' ambushments, strikes those with blindness who were sent to seize him, and sends them back to their master.

The fourth year Jehoshaphat dies, and Edom rebels and shakes off the yoke laid upon them by David: Libnah also rebels.

The fifth year Samaria is besieged by Ben-hadad, the city is most grievously afflicted; and, after being nearly destroyed by famine, it is suddenly relieved by a miraculous interference of God, which had been distinctly foretold by Elisha.

The sixth year the Philistines and Arabians oppress Jehoram, king of Judah, and take captive his wives and children, leaving only one son behind.

The seventh year Jehoram falls into a grievous sickness, so that his bowels fall out, 2Ch 21:19. And in the same year the seven years' famine ends about the time of harvest; and at that harvest, the Shunammite's son dies, and is restored to life by Elisha, though the story of his birth and death is related together; and yet some years must have passed between them. Not long after this the Shunammite goes to the king to petition to be restored to her own land, which she had left in the time of the famine, and had sojourned in the land of the Philistines.

This year Elisha is at Damascus, Ben-hadad falls sick; Hazael stifles him with a wet cloth, and reigns in his stead. All these things Dr. Lightfoot supposes happened between A.M. 3110 and 3117. - See Lightfoot's Works, vol. i., p. 88. In examining the facts recorded in these books, we shall always find it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to ascertain the exact chronology. The difficulty is increased by a custom common among these annalists, the giving the whole of a story at once, though several incidents took place at the distance of some years from the commencement of the story: as they seem unwilling to have to recur to the same history in the chronological order of its facts.

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

(17) And the king appointed.—Rather, Now the king had appointed.

The lord.—The adjutant (2Ki_7:2).

To have the charge of the gate.—To maintain order as the famished crowd poured out of the city.

Trode upon him.—Trampled him down, as he was trying to discharge his duty. This probably happened, as Thenius suggests, when the crowd was returning from the Syrian camp, wild with excess of food and drink, after their long abstinence. Thus he “saw the plenty with his eyes, but did not eat thereof” (2Ki_7:2). Reuss thinks the charge of the gate is equivalent to the charge of the market, as the market was held on the space adjoining the gate.

Had said.—Spake.

Who spake.—This is probably a spurious repetition. It is wanting in some Hebrew MSS., and in the Syriac, Vulg., and Arabic versions. If retained in the text, we must render, “And he died, according to that which the man of God spake, which he spake when the king,” &c. But perhaps the reading of one Hebrew MS. is correct: “And he died, according to the word of the man of God, which he spake,” &c.

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

17–20. The unbelieving captain is trodden to death in the gate (Not in Chronicles)

17. the king appointed the lord] R.V. captain. For the change cf. verse 2. The captain was told off to restrain the impetuosity of the crowd, where crowding would be most dangerous.

as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him] These words help us to understand the somewhat broken connexion of the language in verses 32 and 33 of the last chapter. Jehoram himself came down to Elisha’s house after he had sent his messenger. Hence Elisha says ‘Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?’ (the messenger). And we can then understand the question in the following verse, which is intelligible in the mouth of the king, but could hardly have been spoken by the messenger.

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 the king appointed the lord, on whose hand he leaned, to have the charge of the gate,.... Not to keep out the enemy, of which there was no danger; but to prevent disorders and tumults among the people, and that they might go out in an orderly and regular manner:

and the people trod upon him in the gate; being eager to get out for food; and he endeavouring to keep order among them, they pressed upon him, and threw him down, and trampled him under foot; or he was placed here to regulate the market, that everyone might be supplied in course, but through the people's pressing to get provisions, he was overborne, and trod upon:

and died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him; so that he saw the plenty, but partook not of it, as he said, see Kg2 7:2.

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

Gate, to prevent confusion and accidents, (Josephus) or to guard against any return of the enemy. (Menochius)

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).

To have the charge of the gate; partly to prevent tumults and disorders and mischiefs amongst the people; and partly to take order about the shutting of the gates, if need were, and if the Syrians should happen to return upon them.

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

17. Trode upon him in the gate — He was overrun and trodden down in the rush and furor of the famished populace as they went forth to gather up the spoils of the enemy’s camp. Thus all the predictions of Elisha were literally and signally fulfilled.

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

And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate. Anticipating disorder, unless special care were taken, through the probable eagerness of the people to purchase the corn which was offered to them at so moderate a rate, Jehoram appointed the officer on whose arm he had leant when he visited the house of Elisha (see ver. 2), to have the charge of the gate, and preside over the sale. Probably there was no thought of the post being one of danger. And the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died. It has been questioned whether the death was accidental (Bahr), and suggested that the eager and famished people resisted his authority, and violently bore down his attempts to control them. But there is nothing in the text that is incompatible with an accidental death. Such deaths ate not uncommon in dense crowds of anxious and excited people. As the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. The varieties of reading here do not affect the general sense. The writer"s intention is to lay special stress on the fulfillment of Elisha"s prophecy; and to emphasize the punishment that follows on a lack of faith. The concluding passage of the chapter is, as Bahr says, "a finger of warning to unbelievers.

Vers. 17-20. God"s promise realized and his truth vindicated.

the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate," etc. We have here an instance of two things.

I GOD"S PROMISE REALIZED. In the first verse of this chapter Elisha had said, "Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel." The morrow had come, and here is the fine flour and the barley being sold in the gate of Samaria. Here is the Divine promise fulfilled to the letter. God is ever faithful who hath promised. If a being makes a promise, and it is not fulfilled, it must be for one of three reasons either because he was insincere when he made the promise, or subsequently changed his mind, or met with unforeseen difficulties which he had not the power to surmount. None of these can be applied to the all-truthful, unchangeable, all-seeing, and almighty God.

II GOD"S TRUTH VINDICATED. The haughty courtier said to the prophet yesterday, when he was told that a measure of fine flour would be sold for a shekel, "If the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" As if he had said, "Do not presume to impose on me, a man of my intelligence and importance. The intellectual rabble may believe in you, but I cannot." Whereupon the prophet replied, "Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof." And so it came to pass. Here are the flour and the barley, and there lies dead the haughty skeptic. "And so it fell out unto him: for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died." Truth has ever vindicated itself, and will ever do so. Men"s unbelief in facts does not either destroy or weaken facts; the facts remain. Though all the world deny the existence of a God, moral obligation, and future retribution, the facts remain. D.T.

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

Upon whose hand he leaned. On the day before, when he came to Elisha’s house.

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.