This chapter gives the character of Jehoram king of Israel, 2 Kings 3:1–3, relates the rebellion of the king of Moab against him, 2 Kings 3:4, 2 Kings 3:5, the war that he and his allies entered into on that account, 2 Kings 3:6–9 the distress the combined army were in for want of water, their…

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah So that the two years of the reign of his brother Ahaziah were not complete, only part of the seventeenth and part of the eighteenth of Jehoshaphat, since he began to reign in his…

And he wrought evil in the sight of the Lord Was guilty of idolatry: but not like his father, and like his mother; his father Ahab, and his mother Jezebel: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made; he did not destroy it, only removed it from the temple of Baal where it was set,…

Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin He closely adhered to the worship of the calves set up by him: he departed not therefrom: that being a piece of state policy, to keep up the division of the two kingdoms.

And Mesha king of Moab was a sheep master With which his country abounded; he kept great numbers of them, and shepherds to take care of them; he traded in them, and got great riches by them; his substance chiefly consisted in them: and rendered unto the king of Israel: either as a present, or as an…

But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. ] Who then was Ahaziah; but either through the pusillanimity of his temper, or the sickness that attended him, or the shortness of his reign, he took no steps to the reduction of him, or to oblige…

And King Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, &e.] As soon as he came to the throne: and numbered all Israel; who were fit to bear arms, got them together at some certain place, and mustered them, and prepared for a war with Moab, to reduce them.

And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, the king of Moab hath rebelled against me By refusing to pay him tribute: wilt thou go up with me against Moab to battle? and he said, I will go up; which he agreed to, partly to encourage in the reformation of religion which he had…

And he said, which way shall we go up &c.] That is, Jehoram said so to Jehoshaphat, consulting with him which was the best way to take to the land of Moab, whether the shortest way, over Jordan; or some other: and he answered, the way through the wilderness of Edom; which bordered upon it, and the…

So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah The way of the wilderness of Edom, proposed by the latter: and the king of Edom; whom they took with them in their way, who was not properly a king, but a viceroy or deputy, see and they fetched a compass of seven days journey; they went round the…

And the king of Israel said, alas! &c.] Lamenting their sad case, as being desperate; and the rather he was the more concerned, as he was the principal who had drawn the other kings into this affair, though he throws it upon the Lord and his providence: that the Lord hath called these three kings…

But Jehoshaphat said, is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him? &c.] This the good king should have done before be set out, but had neglected it; however, it was not too late: and one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said; who might be one that…

And Jehoshaphat said, the word of the Lord is with him To give them an answer, which he concluded from his being a servant and disciple of Elijah, whom he succeeded in his office, and of whom he had, doubtless, heard; and from his following the camp, and being in it, which he easily imagined was…

And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, what have I to do with thee? &c.] An idolater; I can hold no discourse nor have any conversation with thee, nor give thee any advice or assistance: get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother; the prophets of Baal, and of the…

Elisha said, as the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, &c.] Whose minster and prophet he was, to whom he prayed, and whose service he was ready to perform: surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah; revere him not only as a king, but as a pious prince,…

But now bring me a minstrel A piper, a man that knows how to play upon the harp, as the Targum; according to Procopius Gazaeus, this was one of the Levites he ordered to be fetched, who was used to the spiritual melody of David, and could play on musical instruments as he directed.

And he said, thus saith the Lord, make this valley full of ditches. ] In which the allied army lay encamped, that they might be ready to receive large quantities of water, sufficient for the whole army and cattle, when it came.

For thus saith the Lord, ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see the rain Neither perceive the south wind blow, which usually brings rain, nor clouds gathering in the heavens, as portending it, nor any filling from thence: yet that valley shall be filled with water; and all the ditches dug in…

And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord To give them such a plenty of water in such an extraordinary manner: he would do for them what was greater, not only save them from falling into the hand of Moab, which they feared, but he wilt deliver the Moabites into your hands; which was…

And ye shall smite every fenced city and every choice city, &c.] That is, the inhabitants of them with the sword, and demolish them also, , and shall fell every good tree; which seems contrary to the law in , but that may respect trees belonging to a city when besieged only, or only to Canaanitish…

And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat offering was offered At Jerusalem; which always went along with the daily burnt offering of the lamb, which might not indeed be offered before break of day, yet quickly after; for no sacrifice could be offered before that, (See Gill on Ex.

And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them The kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom: they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward; that were of an age capable of that, and all who were more grown; or “girt on a girdle” [[10]], a military one, with…

And they rose up early in the morning To watch the motions of their enemies, and be upon their guard against them: and the sun shone upon the water; with which the valley was filled: and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood; so it appeared through the rays of the sun…

And they said, this is blood They were very confident of it, having no notion of water, there having been no rain for some time; and perhaps it was not usual to see water at any time in this place: the kings are surely slain; they and their forces: and they have smitten one another; having…

And when they came to the camp of Israel Not in an orderly regular manner, in rank and file, as an army should march, but in a confused manner, everyone striving who should get thither first, and have the largest share of the booty: the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled…

And they beat down the cities Demolished the walls of them, and houses in them, wherever they came: and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; which they had taken out of the walls and houses they pulled down; or which they picked up in the highway, as they passed…

And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him The siege was so close, the slingers or engineers did so much execution, that he saw the city would soon be taken, and he be obliged to deliver it up: he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords; men expert in war, bold and…

Then he took his eldest son, that should have reigned in his stead Not the eldest son of the king of Edom, whom the king of Moab had in his hands before, which made the king of Edom the more willing to join in this expedition for the recovery of his son, as Joseph Kimchi thinks; or whom he took now…