|
Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
|
Commentary & Explanation
|
Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
|
CHAPTER 3
Jehoram of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah join forces against
Moab—Elisha promises them water for their stock and victory in the
war—The Moabites are defeated.
|
|
|
1 Now
aJehorama the son
of Ahab began to
reign over Israel in bSamaria the eighteenth year of
Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
2 And he wrought aevil in the sight
of the LORD; but not like his bfather, and like his mother:
for he put away the cimage of dBaal that
his father had made.
3 Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of
aJeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he
departed not therefrom.
|
1a Jehoram Yeh-ho-rawm' means
"Jehovah is exalted". In its shortened form 'Joram' the name reference to
'Jehovah' is shortened to just 'J' or likely 'Y' in the Hebrew. When Jehu
does come to kill Joram, the name is shortened likely because he is a wicked
king, the son of Ahab of Israel. There is also another 'Jehoram/Joram' who
is the son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, he also was a wicked king being the
instigator of returning Judah to the worship of Baal after the reign of his
father Jehoshaphat who is viewed as a righteous king. Oddly enough, Joram of
the kingdom of Israel turns away from Baal as stated, but he does not return
to Jehovah, rather he returns to the false religion of Jeroboam the first
king of Israel.
|
|
4 ¶ And Mesha king of aMoab was
a sheepmaster, and brendered unto the king of Israel an
hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool.
5 But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the
king of aMoab brebelled against the king of Israel.
|
|
|
6 ¶ And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all Israel.
7 And he went and sent to
aJehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab
hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And
he said, I will go up: bI am as thou art, my
people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
8 And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
|
|
|
9 So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah,
and the aking of bEdom: and they
cfetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no
water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.
10 And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!
11 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.
|
|
|
12 And Jehoshaphat said, The word of the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have
I to do with athee? bget thee to the
prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of
Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings
together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee.
|
|
|
15 But now bring me a
aminstrela.
And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the
bhand of the LORD came upon him.
16 And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
17 For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts.
|
15a now bring me a minstrel
It is interesting that while Elisha refuses to consult with the LORD in
behalf of the king of Israel, he does summon a 'mintrel', a singer of songs,
which songs were often considered to being influences by the spirit of
prophecy and revelation, which were scriptural in song. Thus Elisha does
provide the aid indirectly sought by the three kings against Moab.
|
|
18 And this is but a alight
thing in the sight of the LORD: he will bdeliver the
cMoabites also into your hand.
19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
20 And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat
aoffering was offered, that, behold, there came water by
the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.
|
|
|
21 ¶ And when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood in the border.
22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
|
|
|
24 And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
25 And they beat down the cities, and on every good
piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all
the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in
aKir-haraseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.
|
|
|
26 ¶ And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
27 Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall. And there was great indignation against Israel: and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|