- 161-
the Old Testament as in preparation for a journey (comp. Genesis 19:2, 27; 21:14; 22:3; 28:18; 31:55; Joshua 3:1;
Judges 7:3; 19:9, and in other places).
(^227) In going down from the hill on which Dothan was built, in order to journey to Samaria, they would necessarily come
into the Syrian host which surrounded the place. Our A.V. puts it as if the Syrians had come down to Elisha, which,
from the position of the host, would have been simply impossible. It is true, that, in the Hebrew, the pronoun is in the
singular ("to him" in the A.V.), but this only means "to it," viz. the host. Indeed, according to the A.V. there would be
no mention of Elisha and his servant having left the city.
(^228) Rashi ad loc.
(^229) The Hebrew word used does not mean actual blindness, but blinding in the sense that one does not see the actual
object, but an imaginary one. Besides the present passage it is only used in Genesis 19:11.
(^230) So even Keil characterizes it.
(^231) This appears even from the repetition: "Shall I smite? Shall I smite?" and the very addition, "My father," is
instructive in the circumstances.
(^232) For linguistic reasons interpreters have generally translated: "Dost thou smite," etc. in the sense, that Joram did not
even kill his lawful captives, how much less these! But this would give a very inapt and unlikely meaning. Our view of
the text is that taken in Josephus' account of the event.
(^233) This, however, would scarcely seem to us the likely outcome of the events just recorded. We would rather suggest
that some time must have elapsed during which the impression made by the miraculous help to Israel had gradually
passed away.
(^234) "A cab," the sixth part of a seah, and computed by the Rabbis as of the capacity of twenty-four eggs.
(^235) This seems the undoubted meaning of the term, although some writers have regarded it as the designation for some
kind of vegetable or coarse peas (comp. Bochart, Hierozoicon, II., pp. 45, 46). Some of the Rabbis also regard the
"doves' dung" as used for firing, since the city was so shut in that wood could not be got.
(^236) Classical writers record similar straits. Thus, Plutarch tells that in a famie an ass's head was sold for sixty drachms,
while at ordinary times an ass was sold at from twenty-five to thirty drachms, and Pliny that at the siege of Casalinum
by Hannibal, a mouse was sold for 200 denars. A tale of even sorer distress comes to us from the last siege of
Jerusalem, when the excrements of men and animals were searched for and eaten (Jos. War, 5. 13, 7).
(^237) It is scarcely necessary to say that we regard the rendering: "If Jehovah do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?"
as correctly giving the meaning of the original. To regard the words as an imprecation, is evidently incongruous,
although Josephus takes that view of them. A similar remark applies to other interpretations of the words.
(^238) No really satisfactory explanation of the Hebrew term has been given. But the rendering, "adjutant," gives at least
the true, even if it should not be the literal, meaning.
(^239) Other renderings have also been proposed, but it seems to me that this most truly gives the meaning of the original.
(^240) According to Jewish tradition these were Gehazi and his sons.
(^241) Generally the expression, "the uttermost part of the camp of Syria," is understood to refer to the part nearest the city.
But this would not be the obvious meaning of the expression, and, for the reasons mentioned in the text, we have
adhered to the primary sense of the words.
(^242) See Bahr on the passage.
(^243) Five: half of ten, which is the number of completeness.
(^244) Two chariots - probably in order that if one were attacked, the other might make its way back into the city.
(^)