Elijah - God's Prophet

[Book of Jeremiah]

2 Kings 4 KJV

Elisha Purifies the Poisonous Stew

38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets. 39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not. 40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof. 41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.
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Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
4:38-44

There was a famine of bread, but not of hearing the word of God, for Elisha had the sons of the prophets sitting before him, to hear his wisdom.

Elisha made hurtful food to become safe and wholesome. If a mess of pottage be all our dinner, remember that this great prophet had no better for himself and his guests. The table often becomes a snare, and that which should be for our welfare, proves a trap: this is a good reason why we should not feed ourselves without fear.

When we are receiving the supports and comforts of life, we must keep up an expectation of death, and a fear of sin. We must acknowledge God's goodness in making our food wholesome and nourishing; I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Elisha also made a little food go a great way. Having freely received, he freely gave. God has promised his church, that he will abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with bread, Ps 132:15; whom he feeds, he fills; and what he blesses, comes to much. Christ's feeding his hearers was a miracle far beyond this, but both teach us that those who wait upon God in the way of duty, may hope to be supplied by Divine Providence.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

2 Kings 4 KJV

Feeding a Hundred Men

42 And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat. 43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

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Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And there came a man from Baalshalisha,.... Of which place See Gill on 1 Samuel 9:4, the Targum is, from the south country:
and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley; so that it was now barley harvest, and this the first fruits of it, which, according to the law, Leviticus 23:10, was to be brought to the priest; but being forbid in the land of Israel going up to Jerusalem, religious men brought their firstfruits to the prophets, and here to Elisha, the father of them; believing it would be dispensed with, and acceptable, since they were not allowed to carry them to the proper person; and in this time of famine was very agreeable to the man of God, supposing it only a present:

and full ears of corn in the husk thereof; these were green ears of corn, which they used to parch; but might not be eaten until the firstfruits were offered, and then they might, Leviticus 23:14, the Targum renders it, "in his garment", in the skirt of his clothes; and to the same purpose are the Syriac and Arabic versions; and so Jarchi interprets it; and Ben Gersom says, it signifies some vessel in which he brought them:

and he said, give unto the people, that they may eat; Elisha did not reserve this offering or present for himself, but, as he had freely received, he freely gave.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

2 Kings 5 KJV

Naaman Cured of Leprosy

(Luke 17:11-19)

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. 2 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. 3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lordwere with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. 4 Andone went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand piecesof gold, and ten changes of raiment.

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. 9So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Gehazi's Greed and Leprosy

15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. 16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. 17 And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. 18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, asthe LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. 21 So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? 22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. 23 And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. 24 And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. 25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

26 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

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Do you see that a true prophet of the LORD will not accept money or any gift in exchange for a prayer of healing, a word of knowledge, prophecy? Elisha would accept nothing!

False prophets are easily identified by three things. 1.They are hirelings that are looking for money - from you! If you offer it? They'll take it! They'll even chase you down and ask for it! Just as Gehazi did! 2. They desire God's glory for themselves. They want you to follow them not Jesus Christ. They want you to read their Books not God's Book - the KJV Bible. 3. They desire their name (and their church) to be known among men. They seek after the praises of men - not God.

Gehazi said in his heart my Master won't take it but I will! And he ran after Naaman to take what he could get! Greed brings with it a curse. I was reading this morning from Timothy and the Lord pointed out two things to me. 1st He showed me in 1 Timothy 4:14,15,16 that we are to meditate on these things (gifts the LORD has given us through the laying on of hands) and give ourselves wholly to them (entirely!) that our profiting may appear to all -(those observing us) and in verse 16 it says take heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine (the Doctrine of Christ - the pure Word of God) continue in them ( keep obeying the Doctrine of Christ, keep walking in the Doctrine of Christ) for in so doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

I must tell you in all seriousness - this once saved always saved - live like the world & for the devil and then die like a Saint inheriting the kingdom of heaven is nonsense! Jesus said the path was narrow! The Word of God is clear without holiness no one will see the LORD! We must get a hold of this and walk in holiness before the LORD because by doing so we shall not only save ourselves but them that hear us! Are you getting that? That is new testament Scripture, Beloved! For in so doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee. Who is the Apostle speaking to here? BELIEVERS. That's who!

God is not marrying His Son to a harlot! We must present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto the LORD holy and acceptable - this is our reasonable service! It's reasonable! Let us reason together........... It is reasonable!!!

Moving on to the second thing the Lord gave me this morning, 1 Timothy Chapter 6. You should read the entire Chapter but I will give specifically what the LORD gave me verses 5,6,7,8,9

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 1 Timothy 6:5

God is saying if anyone comes to you suggesting that the Doctrine of Christ is that their monetary gain in this world is evidence that their church is godly, that they are godly, that their teachings are scriptural? ..........withdraw yourselves from them!!

Why? Because they are in error. Prosperity preachers will be in hell for preaching lies, People! Those who finance them and give them money will be there too. Stop financing the devil! Find a church that is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ undiluted - in the power of the Holy Ghost and teaching holiness, obedience, repentance, fasting and prayer and make sure that they are preaching about hell! Often!

Let me go back now to 1 Timothy 6: 5 and add the rest here...........

Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.


1 Timothy 6:5,6,7,8,9

The Body of Christ that is living godly and is content with food and clothing is the Believer who is Overcoming this world. The Body of Christ that is not content unless they can have what the world has, can buy what the world seeks after to buy, are living like the world, dressing like the world, talking like the world, being entertained like the world, watching the same filth on television as the world, partying like the world, sinning like the world, have deceived their own hearts. You'll never make it to heaven that way, friend!

It's time to ask the LORD to cleanse our hearts - to purify our hearts and to show us anything that is unpleasing in His Sight. God sees everything. He is seeing it all.

And what does verse 10,11,12 say?

For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, whereunto thou art called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1 Timothy 10,11, 12

I was telling my husband this morning, this race is not finished. If someone falls before they cross the finish line and they do not get back up and finish the race set before them there is no crown. They are disqualified. We need to stop listening to wide road preachers who tell us that Jesus did it all and we can enter heaven with our sins in tow when we die. That is a lie from the pits of hell. We need to strive to enter into the narrow gate, Jesus said. That word strive means "agonize"... we need to be examining ourselves every single day under the light of Scripture - not comparing ourselves to the guy next to us. That is a quick way to deceive ourselves. We need to be walking as closely as possible to Jesus Christ. Is my life lining up with the Word of God today? That is the most important question we should ask ourselves every day.

There are so many professing Christians who are laying up treasures here on earth and living as if earth were their home. This is a sin against God. To love the world is to be at enmity with God. Stop believing these liars in the pulpits who tell you othewise! They won't preach the truth lest their own consciences become convicted and they would have to turn and repent from their own seeking after the world!

Gehazi could do nothing because of his greed. In the end, his sin of greed put the curse of leprosy upon his own body. There is a time when God does bring judgment and judgment begins in the House of the LORD. Let us be ever vigilant to ask the LORD to show us anything that is displeasing to Him, to reveal His Word to us in greater and greater measures and to let Him know that we desire to walk in the light of His truth and not in the ways of this world.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

2 Kings 6 KJV

The Axe Head Floats

1 And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us. 2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. 3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. 4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. 5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed. 6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim. 7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. cut down a stick, and cast it in thither—Although this means was used, it had no natural adaptation to make the iron swim. Besides, the Jordan is at Jericho so deep and rapid that there were one thousand chances to one against the stick falling into the hole of the axe-head.

All attempts to account for the recovery of the lost implement on such a theory must be rejected. The iron did swim—only by the miraculous exertion of Elisha's power.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Elisha Captures Blinded Syrians

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. 9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

11Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. 13 And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.

20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.

23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

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I love this story because it reveals the truth about the spiritual realm and the natural realm. Never look at anything in the natural because what God is doing in the unseen is always greater! Always greater!

Although servant of the LORD did pray to the LORD to smite the Syrians with blindness we see he was merciful in that he didn't kill them but rather he fed them with bread and water and released them to return to their master.

Once they returned and told their Syrian leader what happened? No more of them came into the land of Israel.

I find it interesting that the armies of the world - leaders of armies have chosen various styles of this strategy - copying what the prophet did here in order to get the same effect.

Many warfare strategies we have seen throughout history originated with the acts of the Hebrew prophets and the Hebrew men of God - another such strategy would be Joshua's who fought his enemies with the sun behind his back - therein his enemies were at a disadvantage fighting Joshua and his men with the sun in their eyes. Sun Tzu later is said to have used this strategy but of course he was not the originator of it. It was a strategy given by God to Joshua.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Some commentaries on 2 Kings 6:22 :

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:13-23
What Elisha said to his servant is spoken to all the faithful servants of God, when without are fightings, and within are fears. Fear not, with that fear which has torment and amazement; for they that are with us, to protect us, are more than they that are against us, to destroy us.

The eyes of his body were open, and with them he saw the danger. Lord, open the eyes of our faith, that with them we may see thy protecting hand.

The clearer sight we have of the sovereignty and power of Heaven, the less we shall fear the troubles of earth. Satan, the god of this world, blinds men's eyes, and so deludes them unto their own ruin; but when God enlightens their eyes, they see themselves in the midst of their enemies, captives to Satan, and in danger of hell, though, before, they thought their condition good.

When Elisha had the Syrians at his mercy, he made it appear that he was influenced by Divine goodness as well as Divine power. Let us not be overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. The Syrians saw it was to no purpose to try to assault so great and so good a man.

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Pulpit Commentary
Verse 22.

- And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them. The prophet has no doubt. His prohibition is absolute. These prisoners, at any rate, are not to be slain.

"The object of the miracle," as Keil says, "would have been frustrated, if the Syrians had been slain. For the intention was to show the Syrians that they had to do with a prophet of the true God, against whom no human power could be of any avail, that they might learn to fear the Almighty God" ('Commentary on 2 Kings,' p. 3.27, Eng. trans.).

There was also, perhaps, a further political object. By sparing the prisoners and treating them with kindness, it might be possible to touch the heart of the King of Syria, and dispose him towards peace.

Wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? rather, Wouldest thou be smiting those, etc.? i.e. "Wouldest thou, in smiting these persons, be smiting those whom thou hadst made prisoners in war, so as to be able to justify thy conduct by Deuteronomy 20:13?

No; thou wouldest not. Therefore thou shalt not smite them." Set bread and water before them.

"Bread" and "water" stand for meat and drink generally. Elisha bids Jehoram entertain the captive Syrians hospitably, and then send them back to Benhadad.

That they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
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One final comment - the more anointing, authority, power, a servant of God is walking in the more gracious, merciful, and humble he will be. The servant is like His Master. Elisha is a beautiful picture of this.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

The Siege and Famine of Samaria

24And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. 26And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? 28And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. 29So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. 30And 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. 31Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

32But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: 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? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? 33And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?

2 Kings 6 KJV
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Commentary:

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:24-33 Learn to value plenty, and to be thankful for it; see how contemptible money is, when in time of famine it is so freely parted with for any thing that is eatable! The language of Jehoram to the woman may be the language of despair.

See the word of God fulfilled; among the threatenings of God's judgments upon Israel for their sins, this was one, that they should eat the flesh of their own children, De 28:53-57. The truth and the awful justice of God were displayed in this horrible transaction. Alas! what miseries sin has brought upon the world!

But the foolishness of man perverts his way, and then his heart frets against the Lord. The king swears the death of Elisha. Wicked men will blame any one as the cause of their troubles, rather than themselves, and will not leave their sins. If rending the clothes, without a broken and contrite heart, would avail, if wearing sackcloth, without being renewed in the spirit of their mind, would serve, they would not stand out against the Lord.

May the whole word of God increase in us reverent fear and holy hope, that we may be stedfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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2nd Commentary:
Pulpit Commentary

Verse 25. - And there was a great famine in Samaria. It was Benhadad's design to capture the place, not by battering down its walls with military engines, but by blockading it, and cutting off all its supplies, as Josephus tells us (l.s.c.). And, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

The ass, being an unclean animal (Leviticus 11:4), would not be eaten at all except in the last extremity, and the head was the worst and so the cheapest part; yet it sold for "eighty pieces" (rather, shekels) of silver, or about £5 of our money; as in the Cadusian famine mentioned by Plutarch ('Wit. Artaxerx.,' § 24), where an ass's head was sold for sixty drachmas (about forty shillings). "Dove's dung" is thought by some to be the name of a plant; but it is better to understand the term literally.

Both animal and human excrement have been eaten in sieges (Josephus, ' Bell. Jud.,' 5:13. § 7; Cels., 'Hierobot.,' 2. p. 233), when a city was in the last extremity.
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3rd Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25. an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver—Though the ass was deemed unclean food, necessity might warrant their violation of a positive law when mothers, in their extremity, were found violating the law of nature. The head was the worst part of the animal. Eighty pieces of silver, equal to £5 5s.

the fourth part of a cab—A cab was the smallest dry measure. The proportion here stated was nearly half a pint for 12s. 6d.

dove's dung—is thought by Bochart to be a kind of pulse or pea, common in Judea, and still kept in the storehouses of Cairo and Damascus, and other places, for the use of it by pilgrim-caravans; by Linnæus, and other botanists, it is said to be the root or white bulb of the plant Ornithogalum umbellatum, Star of Beth-lehem. The sacred historian does not say that the articles here named were regularly sold at the rates described, but only that instances were known of such high prices being given.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

2 Kings 7 KJV

Elisha Prophesies Plenty in Samaria

1Then Elisha 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, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
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Commentary

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:1,2 Man's extremity is God's opportunity of making his own power to be glorious: his time to appear for his people is when their strength is gone. Unbelief is a sin by which men greatly dishonour and displease God, and deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. Such will be the portion of those that believe not the promise of eternal life; they shall see it at a distance, but shall never taste of it. But no temporal deliverances and mercies will in the end profit sinners, unless they are led to repentance by the goodness of God.
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Commentary

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Then Elisha said, hear the word of the Lord,.... This he said to the king and those that were with him:

thus saith the Lord, tomorrow, about this time; which very probably was the forenoon:

shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel; "a seah", the measure here spoken of, or "saturn", according to some (r), was a gallon and an half; but Bishop Cumberland (s) makes it two wine gallons and an half; and a shekel, according to his accurate computation, was two shillings and four pence farthing, and near the eighth part of one (t):

and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria; where the market was kept; the same sort of measure and of money is here used as before; and we learn from hence that a measure of wheat was equal to two of barley.

(r) Godwin, ut supra. (Moses & Aaron, B. 6. c. 9.) (s) Of Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 3. p. 86. (t) lb. c. 4. p. 104, 105.
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Third Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 7

2Ki 7:1-16. Elisha Prophesies Incredible Plenty in Samaria.

1. Hear ye the word of the Lord—This prediction, though uttered first to the assembled elders, was intimated to the king's messengers, who reported it to Jehoram (2Ki 7:18).

To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, etc.—This may be estimated at a peck of fine flour for 2s. 6d., and two pecks of barley at the same price.

in the gate of Samaria—Vegetables, cattle, all sorts of country produce, are still sold every morning at the gates of towns in the East.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

2 Kings 7 KJV