Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 3:17
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.
17. For thus saith the Lord ] Both the order to dig trenches, and the promise of water are prefaced in this solemn manner. It is no order of his own which the prophet delivers.
Ye shall not see wind ] The verb ‘see’ is used elsewhere of what is not visible but experienced by the other senses. So Exo 20:18, ‘All the people saw the thunderings and the noise of the trumpet’. After a drought wind is in the East the general precursor of rain. Cf. 1Ki 18:41; 1Ki 18:45.
neither shall ye see rain ] The prophet’s language here implies that the cause of the coming supply of water would be rain falling elsewhere. Natural powers will bring the rain, though it shall fall at a distance from the camp, so that neither Moab nor the invading armies shall be aware of its falling.
that ye may [R.V. and ye shall ] drink ] Thus giving a strictly literal rendering.
your cattle ] These were the animals brought with them to be killed as occasion required for food. The beasts, next mentioned, are the beasts of burden.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
No rain was to fall where the Israelites and their enemies were encamped; there was not even to be that all but universal accompaniment of rain in the East, a sudden rise of wind (compare 1Ki 18:45; Psa 147:18; Mat 7:25).
Cattle, and your beast – The former are the animals brought for food. The latter are the baggage animals.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. Ye shall not see wind] There shall be no wind to collect vapours, and there shall be no showers, and yet the whole bed of this river, and all the new made canals, shall be filled with water.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ye shall not see wind; any of those winds which commonly produce rain. And seeing is here put for perceiving or feeling, one sense for another, or for all, as Gen 42:1; compare Act 7:12; Exo 20:18, and elsewhere.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. Ye shall not see windItis common in the East to speak of seeing wind, from the cloudsof straw, dust, or sand, that are often whirled into the air, after along drought.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 it:
that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and all your beasts; there would be such a quantity as would be enough for them all, the soldiers, the horses they rode on, and the beasts that drew their wagons.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) Ye shall not see wind.Which in the east is the usual precursor of rain.
Yet that valley.And that wady. He says that (h) valley, meaning the one of which I spoke (2Ki. 3:16). Contrast this (zeh) valley, i.e., the one in which we are (2Ki. 3:16).
Your cattle.Miqneh: flocks and herds, as distinguished from beasts (bhmh), i.e., probably, beasts of burden.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Not see wind, neither rain A storm of wind usually precedes a heavy rain; but in this case the storm was to occur so far away from the Israelitish encampment that they would see nothing of it.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 3:17. Ye shall not see wind, &c. See the note on 1Ki 18:45. It is very common in the eastern countries, and particularly in the deserts of Arabia, to be in want of water, which is so scarce there, that travellers, and the beasts they carry with them, often perish with thirst. Their last resource for preserving their lives is, to cut open their camels, and get from their stomachs what water they contain. We cannot say whether these kings, from a want of precaution, had neglected to provide sufficiently for themselves and their army, or whether they remained upon the road longer than they had foreseen. From the text it is plain, that they wanted water, and that the army found itself so urged by thirst that both men and beasts were in danger of their lives. In this calamity the kings had recourse to Elisha; as in cases of emergency, we see men have recourse to the prayers of wise and pious persons, to whom they paid little regard at another time, but who, in the days of calamity, are resorted to by whole cities and nations. The prophet arrives; he reproves Jehoram for his impiety, and then foretels things superior to reason and the powers of nature, insomuch that the impious acknowledged and adored the assisting hand of the Almighty. He commands what is to be done, in order that so miraculous a succour may be of use to those who were thus pressed by necessity, and that it might not slip them too speedily. Thus saith the Lord, make this valley full of ditches, &c. These circumstances deserve attention, and furnish certain proofs of the miracle: after a long drought it commonly happens, especially in hot climates, that the rains are accompanied or preceded by winds, which collect together clouds, and break against each other the little bubbles of water which float in the air. See 1Ki 18:41. Without rain, rivers never overflow. But here, without rain, without wind, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. It issued somewhere, by the order of God, from the bowels of the earth, and flowed into the camp of the allied princes. Who but God could, at a given period, have produced so marvellous an effect?
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 3:17 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.
Ver. 17. Ye shall not see wind nor rain. ] God can relieve his people in the fail of means. Hab 3:17
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Ye shall not: 1Ki 18:36-39, Psa 84:6, Psa 107:35, Isa 41:17, Isa 41:18, Isa 43:19, Isa 43:20, Isa 48:21
that ye may: Exo 17:6, Num 20:8-11
Reciprocal: 2Ki 6:9 – Beware Amo 3:7 – but