Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 13:17
And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened [it]. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed [them].
17. And he said, Open the window ] That there might be a free space for the arrow to be shot through. The command must be directed to some attendant, as the king was holding the bow ready to shoot when he was bidden. The windows of this time were merely open gratings, not filled with anything transparent.
eastward ] Because eastward from Samaria lay the land of Gilead, the country on which the Syrians were so constantly making their attacks, and which they now had to a great degree in their possession.
The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance ] R.V. The Lord’s arrow of victory. The R.V. represents more exactly the force of the Hebrew, which describes this arrow of victory as belonging to the Lord, i.e. as being specially directed by Him, and so assured of its result.
and the arrow of deliverance from Syria ] R.V. even the arrow of victory over Syria. The sentence is in apposition with the previous clause. The former looks to the prompter of the battle, the latter clause to the result.
in Aphek ] This is probably the place of that name which was on the east of the sea of Galilee. See note on 1Ki 20:26. The region east of the Jordan was the constant battle-ground between Israel and Syria. See above on 2Ki 10:32-33.
till thou have consumed them] This was the prophet’s thought and the purport of his message. The lack of zeal in Joash by the giving of only three strokes when Elisha hoped for five or six, diminished the completeness of the victory which God had promised.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Eastward – Syria of Damascus lay partly east, but still more north, of the holy land. The arrow was to be shot, eastward, not so much against Syria itself as against the scene of the recent Syrian successes, Gilead 2Ki 10:33, which was also to be the scene of Joashs victories over them. Aphek is almost due east from Shunem, where it is not unlikely that Elisha now was.
The arrow … – literally, An arrow of deliverance from the Lord, and an arrow of deliverance against Syria; and thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, even to consuming.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. Open the window eastward] This was towards the country beyond Jordan, which Hazael had taken from the Israelites.
The arrow of – deliverance from Syria] That is, As surely as that arrow is shot towards the lands conquered from Israel by the Syrians, so surely shall those lands be reconquered and restored to Israel.
It was an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear into the country which an army intended to invade. Justin says that, as soon as Alexander the Great had arrived on the coasts of Iona, he threw a dart into the country of the Persians. “Cum delati in continentem essent, primus Alexander jaculum velut in hostilem terram jacit.” – Just. lib. ii.
The dart, spear, or arrow thrown, was an emblem of the commencement of hostilities. Virgil (AEn. lib. ix., ver. 51) represents Turnus as giving the signal of attack by throwing a spear: –
Ecquis erit mecum, O Juvenes, qui primus in hostem?
En, ait: et jaculum intorquens emittit in auras,
Principium pugnae; et campo sese arduus infert.
“Who, first,” he cried, “with me the foe will dare?”
Then hurled a dart, the signal of the war.
PITT.
Servius, in his note upon this place, shows that it was a custom to proclaim war in this stay: the pater patratus, or chief of the Feciales, a sort of heralds, went to the confines of the enemy’s country, and, after some solemnities, said with a loud voice, I wage war with you, for such and such reasons; and then threw in a spear. It was then the business of the parties thus defied or warned to take the subject into consideration; and if they did not, within thirty days, come to some accommodation, the war was begun.
Thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek] This was a city of Syria, and probably the place of the first battle; and there, it appears, they had a total overthrow. They were, in the language of the text, consumed or exterminated.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Eastward; either towards Syria, which lay north-eastward from the land of Israel; or towards the Israelites land beyond Jordan, which lay eastward from Canaan, and which was now possessed by the Syrians. Either way this arrow is shot against the Syrians, as a token what God intended to do against them.
In Aphek; not in the city, but in the territory of it, where it seems there was a great battle to be fought between the Israelites and Syrians. Of Aphek, see 1Sa 4:1; 29:1; 1Ki 20:30, though it is possible there might be several cities of that name. Or, as in Aphek, i.e. thou shalt smite them as they were smitten in the city and territory of Aphek, i.e. utterly destroy them; see 1Ki 20:26,29,30; the particle as being oft understood, as hath been formerly and frequently proved.
Till thou have consumed them, i.e. the Syrians; not all that people, but their armies, or at least that which was to be at Aphek, where a dreadful battle was to be fought. Or if this be meant of all the Syrian armies, this is to be understood conditionally, if he did not hinder it by his unbelief or neglect, signified in the following verses.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And he said, open the window eastward,…. Syria lying east of the land of Israel, as the Jewish commentators in general observe, and for which they quote Isa 9:12, but it lay northeast, or rather more to the north; wherefore this may respect the eastward part of the land of Israel, which the Syrians had got possession of, and should be recovered, as this sign showed, see 2Ki 10:33,
and he opened it: then Elisha said, shoot, and he shot; the arrow, out of the window, being opened:
and he said, the arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; meaning, that that arrow was a sign of the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from the Syrians, by whom they had been sadly oppressed, and reduced very low:
for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek till thou hast consumed them; not the whole nation, but that army they should bring thither; which was a city in the land of Israel, where the Syrians were routed in Ahab’s time; 100,000 were slain near it on one day, and 27,000 by the fall of the wall of it, 1Ki 20:26 hence some read the words here, “as in Aphek.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) The window.Or, lattice. Probably a lattice opening outwards.
Eastward.In the direction of Gilead, which was occupied by the Syrians (2Ki. 10:33).
Shoot.The old illustration of declaring war by shooting an arrow into the enemys country (n. ix. 57) is not without bearing on this case, though it obviously does not exhaust the meaning of the act.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(17) And he saidi.e., Elisha said.
The arrow of the Lords . . . Syria.Literally, An arrow of victory for Jehovah, and an arrow of victory over Aram!
In Aphek.Jos. 13:4; 1Ki. 20:26. The scene of former defeats was to become that of triumph.
Till thou have consumed them.Literally, unto finishing. The annihilation of the opposing army at Aphek, not of the entire forces of Syria, is predicted. (See 2Ki. 13:19.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Open the window eastward Israel’s relation to Syria was now a subject of the greatest concern to both king and prophet, and therefore uppermost in their minds.
The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance That is, this arrow, shot towards the enemy’s country, signifies the deliverance which the Lord will soon grant Israel from the Syrian yoke. The casting of a spear or shooting of an arrow into an enemy’s country was a common signal for the beginning of hostilities. Thus Alexander the Great is said to have hurled a dart into his enemy’s land when he came to the borders of the Persian territory.
Thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek To the symbol he adds a verbal prophecy. At Aphek the Syrians had previously suffered defeat. 1Ki 20:26-30.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 13:17 And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened [it]. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed [them].
Ver. 17. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. ] The old Romans were wont to denounce war against their enemies by shooting an arrow or dart into their country, a Alexander the Great did the like when he first set foot in Persia, as Justin reporteth. b
Till they have consumed them.
a Serv. in Virg.
b Hist., lib. ii.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
The arrow of the LORD s deliverance. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6. The arrow put for the deliverance Jehovah would give.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Open: 2Ki 5:10-14, Joh 2:5-8, Joh 11:39-41
The arrow: This was a symbolical action, indicative of the deliverance of Israel from Syria. It was an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear into a country before the commencement of hostilities. Exo 4:2, Exo 4:17, Jdg 7:9-20, 2Sa 5:24, 1Co 1:18
Aphek: 1Sa 4:1, 1Ki 20:26
Reciprocal: 2Ki 3:19 – And ye Amo 5:9 – strengtheneth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
13:17 And he said, Open the window {i} eastward. And he opened [it]. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD’S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed [them].
(i) That is, toward Syria: so that he not only prophesied with words but also confirmed him by these signs that he would have the victory.