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Selected Verse: 2 Chronicles 21:12 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
2Ch 21:12	Strong Concordance	And there came [0935] a writing [04385] to him from Elijah [0452] the prophet [05030], saying [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] God [0430] of David [01732] thy father [01], Because thou hast not walked [01980] in the ways [01870] of Jehoshaphat [03092] thy father [01], nor in the ways [01870] of Asa [0609] king [04428] of Judah [03063],
	King James	And there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah,

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet--That prophet's translation having taken place in the reign of Jehoshaphat [Kg2 2:11-12], we must conclude that the name of Elijah has, by the error of a transcriber, been put for that of Elisha.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

there came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet--That prophet's translation having taken place in the reign of Jehoshaphat [Kg2 2:11-12], we must conclude that the name of Elijah has, by the error of a transcriber, been put for that of Elisha.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
This is the only notice which we have of Elijah in Chronicles. As a prophet of the northern kingdom, he engaged but slightly the attention of the historian of the southern one. The notice shows that Elijah did not confine his attention to the affairs of his own state, but strove to check the progress of idolatry in Judah. And it proves that he was alive after the death of Jehoshaphat Ch2 21:13; a fact bearing (1) upon the chronological order of Kg2 2:1 (see the note), and (2) showing that Elisha, who prophesied in the time of Jehoshaphat. Kg2 3:11-19 commenced his public ministry before his master's translation.

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]
Elijah See Elijah history. (Kg1 17:1); (Kg2 2:12).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The prophet Elijah's letter against Joram, and the infliction of the punishments as announced. - Ch2 21:12. There came to him a writing from the prophet Elijah to this effect: "Thus saith Jahve, the God of thy father David, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat, ... but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, ... and also hast slain thy brethren, the house of thy father, who were better than thyself; behold, Jahve will send a great plague upon thy people, and upon thy sons, and thy wives, and upon all thy goods; and thou shalt have great sickness, by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day." מכתב, writing, is a written prophetic threatening, in which his sins are pointed out to Joram, and the divine punishment for them announced. In regard to this statement, we need not be surprised that nothing is elsewhere told us of any written prophecies of Elijah; for we have no circumstantial accounts of his prophetic activity, by which we might estimate the circumstances which may have induced him in this particular instance to commit his prophecy to writing. But, on the other hand, it is very questionable if Elijah was still alive in the reign of Joram of Judah. His translation to heaven is narrated in 2 Kings 2, between the reign of Ahaziah and Joram of Israel, but the year of the event is nowhere stated in Scripture. In the Jewish Chronicle Seder olam, 2 Chr 17:45, it is indeed placed in the second year of Ahaziah of Israel; but this statement is not founded upon historical tradition, but is a mere deduction from the fact that his translation is narrated in 2 Kings 2 immediately after Ahaziah's death; and the last act of Elijah of which we have any record (2 Kings 1) falls in the second year of that king. Lightfoot, indeed (Opp. i. p. 85), Ramb., and Dereser have concluded from Kg2 3:11 that Elijah was taken away from the earth in the reign of Jehoshaphat, because according to that passage, in the campaign against the Moabites, undertaken in company with Joram of Israel, Jehoshaphat inquired for a prophet, and received the answer that Elisha was there, who had poured water upon the hands of Elijah. But the only conclusion to be drawn from that is, that in the camp, or near it, was Elisha, Elijah's servant, not that Elijah was no longer upon earth. The perfect יצק אשׁר seems indeed to imply this; but it is questionable if we may so press the perfect, i.e., whether the speaker made use of it, or whether it was employed only by the later historian. The words are merely a periphrasis to express the relationship of master and servant in which Elijah stood to Elisha, and tell us only that the latter was Elijah's attendant. But Elisha had entered upon this relationship to Elijah long before Elijah's departure from the earth (Kg1 19:19.). Elijah may therefore have still been alive under Joram of Judah; and Berth. accordingly thinks it "antecedently probable that he spoke of Joram's sins, and threatened him with punishment. But the letter," so he further says, "is couched in quite general terms, and gives, moreover, merely a prophetic explanation of the misfortunes with which Joram was visited;" whence we may conclude that in its present form it is the work of a historian living at a later time, who describes the relation of Elijah to Joram in few words, and according to his conception of it as a whole. This judgment rests on dogmatic grounds, and flows from a principle which refuses to recognise any supernatural prediction in the prophetic utterances. The contents of the letter can be regarded as a prophetic exposition of the misfortunes which broke in, as it were, upon Joram, only by those who deny priori that there is any special prediction in the speeches of the prophets, and hold all prophecies which contain such to be vaticinia post eventum. Somewhat more weighty is the objection raised against the view that Elijah was still upon earth, to the effect that the divine threatenings would make a much deeper impression upon Joram by the very fact that the letter came from a prophet who was no longer in life, and would thus more easily bring him to the knowledge that the Lord is the living God, who had in His hand his breath and all his ways, and who knew all his acts. Thus the writing would smite the conscience of Joram like a voice from the other world (Dchsel). But this whole remark is founded only upon subjective conjectures and presumptions, for which actual analogies are wanting. For the same reason we cannot regard the remark of Menken as very much to the point, when he says: "If a man like Elias were to speak again upon earth, after he had been taken from it, he must do it from the clouds: this would harmonize with the whole splendour of his course in life; and, in my opinion, that is what actually occurred." For although we do not venture "to mark the limits to which the power and sphere of activity of the perfected saints is extended," yet we are not only justified, but also bound in duty, to judge of those facts of revelation which are susceptible of different interpretations, according to the analogy of the whole Scripture. But the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments know nothing of any communications by writings between the perfected saints in heaven and men; indeed, they rather teach the contrary in the parable of the rich man (Note: "Neque enim," says Ramb., "ulla ratione credibile est, Deum in gratiam impii regis ejusmodi quid fecisse, cujus nullum alias exemplum exstat; immo quod nec necessarium erat, quum plures aliae essent rationes, quibus Deus voluntatem suam ei manifestare poterat; coll. Luc. 16:27, 29." And, still more conclusively, Calov. declares: "Non enim triumphantium in coelis est erudire aut ad poenitentiam revocare mortales in terra. Habent Mosen et prophetas, si illos non audiant, neque si quis ex mortius resurrexerit, nedum si quis ex coelis literas perscripserit, credent Luc. 16:31.") (Luk 16:31) There are consequently no sufficient grounds for believing that the glorified Elijah either sent a letter to Joram from heaven by an angel, or commissioned any living person to write the letter. The statement of the narrative, "there came to him a writing from Elijah the prophet," cannot well be understood to mean anything else than that Elijah wrote the threatening prophecy which follows; but we have no certain proof that Elijah was then no longer alive, but had been already received into heaven. The time of his translation cannot be exactly fixed. He was still alive in the second year of Ahaziah of Israel; for he announced to this king upon his sick-bed that he would die of his fall (2 Kings 1). Most probably he was still alive also at the commencement of the reign of Joram of Israel, who ascended the throne twenty-three years after Ahab. Jehoshaphat died six or seven years later; and after his death, his successor Joram slew his brothers, the other sons of Jehoshaphat. Elijah may have lived to see the perpetration of this crime, and may consequently also have sent the threatening prophecy which is under discussion to Joram. As he first appeared under Ahab, on the above supposition, he would have filled the office of prophet for about thirty years; while his servant Elisha, whom he chose to be his successor as early as in the reign of Ahab (Kg1 19:16), died only under Joash of Israel (Kg2 13:14.), who became king fifty-seven years after Ahab's death, and must consequently have discharged the prophetic functions for at least sixty years. But even if we suppose that Elijah had been taken away from the earth before Jehoshaphat's death, we may, with Buddaeus, Ramb., and other commentators, accept this explanation: that the Lord had revealed to him Joram's wickedness before his translation, and had commissioned him to announce to Joram in writing the divine punishment which would follow, and to send this writing to him at the proper time. This would entirely harmonize with the mode of action of this great man of God. To him God had revealed the elevation of Jehu to the throne of Israel, and the extirpation of the house of Ahab by him, together with the accession of Hazael, and the great oppressions which he would inflict upon Israel, - all events which took place only after the death of Joram of Judah. Him, too, God had commissioned even under Ahab to anoint Jehu to be king over Israel (Kg1 19:16), which Elisha caused to be accomplished by a prophetic scholar fourteen years later (Kg2 9:1.); and to him the Lord may also have revealed the iniquity of Joram, Jehoshaphat's successor, even as early as the second year of Ahaziah of Israel, when he announced to this king his death seven years before Jehoshaphat's death, and may have then commissioned him to announce the divine punishment of his sin. But if Elijah committed the anointing of both Hazael and Jehu to his servant Elisha, why may he not also have committed to him the delivery of this threatening prophecy which he had drawn up in writing? Without bringing forward in support of this such hypotheses as that the contents of the letter would have all the greater effect, since it would seem as if the man of God were speaking to him from beyond the grave (O. v. Gerlach), we have yet a perfect right to suppose that a written word from the terrible man whom the Lord had accredited as His prophet by fire from heaven, in his struggle against Baal-worship under Ahab and Ahaziah, would be much better fitted to make an impression upon Joram and his consort Athaliah, who was walking in the footsteps of her mother Jezebel, than a word of Elisha, or any other prophet who was not endowed with the spirit and power of Elijah. Elijah's writing pointed out to Joram two great transgressions: (1) his forsaking the Lord for the idolatrous worship of the house of Ahab, and also his seducing the people into this sin; and (2) the murder of his brothers. For the punishment of the first transgression he announced to him a great smiting which God would inflict upon his people, his family, and his property; for the second crime he foretold heavy bodily chastisements, by a dreadful disease which would terminate fatally. ימים על ימים, Ch2 21:15, is accus. of duration: days on days, i.e., continuing for days added to days; cf. שׁנה על שׁנה ספוּ, Isa 29:1. ימים Berth. takes to mean a period of a year, so that by this statement of time a period of two years is fixed for the duration of the disease before death. But the words in themselves cannot have this signification; it can only be a deduction from Ch2 21:18. These two threats of punishment were fulfilled. The fulfilment of the first is recorded in Ch2 21:16. God stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians (רוּח את העיר, as in Ch1 5:26), so that they came up against Judah, and broke it, i.e., violently pressed into the land as conquerors (בּקע, so split, then to conquer cities by breaking through their walls; cf. Kg2 25:4, etc.), and carried away all the goods that were found in the king's house, with the wives and sons of Joram, except Jehoahaz the youngest (Ch2 22:1). Movers (Chron. S. 122), Credner, Hitz., and others on Joe 3:5, Berth., etc., conclude from this that these enemies captured Jerusalem and plundered it. But this can hardly be the case; for although Jerusalem belonged to Judah, and might be included in בּיהוּדה, yet as a rule Jerusalem is specially named along with Judah as being the chief city; and neither the conquest of Judah, nor the carrying away of the goods from the king's house, and of the king's elder sons, with certainty involves the capture of the capital. The opinion that by the "substance which was found in the king's house" we are to understand the treasures of the royal palace, is certainly incorrect. רכוּשׁ denotes property of any sort; and what the property of the king or of the king's house might include, we may gather from the catalogue of the אוצרות of David, in the country, in the cities, villages, and castles, Ch1 27:25., where they consist in vineyards, forests, and herds of cattle, and together with the המּלך אוצרות formed the property (הרכוּשׁ) of King David. All this property the conquering Philistines and Arabians who had pressed into Judah might carry away without having captured Jerusalem. But המּלך בּית denotes here, not the royal palace, but the king's family; for המּלך לבית הנּמצא does not denote what was found in the palace, but what of the possessions of the king's house they found. נמצא with ל is not synonymous with בּ נמצא, but denotes to be attained, possessed by; cf. Jos 17:16 and Deu 21:17. Had Jerusalem been plundered, the treasures of the palace and of the temple would also have been mentioned: Ch2 25:24; Ch2 12:9; Kg2 14:13. and Kg1 14:26; cf. Kuhlmey, alttestl. Studien in der Luther. Ztschr. 1844, iii. S. 82ff. Nor does the carrying away of the wives and children of King Joram presuppose the capture of Jerusalem, as we learn from the more exact account of the matter in Ch2 22:1.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The prophet Elijah's letter against Joram, and the infliction of the punishments as announced. - Ch2 21:12. There came to him a writing from the prophet Elijah to this effect: "Thus saith Jahve, the God of thy father David, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat, ... but hast walked in the way of the kings of Israel, ... and also hast slain thy brethren, the house of thy father, who were better than thyself; behold, Jahve will send a great plague upon thy people, and upon thy sons, and thy wives, and upon all thy goods; and thou shalt have great sickness, by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day." מכתב, writing, is a written prophetic threatening, in which his sins are pointed out to Joram, and the divine punishment for them announced. In regard to this statement, we need not be surprised that nothing is elsewhere told us of any written prophecies of Elijah; for we have no circumstantial accounts of his prophetic activity, by which we might estimate the circumstances which may have induced him in this particular instance to commit his prophecy to writing. But, on the other hand, it is very questionable if Elijah was still alive in the reign of Joram of Judah. His translation to heaven is narrated in 2 Kings 2, between the reign of Ahaziah and Joram of Israel, but the year of the event is nowhere stated in Scripture. In the Jewish Chronicle Seder olam, 2 Chr 17:45, it is indeed placed in the second year of Ahaziah of Israel; but this statement is not founded upon historical tradition, but is a mere deduction from the fact that his translation is narrated in 2 Kings 2 immediately after Ahaziah's death; and the last act of Elijah of which we have any record (2 Kings 1) falls in the second year of that king. Lightfoot, indeed (Opp. i. p. 85), Ramb., and Dereser have concluded from Kg2 3:11 that Elijah was taken away from the earth in the reign of Jehoshaphat, because according to that passage, in the campaign against the Moabites, undertaken in company with Joram of Israel, Jehoshaphat inquired for a prophet, and received the answer that Elisha was there, who had poured water upon the hands of Elijah. But the only conclusion to be drawn from that is, that in the camp, or near it, was Elisha, Elijah's servant, not that Elijah was no longer upon earth. The perfect יצק אשׁר seems indeed to imply this; but it is questionable if we may so press the perfect, i.e., whether the speaker made use of it, or whether it was employed only by the later historian. The words are merely a periphrasis to express the relationship of master and servant in which Elijah stood to Elisha, and tell us only that the latter was Elijah's attendant. But Elisha had entered upon this relationship to Elijah long before Elijah's departure from the earth (Kg1 19:19.). Elijah may therefore have still been alive under Joram of Judah; and Berth. accordingly thinks it "antecedently probable that he spoke of Joram's sins, and threatened him with punishment. But the letter," so he further says, "is couched in quite general terms, and gives, moreover, merely a prophetic explanation of the misfortunes with which Joram was visited;" whence we may conclude that in its present form it is the work of a historian living at a later time, who describes the relation of Elijah to Joram in few words, and according to his conception of it as a whole. This judgment rests on dogmatic grounds, and flows from a principle which refuses to recognise any supernatural prediction in the prophetic utterances. The contents of the letter can be regarded as a prophetic exposition of the misfortunes which broke in, as it were, upon Joram, only by those who deny priori that there is any special prediction in the speeches of the prophets, and hold all prophecies which contain such to be vaticinia post eventum. Somewhat more weighty is the objection raised against the view that Elijah was still upon earth, to the effect that the divine threatenings would make a much deeper impression upon Joram by the very fact that the letter came from a prophet who was no longer in life, and would thus more easily bring him to the knowledge that the Lord is the living God, who had in His hand his breath and all his ways, and who knew all his acts. Thus the writing would smite the conscience of Joram like a voice from the other world (Dchsel). But this whole remark is founded only upon subjective conjectures and presumptions, for which actual analogies are wanting.

For the same reason we cannot regard the remark of Menken as very much to the point, when he says: "If a man like Elias were to speak again upon earth, after he had been taken from it, he must do it from the clouds: this would harmonize with the whole splendour of his course in life; and, in my opinion, that is what actually occurred." For although we do not venture "to mark the limits to which the power and sphere of activity of the perfected saints is extended," yet we are not only justified, but also bound in duty, to judge of those facts of revelation which are susceptible of different interpretations, according to the analogy of the whole Scripture. But the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments know nothing of any communications by writings between the perfected saints in heaven and men; indeed, they rather teach the contrary in the parable of the rich man

(Note: "Neque enim," says Ramb., "ulla ratione credibile est, Deum in gratiam impii regis ejusmodi quid fecisse, cujus nullum alias exemplum exstat; immo quod nec necessarium erat, quum plures aliae essent rationes, quibus Deus voluntatem suam ei manifestare poterat; coll. Luc. 16:27, 29." And, still more conclusively, Calov. declares: "Non enim triumphantium in coelis est erudire aut ad poenitentiam revocare mortales in terra. Habent Mosen et prophetas, si illos non audiant, neque si quis ex mortius resurrexerit, nedum si quis ex coelis literas perscripserit, credent Luc. 16:31.")

(Luk 16:31)

There are consequently no sufficient grounds for believing that the glorified Elijah either sent a letter to Joram from heaven by an angel, or commissioned any living person to write the letter. The statement of the narrative, "there came to him a writing from Elijah the prophet," cannot well be understood to mean anything else than that Elijah wrote the threatening prophecy which follows; but we have no certain proof that Elijah was then no longer alive, but had been already received into heaven. The time of his translation cannot be exactly fixed. He was still alive in the second year of Ahaziah of Israel; for he announced to this king upon his sick-bed that he would die of his fall (2 Kings 1). Most probably he was still alive also at the commencement of the reign of Joram of Israel, who ascended the throne twenty-three years after Ahab. Jehoshaphat died six or seven years later; and after his death, his successor Joram slew his brothers, the other sons of Jehoshaphat. Elijah may have lived to see the perpetration of this crime, and may consequently also have sent the threatening prophecy which is under discussion to Joram. As he first appeared under Ahab, on the above supposition, he would have filled the office of prophet for about thirty years; while his servant Elisha, whom he chose to be his successor as early as in the reign of Ahab (Kg1 19:16), died only under Joash of Israel (Kg2 13:14.), who became king fifty-seven years after Ahab's death, and must consequently have discharged the prophetic functions for at least sixty years. But even if we suppose that Elijah had been taken away from the earth before Jehoshaphat's death, we may, with Buddaeus, Ramb., and other commentators, accept this explanation: that the Lord had revealed to him Joram's wickedness before his translation, and had commissioned him to announce to Joram in writing the divine punishment which would follow, and to send this writing to him at the proper time. This would entirely harmonize with the mode of action of this great man of God. To him God had revealed the elevation of Jehu to the throne of Israel, and the extirpation of the house of Ahab by him, together with the accession of Hazael, and the great oppressions which he would inflict upon Israel, - all events which took place only after the death of Joram of Judah. Him, too, God had commissioned even under Ahab to anoint Jehu to be king over Israel (Kg1 19:16), which Elisha caused to be accomplished by a prophetic scholar fourteen years later (Kg2 9:1.); and to him the Lord may also have revealed the iniquity of Joram, Jehoshaphat's successor, even as early as the second year of Ahaziah of Israel, when he announced to this king his death seven years before Jehoshaphat's death, and may have then commissioned him to announce the divine punishment of his sin. But if Elijah committed the anointing of both Hazael and Jehu to his servant Elisha, why may he not also have committed to him the delivery of this threatening prophecy which he had drawn up in writing? Without bringing forward in support of this such hypotheses as that the contents of the letter would have all the greater effect, since it would seem as if the man of God were speaking to him from beyond the grave (O. v. Gerlach), we have yet a perfect right to suppose that a written word from the terrible man whom the Lord had accredited as His prophet by fire from heaven, in his struggle against Baal-worship under Ahab and Ahaziah, would be much better fitted to make an impression upon Joram and his consort Athaliah, who was walking in the footsteps of her mother Jezebel, than a word of Elisha, or any other prophet who was not endowed with the spirit and power of Elijah.

Elijah's writing pointed out to Joram two great transgressions: (1) his forsaking the Lord for the idolatrous worship of the house of Ahab, and also his seducing the people into this sin; and (2) the murder of his brothers. For the punishment of the first transgression he announced to him a great smiting which God would inflict upon his people, his family, and his property; for the second crime he foretold heavy bodily chastisements, by a dreadful disease which would terminate fatally. ימים על ימים, Ch2 21:15, is accus. of duration: days on days, i.e., continuing for days added to days; cf. שׁנה על שׁנה ספוּ, Isa 29:1. ימים Berth. takes to mean a period of a year, so that by this statement of time a period of two years is fixed for the duration of the disease before death. But the words in themselves cannot have this signification; it can only be a deduction from Ch2 21:18. These two threats of punishment were fulfilled. The fulfilment of the first is recorded in Ch2 21:16. God stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians (רוּח את העיר, as in Ch1 5:26), so that they came up against Judah, and broke it, i.e., violently pressed into the land as conquerors (בּקע, so split, then to conquer cities by breaking through their walls; cf. Kg2 25:4, etc.), and carried away all the goods that were found in the king's house, with the wives and sons of Joram, except Jehoahaz the youngest (Ch2 22:1). Movers (Chron. S. 122), Credner, Hitz., and others on Joe 3:5, Berth., etc., conclude from this that these enemies captured Jerusalem and plundered it. But this can hardly be the case; for although Jerusalem belonged to Judah, and might be included in בּיהוּדה, yet as a rule Jerusalem is specially named along with Judah as being the chief city; and neither the conquest of Judah, nor the carrying away of the goods from the king's house, and of the king's elder sons, with certainty involves the capture of the capital. The opinion that by the "substance which was found in the king's house" we are to understand the treasures of the royal palace, is certainly incorrect. רכוּשׁ denotes property of any sort; and what the property of the king or of the king's house might include, we may gather from the catalogue of the אוצרות of David, in the country, in the cities, villages, and castles, Ch1 27:25., where they consist in vineyards, forests, and herds of cattle, and together with the המּלך אוצרות formed the property (הרכוּשׁ) of King David. All this property the conquering Philistines and Arabians who had pressed into Judah might carry away without having captured Jerusalem. But המּלך בּית denotes here, not the royal palace, but the king's family; for המּלך לבית הנּמצא does not denote what was found in the palace, but what of the possessions of the king's house they found. נמצא with ל is not synonymous with בּ נמצא, but denotes to be attained, possessed by; cf. Jos 17:16 and Deu 21:17. Had Jerusalem been plundered, the treasures of the palace and of the temple would also have been mentioned: Ch2 25:24; Ch2 12:9; Kg2 14:13. and Kg1 14:26; cf. Kuhlmey, alttestl. Studien in der Luther. Ztschr. 1844, iii. S. 82ff. Nor does the carrying away of the wives and children of King Joram presuppose the capture of Jerusalem, as we learn from the more exact account of the matter in Ch2 22:1.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
From Elijah - By this it appears, that Jehoram came to the throne before Elijah's translation. It is true, we find Elisha attending Jehoshaphat; but that might be, while Elijah was yet on earth: for we read of Jehoram's coming to the crown, before we read of Elijah's translation, Kg1 22:50. We may suppose, the time of his departure was at hand, so that he could not go in person to Jehoram. But he left this writing, probably with Elisha, to be sent the first opportunity. The message is sent in the name of the Lord God of David his father, upbraiding him with his relation to David, as that which was no more his honour, but an aggravation of his degeneracy.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
There came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet - From Kg2 2:11, it is evident that Elijah had been translated in the reign of Jehoshaphat, the father of Jehoram. How then could he send a letter to the son? Some say he sent it from heaven by an angel; others, that by the spirit of prophecy he foresaw this defection of Jehoram, and left the letter with Elisha, to be sent to him when this defection should take place; others say that Elijah is put here for Elisha; and others, that this Elijah was not the same that was translated, but another prophet of the same name. There are others who think that, as Elijah was still in the body, for he did not die, but was translated, he sent this letter from that secret place in which he was hidden by the Almighty. All the versions have Elijah, and all the MSS. the same reading. Dr. Kennicott contends that Elisha was the writer; for Elijah had been taken up to heaven thirteen years before the time of this writing. Our margin says, the letter was written before his assumption, and refers to Kg2 2:1. These are all conjectures; and I could add another to their number, but still we should be where we were. I should adopt the conjecture relative to Elisha, were not every Hebrew MS., and all the Oriental versions, against it; to which may be added, that the author of this book does not once mention Elisha in any part of his work. It is certainly a possible case that this writing might have been a prediction of Jehoram's impiety and miserable death, delivered in the time of the prophet, and which was now laid before this wicked king for the first time: and by it the prophet, though not among mortals, still continued to speak. I can see no solid reason against this opinion.

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¹¹ And it came to pass, as they still [01980] went on [01980], and talked [01696], that, behold, there appeared a chariot [07393] of fire [0784], and horses [05483] of fire [0784], and parted [06504] them both [08147] asunder [0996]; and Elijah [0452] went up [05927] by a whirlwind [05591] into heaven [08064].
¹² And Elisha [0477] saw [07200] it, and he cried [06817], My father [01], my father [01], the chariot [07393] of Israel [03478], and the horsemen [06571] thereof. And he saw [07200] him no more: and he took hold [02388] of his own clothes [0899], and rent [07167] them in two [08147] pieces [07168].

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat [03092] said [0559], Is there not here a prophet [05030] of the LORD [03068], that we may enquire [01875] of the LORD [03068] by him? And one [0259] of the king [04428] of Israel's [03478] servants [05650] answered [06030] and said [0559], Here is Elisha [0477] the son [01121] of Shaphat [08202], which poured [03332] water [04325] on the hands [03027] of Elijah [0452].
¹² And Jehoshaphat [03092] said [0559], The word [01697] of the LORD [03068] is [03426] with him. So the king [04428] of Israel [03478] and Jehoshaphat [03092] and the king [04428] of Edom [0123] went down [03381] to him.
¹³ And Elisha [0477] said [0559] unto the king [04428] of Israel [03478], What have I to do with thee? get [03212] thee to the prophets [05030] of thy father [01], and to the prophets [05030] of thy mother [0517]. And the king [04428] of Israel [03478] said [0559] unto him, Nay: for the LORD [03068] hath called [07121] these three [07969] kings [04428] together [07121], to deliver [05414] them into the hand [03027] of Moab [04124].
¹⁴ And Elisha [0477] said [0559], As the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635] liveth [02416], before [06440] whom I stand [05975], surely, were it not that [03884] I regard [05375] the presence [06440] of Jehoshaphat [03092] the king [04428] of Judah [03063], I would not look [05027] toward thee, nor see [07200] thee.
¹⁵ But now bring [03947] me a minstrel [05059]. And it came to pass, when the minstrel [05059] played [05059], that the hand [03027] of the LORD [03068] came upon him.
¹⁶ And he said [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Make [06213] this valley [05158] full of ditches [01356].
¹⁷ For thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Ye shall not see [07200] wind [07307], neither shall ye see [07200] rain [01653]; yet that valley [05158] shall be filled [04390] with water [04325], that ye may drink [08354], both ye, and your cattle [04735], and your beasts [0929].
¹⁸ And this is but a light thing [07043] in the sight [05869] of the LORD [03068]: he will deliver [05414] the Moabites [04124] also into your hand [03027].
¹⁹ And ye shall smite [05221] every fenced [04013] city [05892], and every choice [04004] city [05892], and shall fell [05307] every good [02896] tree [06086], and stop [05640] all wells [04599] of water [04325], and mar [03510] every good [02896] piece [02513] of land with stones [068].

¹ And it came to pass, when the LORD [03068] would take up [05927] Elijah [0452] into heaven [08064] by a whirlwind [05591], that Elijah [0452] went [03212] with Elisha [0477] from Gilgal [01537].

¹³ But hast walked [03212] in the way [01870] of the kings [04428] of Israel [03478], and hast made Judah [03063] and the inhabitants [03427] of Jerusalem [03389] to go a whoring [02181], like to the whoredoms [02181] of the house [01004] of Ahab [0256], and also hast slain [02026] thy brethren [0251] of thy father's [01] house [01004], which were better [02896] than thyself:

¹² And Elisha [0477] saw [07200] it, and he cried [06817], My father [01], my father [01], the chariot [07393] of Israel [03478], and the horsemen [06571] thereof. And he saw [07200] him no more: and he took hold [02388] of his own clothes [0899], and rent [07167] them in two [08147] pieces [07168].

¹ And Elijah [0452] the Tishbite [08664], who was of the inhabitants [08453] of Gilead [01568], said [0559] unto Ahab [0256], As the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478] liveth [02416], before [06440] whom I stand [05975], there shall not be dew [02919] nor rain [04306] these years [08141], but according [06310] to my word [01697].

¹ And the inhabitants [03427] of Jerusalem [03389] made [04427] Ahaziah [0274] his youngest [06996] son [01121] king [04427] in his stead: for the band of men [01416] that came [0935] with the Arabians [06163] to the camp [04264] had slain [02026] all the eldest [07223]. So Ahaziah [0274] the son [01121] of Jehoram [03088] king [04428] of Judah [03063] reigned [04427].

²⁶ And he took away [03947] the treasures [0214] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], and the treasures [0214] of the king's [04428] house [01004]; he even took away [03947] all: and he took away [03947] all the shields [04043] of gold [02091] which Solomon [08010] had made [06213].

¹³ And Jehoash [03060] king [04428] of Israel [03478] took [08610] Amaziah [0558] king [04428] of Judah [03063], the son [01121] of Jehoash [03060] the son [01121] of Ahaziah [0274], at Bethshemesh [01053], and came [0935] to Jerusalem [03389], and brake down [06555] the wall [02346] of Jerusalem [03389] from the gate [08179] of Ephraim [0669] unto the corner [06438] gate [08179], four [0702] hundred [03967] cubits [0520].

⁹ So Shishak [07895] king [04428] of Egypt [04714] came up [05927] against Jerusalem [03389], and took away [03947] the treasures [0214] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], and the treasures [0214] of the king's [04428] house [01004]; he took [03947] all: he carried away [03947] also the shields [04043] of gold [02091] which Solomon [08010] had made [06213].

²⁴ And he took all the gold [02091] and the silver [03701], and all the vessels [03627] that were found [04672] in the house [01004] of God [0430] with Obededom [05654], and the treasures [0214] of the king's [04428] house [01004], the hostages [01121] [08594] also, and returned [07725] to Samaria [08111].

¹⁷ But he shall acknowledge [05234] the son [01121] of the hated [08130] for the firstborn [01060], by giving [05414] him a double [08147] portion [06310] of all that he hath [04672]: for he is the beginning [07225] of his strength [0202]; the right [04941] of the firstborn [01062] is his.

¹⁶ And the children [01121] of Joseph [03130] said [0559], The hill [02022] is not enough [04672] for us: and all the Canaanites [03669] that dwell [03427] in the land [0776] of the valley [06010] have chariots [07393] of iron [01270], both they who are of Bethshean [01052] and her towns [01323], and they who are of the valley [06010] of Jezreel [03157].

²⁵ And over the king's [04428] treasures [0214] was Azmaveth [05820] the son [01121] of Adiel [05717]: and over the storehouses [0214] in the fields [07704], in the cities [05892], and in the villages [03723], and in the castles [04026], was Jehonathan [03083] the son [01121] of Uzziah [05818]:

⁵ Because ye have taken [03947] my silver [03701] and my gold [02091], and have carried [0935] into your temples [01964] my goodly [02896] pleasant things [04261]:

⁴ And the city [05892] was broken up [01234], and all the men [0582] of war [04421] fled by night [03915] by the way [01870] of the gate [08179] between two walls [02346], which is by the king's [04428] garden [01588]: (now the Chaldees [03778] were against the city [05892] round about [05439]:) and the king went [03212] the way [01870] toward the plain [06160].

²⁶ And the God [0430] of Israel [03478] stirred up [05782] the spirit [07307] of Pul [06322] king [04428] of Assyria [0804], and the spirit [07307] of Tilgathpilneser [08407] king [04428] of Assyria [0804], and he carried them away [01540], even the Reubenites [07206], and the Gadites [01425], and the half [02677] tribe [07626] of Manasseh [04519], and brought [0935] them unto Halah [02477], and Habor [02249], and Hara [02024], and to the river [05104] Gozan [01470], unto this day [03117].

¹⁶ Moreover the LORD [03068] stirred up [05782] against Jehoram [03088] the spirit [07307] of the Philistines [06430], and of the Arabians [06163], that were near [05921] [03027] the Ethiopians [03569]:

¹⁸ And after [0310] all this the LORD [03068] smote [05062] him in his bowels [04578] with an incurable [0369] [04832] disease [02483].

¹ Woe [01945] to Ariel [0740], to Ariel [0740], the city [07151] where David [01732] dwelt [02583] ! add [05595] ye year [08141] to year [08141]; let them kill [05362] sacrifices [02282].

¹⁵ And thou shalt have great [07227] sickness [02483] by disease [04245] of thy bowels [04578], until thy bowels [04578] fall out [03318] by reason of the sickness [02483] day [03117] by day [03117].

¹ And Elisha [0477] the prophet [05030] called [07121] one [0259] of the children [01121] of the prophets [05030], and said [0559] unto him, Gird up [02296] thy loins [04975], and take [03947] this box [06378] of oil [08081] in thine hand [03027], and go [03212] to Ramothgilead [07433] [01568]:

¹⁶ And Jehu [03058] the son [01121] of Nimshi [05250] shalt thou anoint [04886] to be king [04428] over Israel [03478]: and Elisha [0477] the son [01121] of Shaphat [08202] of Abelmeholah [065] shalt thou anoint [04886] to be prophet [05030] in thy room.

¹⁴ Now Elisha [0477] was fallen sick [02470] of his sickness [02483] whereof he died [04191]. And Joash [03101] the king [04428] of Israel [03478] came down [03381] unto him, and wept [01058] over his face [06440], and said [0559], O my father [01], my father [01], the chariot [07393] of Israel [03478], and the horsemen [06571] thereof.

³¹ And [1161] he said [2036] unto him [846], If [1487] they hear [191] not [3756] Moses [3475] and [2532] the prophets [4396], neither [3761] will they be persuaded [3982], though [1437] one [5100] rose [450] from [1537] the dead [3498].

¹⁹ So he departed [03212] thence, and found [04672] Elisha [0477] the son [01121] of Shaphat [08202], who was plowing [02790] with twelve [08147] [06240] yoke [06776] of oxen before [06440] him, and he with the twelfth [08147] [06240]: and Elijah [0452] passed [05674] by him, and cast [07993] his mantle [0155] upon him.

¹² And there came [0935] a writing [04385] to him from Elijah [0452] the prophet [05030], saying [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068] God [0430] of David [01732] thy father [01], Because thou hast not walked [01980] in the ways [01870] of Jehoshaphat [03092] thy father [01], nor in the ways [01870] of Asa [0609] king [04428] of Judah [03063],

⁵⁰ And Jehoshaphat [03092] slept [07901] with his fathers [01], and was buried [06912] with his fathers [01] in the city [05892] of David [01732] his father [01]: and Jehoram [03088] his son [01121] reigned [04427] in his stead.

¹ And it came to pass, when the LORD [03068] would take up [05927] Elijah [0452] into heaven [08064] by a whirlwind [05591], that Elijah [0452] went [03212] with Elisha [0477] from Gilgal [01537].