Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
In Israel, Jehoahaz, Joash, and Jeroboam reign successively. In verse 14, the dying Elisha promises King Joash a threefold victory against the Syrians, and in verse 21, now dead, he raises a dead man by the touch of his bones. Finally, in verse 24, Hazael dies and his son Ben-hadad succeeds him, whom Joash conquers three times in battle according to the oracle of Elisha.
Vulgate Text: 4 Kings 13:1-25
1. In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria for seventeen years. 2. And he did evil before the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, and he did not depart from them. 3. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days. 4. But Jehoahaz besought the face of the Lord, and the Lord heard him: for He saw the distress of Israel, because the king of Syria was crushing them: 5. and the Lord gave Israel a savior, and they were freed from the hand of the king of Syria, and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before. 6. Nevertheless they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked in them: and indeed the grove remained in Samaria. 7. And there were not left to Jehoahaz of the people more than fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers: for the king of Syria had slain them and reduced them as dust on the threshing floor. 8. Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his valor, are they not written in the Book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 9. And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his place. 10. In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Joash the son of Jehoahaz reigned over Israel in Samaria for sixteen years, 11. and he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, but walked in them. 12. Now the rest of the deeds of Joash, and all that he did, and his valor, how he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 13. And Joash slept with his fathers: and Jeroboam sat upon his throne. Now Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. 14. Now Elisha was sick with the illness of which he died: and Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, saying: My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horseman. 15. And Elisha said to him: Bring a bow and arrows. And when he had brought him a bow and arrows, 16. he said to the king of Israel: Place your hand on the bow. And when he had placed his hand, Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands, 17. And he said: Open the eastern window. And when he had opened it, Elisha said: Shoot an arrow. And he shot. And Elisha said: The arrow of the Lord's salvation, and the arrow of salvation against Syria: and you shall strike Syria at Aphek, until you consume it. 18. And he said: Take the arrows. And when he had taken them, he said again: Strike the ground with an arrow. And when he had struck three times and stopped, 19. the man of God was angry with him and said: If you had struck five or six or seven times, you would have struck Syria to destruction: but now you shall strike it only three times. 20. So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites came into the land that year. 21. And some who were burying a man saw the raiders and cast the corpse into the sepulchre of Elisha. And when it had touched the bones of Elisha, the man came back to life and stood upon his feet. 22. Now Hazael king of Syria afflicted Israel all the days of Jehoahaz, 23. and the Lord had mercy on them and returned to them because of His covenant which He had with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob: and He would not destroy them nor cast them off entirely, unto the present time. 24. And Hazael king of Syria died, and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his place. 25. And Joash the son of Jehoahaz took back the cities from the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, which he had taken from the hand of Jehoahaz his father by right of war; three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.
Verse 1: In the Twenty-third Year of Joash the Son of Ahaziah King of Judah, Jehoahaz the Son of Jehu Reigned Over Israel
1. In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu reigned over Israel. — In the time of Joash king of Judah, namely in the tenth year of his reign, Carthage, the rival of Rome, was founded by Dido, who from Tyre, while Pygmalion was reigning, sailed to Africa and founded it, as Josephus relates from the Tyrian annals in book I Against Apion, whom Torniellus, Gordonus, Salianus, and Scaliger follow, although others would have it founded at another time. For on this matter there are various opinions of various authors. According to this view, Carthage was founded one hundred and thirty years before Rome. Again in the fourteenth year of Joash, Lycurgus gave laws to the Spartans, which the pagans celebrate, but which are far inferior to Christian laws; for they permit women to live luxuriously and commit adultery, and boys and youths to steal, so that they may become clever and each person guard his property more carefully. Therefore Aristotle disapproves and faults them, book II of the Republic, ch. ix. In the same year 14 of Joash, the Olympic contests began, and from them the Olympiads were named and counted, established or rather restored by Iphitus king of Elis, who was a contemporary of Lycurgus; as Salianus teaches from Plutarch in his Lycurgus, Aristotle, and Pausanias. However, the names of the victors in the Olympics began to be recorded only after 27 Olympiads, namely at Olympiad 28, in which the first victor recorded is Coroebus: therefore the Olympiads are commonly counted from this one, and the twenty-eighth is called the first, which according to Salianus's computation falls in the first year of Jotham king of Judah, which was the year of the world 3278, 775 years before Christ, although others assign these years differently; for nowhere is there greater diversity of opinions than in chronology.
Verse 5: The Lord Gave Israel a Savior
5. And the Lord gave Israel a savior. — Who was this savior? Some think it was the Angel guardian and protector of Israel, who fought and conquered for him against the Syrians, as the Angel fought for Hezekiah against Sennacherib, killing 185,000 Assyrians. Others would have it be a certain man and leader sent by God, but unnamed in Scripture, and therefore unknown and uncertain to us. Better, others think it was Elisha. So Cajetan. Or certainly Joash king of Israel, strengthened by Elisha, who defeated the Syrians three times, as follows. Therefore during the entire time of Jehoahaz, Israel was afflicted by the Syrians, as is said in verse 22. But after Jehoahaz, his successor Joash subdued the Syrians and restored liberty to Israel. Hence Jehoahaz, praying to God for the salvation of Israel, obtained it for the time of the reign not of himself but of his son Joash. So Abulensis.
Verse 7: There Were Not Left More Than Fifty Horsemen
7. And there were not left to Jehoahaz of the people more than fifty horsemen. — This verse confirms what I have already said: therefore it must be connected with verse 3, and placed before verse 4, where by a hyperbaton the prayer of Jehoahaz, his being heard, and the promise of liberation to be effected through Joash are inserted. So Sanchez. And he had reduced them like dust on the threshing floor — that is, Hazael crushed and ground down the Israelites, just as chaff and dust are customarily crushed and ground on the threshing floor. So Abulensis.
Verse 8: His Valor
8. And his valor — although Jehoahaz was defeated by Hazael, who was more powerful, nevertheless he bore himself bravely in battles and defended himself as much as he could.
Verse 14: Now Elisha was Sick with the Illness of which he Died: and the King of Israel (Joash) Went Down to
14. Now Elisha was sick with the illness of which he died: and the king of Israel (Joash) went down to him and wept before him, saying: My father, the chariot of Israel and its horseman: that is, You, O Elisha, are my and Israel's father, inasmuch as you defended me and my kingdom more than a great multitude of horsemen and chariots; you therefore, while living, as a charioteer drove and governed the kingdom of Israel; now that you are dying, who will defend me and my people against Hazael and the Syrians? Elisha had cried out the same thing to Elijah as he was being carried up to heaven, ch. ii, verse 12; see the commentary there.
Verse 16: Place Your Hand Upon the Bow
16. He said to the king of Israel: Place your hand upon the bow. And when he had placed his hand, Elisha placed (the Royal edition incorrectly reads "placed under") his hands upon the king's hands — to signify that his help would be present to him, even when absent, indeed even when he had passed from life; for God, on account of his merits, would give him victory; and he himself in limbo would pray to God for it and certainly obtain it. After death, therefore, the power and virtue of Elisha was alive, and the wonders he was accustomed to work while living, he also worked after death. So Abulensis, Cajetan, and others. Hence let heretics learn that the Saints, especially those reigning with God in heaven after Christ, are powerful through God, so that they can and will help us when we invoke them. Let princes and all other men learn here how much the prayer and tears of holy men avail, and that unless they place their hands upon our hands and works, we labor in vain. Tropologically, let the Teacher bring to the mouth of preaching the hand of good works, so that what he teaches by word, he may first teach by example. Thus preaching will be efficacious and will persuade the hearers of what he preaches. So Angelomus and Eucherius.
Verse 17: Open the Eastern Window (to Shoot a Victorious Arrow Against the Syrians, who Are to the East of Israel)
17. Open the eastern window (to shoot a victorious arrow against the Syrians, who are to the east of Israel). And when he had opened it, Elisha said: Shoot an arrow; and he shot, and Elisha said: The arrow of the Lord's salvation, and the arrow of salvation against Syria — that is, I pray God to bless, direct, and strengthen your arrows and those of your soldiers (which I represent by this arrow and its shot) and your weapons, fighting, and battles, so that they may strike, slay, and subdue the Syrians; and I not only pray for this, but as a prophet from the mouth of God I foretell the same to you, and promise you victory over the Syrians, whence he adds: And you shall strike Syria at Aphek. — He alludes to the ancient custom of declaring war upon enemies and beginning battle by hurling an arrow or javelin into enemy territory, as the Romans did, as Servius testifies on the words of Turnus in Virgil, Æneid IX: Lo, he says, and hurling the javelin he sends it into the air, The beginning of the fight. The Greeks did the same; hence as soon as he reached Persia, "Alexander (the Great) was the first to cast a javelin as if into enemy territory," says Justin, book II. See Gellius, book XVI, ch. xiv, and Alexander ab Alexandro, book IV of Genial Days, ch. iii.
Tropologically, Angelomus says: "When with His examples the Lord directs and strengthens the actions of Teachers, He commands them to open the eastern window and shoot an arrow, because He exhorts His own to be first illuminated by the light of knowledge and true doctrine, and to send forth words like javelins." And shortly after: "The arrow of the Lord's salvation, and the arrow of salvation against Syria; and you shall strike Syria at Aphek until you consume it. The arrow of the Lord's salvation, therefore, is holy preaching, when it is fittingly presented, and is the most certain destruction of spiritual enemies, if it is carried out perseveringly. Nor is it right that the steward of the word of God should ever grow sluggishly torpid, who has been commanded to have care of the Lord's flock; for it greatly harms devout hearers if sloth prevails among the Teachers. For the Prophet says: Cry out, do not cease." So also Eucherius. At Aphek. — Aphek was a city in the tribe of Issachar, famous for the slaughter of enemies; for Joshua killed the king of Aphek: "In this place the Philistines pitched camp to fight against Israel, afterwards against Saul; there also the Syrians fought against Ahab king of Israel, when they said: Their gods are gods of the mountains, let us fight against them in the valleys and plains, and we shall overcome them; where also Ben-hadad king of Syria was defeated," says Adrichomius.
Until you consume it — supply: unless you yourself impede it, as in fact happened. For Joash, striking the ground only three times, struck the Syrians only three times, who would certainly have destroyed them more often and to their destruction, if he had struck the ground more often, as is evident from verse 19.
Verse 19: If You had Struck Five or Six or Seven Times, You Would have Struck Syria to Destruction
19. If you had struck five or six or seven times, you would have struck Syria to destruction. — Such was the will and decree of God, who had thus freely disposed and decreed that Joash would strike Syria as many times as he had struck the ground; which decree of God Elisha knew, but by God's command he did not wish to reveal to King Joash, so that it would be left to his own judgment to strike the ground as many times as he wished. For if Joash had known the decree of God, he would certainly have struck the ground more times with the arrow. In a similar way, God linked Joshua's victory against Amalek to the extension of the hands and prayer of Moses, Exodus xvii, 11; and the same Joshua's victory against the Canaanites He linked to Joshua's raising of his shield, ch. viii, 18. Moreover, that Joash struck the ground only three times, and therefore struck the Syrians only three times, Abulensis attributes to his sins and his worship of the calves. For it was remarkable and unworthy that a king, so often admonished by Elisha, witnessing his miracles, indeed obtaining victories against the Syrians by God's help, should not have abandoned the worship of the calves and transferred himself entirely to the veneration of the true God who was so beneficent to him. It is likely that he worshipped the true God, whom he had recognized through Elisha, and at the same time the ancestral gods, namely the golden calves of Jeroboam. For his father Jehoahaz worshipped both, as is evident from verses 4 and 6. Hence, thundering against him and similar kings of Israel through Hosea ch. x, 2, God says: "Their heart is divided, now they shall perish."
Verse 20: Elisha Died, and They Buried Him
20. So Elisha died, and they buried him. — There is no doubt that King Joash was present at his death, along with the sons of the prophets, his disciples, by then spread throughout all Israel, and that they received from him his last admonitions of holiness and religious life. That the prophet Amos was also present, being the brother of King Amaziah and the father of Isaiah, the Hebrews assert in the Seder Olam. Elisha prophesied for about 66 years under six kings of Israel, namely under Ahab, Ahaziah, Joram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash. He lived one hundred years and more, eighty in religious discipline, and died in the year of the world 3204, says Salianus, in the eighth year of Amaziah king of Judah, the tenth year of Joash king of Israel, 849 years before Christ. He was inscribed in the catalogue of Saints in the Roman Martyrology on June 14, where we read thus: "At Samaria in Palestine, St. Elisha the prophet, whose tomb demons tremble before, as St. Jerome writes." Hear St. Jerome writing in the introduction to the prophet Obadiah: "The tomb of Obadiah, together with the mausoleum of Elisha and John the Baptist, is venerated at Sebaste, which was formerly Samaria." The same author adds in the epitaph of Paula that there demons roar with various torments, and before the tombs of the saints, men howl like wolves, roar like lions, hiss like serpents, bellow with the roaring of bulls. Cedrenus reports that under the Emperor Leo the Great, the relics of Elisha were transferred to Alexandria. Hence Julian the Apostate, mixing the bones of Elisha and the Baptist with the bones of brute animals, wished to burn them, as the Life of St. Artemius in Lipomanus records.
See the praises of Elisha in Ecclesiasticus xlviii, 13: "In Elisha," it says, "his (Elijah's) spirit was completed; in his days he did not fear the prince, and no one overcame him in power;" see the commentary there. Finally, Elisha in prophecy was soon succeeded by Hosea, who prophesied under Uzziah the son of Amaziah king of Judah, Isaiah, Amos, Jonah, and the other major and minor prophets.
Verse 21: When It Had Touched the Bones of Elisha
21. And when it had touched the bones of Elisha, the man came back to life — Remarkable was Elisha's virtue and holiness, that while dead he raised a dead man to life. He was in this a type of Christ, by whose grace and the touch of whose merits, though He died on the cross, we shall all rise again. So Angelomus, Eucherius, and others. Hence Ecclesiasticus gives this praise to Elisha, ch. xlviii, 14: "And his dead body prophesied. Prophesied," that is, he worked a miracle by raising a dead man. For miracles were the works of the Prophets, that is, of the holy men and Teachers of Israel.