2 Kings 9:10

9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’” ¹  Then he opened the door and ran away.

2 Kings 19:14

19:14 Hezekiah took the letter ²  from the messengers and read it. ³  Then Hezekiah went up to the Lord’s temple and spread it out before the Lord.

2 Kings 9:3

9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have designated ⁴  you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!” ⁵ 

2 Kings 7:2

7:2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man ⁶  responded to the prophet, ⁷  “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” ⁸  Elisha ⁹  said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” ¹⁰ 

2 Kings 7:19

7:19 But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” ¹¹  Elisha ¹²  said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” ¹³ 

2 Kings 25:4

25:4 The enemy broke through the city walls, ¹⁴  and all the soldiers tried to escape. They left the city during the night. ¹⁵  They went through the gate between the two walls that is near the king’s garden. ¹⁶  (The Babylonians were all around the city.) Then they headed for the Jordan Valley. ¹⁷ 

¹ sn Note how the young prophet greatly expands the message Elisha had given to him. In addition to lengthening the introductory formula (by adding “the God of Israel”) and the official declaration that accompanies the act of anointing (by adding “the Lord’s people”), he goes on to tell how Jehu will become king (by a revolt against Ahab’s dynasty), makes it clear that Jehu will be an instrument of divine vengeance, and predicts the utter annihilation of Ahab’s family and the violent death of Jezebel.

² tc The MT has the plural, “letters,” but the final mem is probably dittographic (note the initial mem on the form that immediately follows). Some Greek and Aramaic witnesses have the singular.

³ tc The MT has the plural suffix, “them,” but this probably reflects a later harmonization to the preceding textual corruption (of “letter” to “letters”). The parallel passage in Isa 37:14 has the singular suffix.

³ tn Heb “anointed.”

⁴ tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”

⁴ tn Heb “the officer on whose hand the king leans.”

⁵ tn Heb “man of God.”

⁶ tn Heb “the Lord was making holes in the sky, could this thing be?” Opening holes in the sky would allow the waters stored up there to pour to the earth and assure a good crop. But, the officer argues, even if this were to happen, it would take a long time to grow and harvest the crop.

⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”

⁵ tn Heb “the Lord was making holes in the sky, could this thing be?” See the note at 7:2.

⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”

⁶ tn Heb “the city was breached.”

⁷ tn The Hebrew text is abrupt here: “And all the men of war by the night.” The translation attempts to capture the sense.

⁸ sn The king’s garden is mentioned again in Neh 3:15 in conjunction with the pool of Siloam and the stairs that go down from the city of David. This would have been in the southern part of the city near the Tyropean Valley which agrees with the reference to the “two walls” which were probably the walls on the eastern and western hills.

⁹ sn Heb “toward the Arabah.” The Arabah was the rift valley north and south of the Dead Sea. Here the intention was undoubtedly to escape across the Jordan to Moab or Ammon. It appears from Jer 40:14; 41:15 that the Ammonites were known to harbor fugitives from the Babylonians.