2 Kings 6:18

18 They came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, "Please strike this people with blindness," so he struck them with blindness as {Elisha had spoken}.

2 Kings 6:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 6:18

And when they came down to him
The Syrian army, from the hill on which they were first seen, who came down from thence to the bottom of the hill on which the city stood; and whither Elisha came out, in order both to meet them, and proceed on his journey to Samaria:

Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, smite this people, I pray thee,
with blindness;
or "blindnesses" ^F7; with great blindness, such as the men of Sodom were smitten with; the same word is here used as of them, ( Genesis 19:11 )

and he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha;
not in such manner that they could discern no object, for then they could not have followed Elisha; but their sight was so altered, that they knew not the objects they saw; they appeared quite otherwise to them than they were; they saw the city, but knew it not to be the same, and Elisha, but knew him not to be the man of God, though they might have some in the host that knew him personally.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 (Myrwnob) "in caecitatibus", Pagninus, Montanus

2 Kings 6:18 In-Context

16 And he said, "Don't be afraid, for more [are] with us than are with them."

17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Yahweh, please open his eyes that he may see," and Yahweh opened the eyes of the servant, and he saw, and look, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

18 They came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, "Please strike this people with blindness," so he struck them with blindness as {Elisha had spoken}.

19 Then Elisha said to them, "This [is] not the way and this [is] not the city. Come after me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." Then he brought them to Samaria.

20 It happened at the moment they came to Samaria, Elisha said, "O Yahweh, open the eyes of these that they may see," so Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw, and look, the middle of Samaria!

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "according to the word of Elisha"