2 Kings 13:17

17 and (he) said, Open thou the east window. And when he had opened (it), Elisha said, Shoot thou an arrow; and he shot (it). And Elisha said, This is an arrow of [the] health of the Lord, and an arrow of health against Syria; and thou shalt smite Syria in Aphek, till thou waste it (And Elisha said, This is an arrow of the Lord's victory, yea, an arrow of victory over Syria; and thou shalt strike Syria in Aphek, until thou destroy it).

2 Kings 13:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 13:17

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 ( Isaiah 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 ( 2 Kings 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, ( 1 Kings 20:26 1 Kings 20:29 1 Kings 20:30 ) hence some read the words here, "as in Aphek."

2 Kings 13:17 In-Context

15 And Elisha said to him, Bring thou a bow and arrows. And when he had brought to Elisha a bow and arrows,

16 he said to the king of Israel, Set thine hand on the bow. And when he had set his hand (on it), Elisha setted his hands on the hands of the king,

17 and (he) said, Open thou the east window. And when he had opened (it), Elisha said, Shoot thou an arrow; and he shot (it). And Elisha said, This is an arrow of [the] health of the Lord, and an arrow of health against Syria; and thou shalt smite Syria in Aphek, till thou waste it (And Elisha said, This is an arrow of the Lord's victory, yea, an arrow of victory over Syria; and thou shalt strike Syria in Aphek, until thou destroy it).

18 And Elisha said, Take away the arrows. And when he had taken (them) away, Elisha said to him, Smite thou the earth with a dart (Strike thou the earth with this arrow). And when he had smitten three times, and had stood,

19 the man of God was wroth against him, and said, If thou haddest smitten five times, either six times, either seven times, thou shouldest have smitten Syria unto the ending (of it); now forsooth thou shalt smite it three times (but now thou shalt strike it only three times).