Ephrem the Syrian — Commentary on Scripture

2 Kings 1:2-4

“Ahaziah falls from the gallery of his upper chamber in Samaria.” … Ahaziah is the son of Ahab, and after Ahab’s death he takes his place and reigns over his people. Now, he falls from the upper chambers of his palace, and his body is seriously injured. Therefore Ahaziah sends some messengers to the god of the Ekronites in order to question him about his injury. It seems that such a piece of advice was given to him by his mother, Jezebel, who for her entire life made her children, namely, Ahaziah and Joram, her slaves, just like Ahab, her husband, had been a slave to her. Ahaziah’s present action, as well as what his brother did after him—their shameful end and the hardness of their heart in the adoration of their idols until their death—are perfectly in keeping with the abominable actions and wicked will of their mother, Jezebel. So, Elijah, who had learned from a vigilant [i.e., an angel] what Ahaziah was doing, came out to meet his messengers and ordered them, by the word of the Lord, to return to their master and announce to him the news of his departure from this world, because…

“Ahaziah falls from the gallery of his upper chamber in Samaria.” … Ahaziah is the son of Ahab, and after Ahab’s death he takes his place and reigns over his people. Now, he falls from the upper chambers of his palace, and his body is seriously injured. Therefore Ahaziah sends some messengers to the god of the Ekronites in order to question him about his injury. It seems that such a piece of advice was given to him by his mother, Jezebel, who for her entire life made her children, namely, Ahaziah and Joram, her slaves, just like Ahab, her husband, had been a slave to her. Ahaziah’s present action, as well as what his brother did after him—their shameful end and the hardness of their heart in the adoration of their idols until their death—are perfectly in keeping with the abominable actions and wicked will of their mother, Jezebel. So, Elijah, who had learned from a vigilant [i.e., an angel] what Ahaziah was doing, came out to meet his messengers and ordered them, by the word of the Lord, to return to their master and announce to him the news of his departure from this world, because he had rejected the Lord and had taken refuge in the god of Ekron, hoping that he would heal him.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 1:1

2 Kings 1:9-14

But the stubborn king did not fear the word of the prophet and said in his heart, “He lies.” And so he did not pay attention to his warning, which exhorted him to get rid of the reason of his evils and to repent. He persevered in his stubbornness and, instead of repenting of his pride and being converted, grew more stubborn and sent a captain of fifty with some guards to arrest the prophet of God and lead him to the tribunal. Now, after hearing that the fire had come down and had consumed the captain with his fifty men on the occasion of their effrontery, he sent some others, and again the fire consumed them and made them perish. And [divine] justice decrees this sentence quite rightly, because those who had seen the fire, which had come down at the prayer of Elijah, and had not believed or were converted, were necessarily scorched by the second descent of the fire. And the same punishment was prepared for the third one, who was sent after them, if the terrifying spectacle of the fire had not made him wise. He avoids appearing like his comrades: he arrives after the prophet, humbly k…

But the stubborn king did not fear the word of the prophet and said in his heart, “He lies.” And so he did not pay attention to his warning, which exhorted him to get rid of the reason of his evils and to repent. He persevered in his stubbornness and, instead of repenting of his pride and being converted, grew more stubborn and sent a captain of fifty with some guards to arrest the prophet of God and lead him to the tribunal. Now, after hearing that the fire had come down and had consumed the captain with his fifty men on the occasion of their effrontery, he sent some others, and again the fire consumed them and made them perish. And [divine] justice decrees this sentence quite rightly, because those who had seen the fire, which had come down at the prayer of Elijah, and had not believed or were converted, were necessarily scorched by the second descent of the fire. And the same punishment was prepared for the third one, who was sent after them, if the terrifying spectacle of the fire had not made him wise. He avoids appearing like his comrades: he arrives after the prophet, humbly kneels down before him and, on the one hand, repeats the order of the king, but on the other, gives him the option whether to obey the word of the king or not.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 1:1

2 Kings 1:17-18

After the death of Ahaziah, since he had no children who could inherit the kingdom, his brother Jehoram became king. This did not occur because the Law prescribed anything of the sort, but because this was the custom of their neighbors, which the children of Israel had observed by now for many years. But God gives another rule for the kingdom of the children of Judah: he binds them to the family of David, and it is in this manner that the kingship was constantly transmitted from the father to the son or the next of kin—but they refused this succession only once, at the time of Jechonias, who became king after Zedekiah, brother of his father, because Jechonias was deported to Babel and Zedekiah was forced to take his place and stop the fall of the monarchy.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 1:15

2 Kings 2:1-7

Elijah, who now lived with Elisha, whom he had also consecrated as prophet according to a divine oracle, as has been said already, was with him every day, inseparably sharing with him the same way of life. When he was about to ascend into the chariots of fire, to leave and be raised to the clouds with that physical mass that drags us to the ground, after he had already crossed Gilgal and was going to reach Bethel, he ordered Elisha to stay in Gilgal. But Elisha did not obey him nor would he separate from him because those words carried him instead of completely imprisoning him. That is why, after all, Elijah took him with him. When both had reached Bethel, where they spent a few days, and Elijah was planning again to visit Jericho by himself, he ordered Elisha not to come along with him for the second time. But just as before, he continued to be disobedient and stubborn, as if he felt torn at the thought of being cut off from his master. Since he did not know what to do, Elijah consented to go again with him. Fifty more followed them. These were the sons of the prophets.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 2:2-5

2 Kings 2:22-24

“He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” After Elisha had settled the matters concerning his disciples in Jericho, he moved to his dwelling place in Bethel, and during his journey the facts, which the Scripture places here, happened to him. It seems that the impudence of the children resulted from the teaching of their parents, because they were iniquitous and hostile to Elijah and all his disciples. And we may also think that they had been sent by their masters to repeat what they had learned. The word proclaimed according to Elisha by the disciples of Elijah, their fellow citizens, with regard to the ascension of their master grieved the people of Bethel a great deal. That is why, I suppose, those children did not only mention his baldness but also found further insults, which they said before him to outrage his fame, so that nobody might believe his word, if he repeated in Bethel what he had told and about which he had convinced many people in Jeri…

“He went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” After Elisha had settled the matters concerning his disciples in Jericho, he moved to his dwelling place in Bethel, and during his journey the facts, which the Scripture places here, happened to him. It seems that the impudence of the children resulted from the teaching of their parents, because they were iniquitous and hostile to Elijah and all his disciples. And we may also think that they had been sent by their masters to repeat what they had learned. The word proclaimed according to Elisha by the disciples of Elijah, their fellow citizens, with regard to the ascension of their master grieved the people of Bethel a great deal. That is why, I suppose, those children did not only mention his baldness but also found further insults, which they said before him to outrage his fame, so that nobody might believe his word, if he repeated in Bethel what he had told and about which he had convinced many people in Jericho. In fact, they had meditated on this evil thought and said, “This is the reason for his coming.” Now, Elisha, even though he was upset by the effrontery of the children, was much more enraged by the craftiness and the iniquities of their parents, and he corrected both by a harsh and terrible sentence: he punished the former, so that they might not add to their iniquity by growing up to adulthood; the latter, so that they might be corrected and cease from their wickedness. He, who had blessed the children of Jericho and benefited them to the highest degree for their faith, because, after seeing that he had divided the Jordan through his word, they had said that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha, decreed this bitter sentence against the people of Bethel. Indeed, the people of Bethel did not believe, when they heard from children of prophets who were in their city, the news of the ascension of Elijah.“Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.” On the day the Lord sent Elijah to anoint Elisha, he said that he would have taken revenge through him on the children of Israel, who had revolted against him, that is, those who escaped from the sword of Hazael and Jehu, Elisha would have caused to perish. This is, therefore, the beginning of the punishment: the word pronounced against the iniquitous began to be fulfilled.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 2:20

2 Kings 3:9-14

After the death of Ahab, his son Ahaziah died too, and since he had no children, his brother Jehoram took his place. Therefore the Scripture reports that he moved with his army against the king of Moab. He went to war because Mesha, king of Moab, had refused to pay his tribute to the kings of Israel and had not paid both Hezekiah and Jehoram, that is, [he had not paid] one hundred thousand fat lambs and one hundred thousand unshorn rams. The word noqdo, which the Scripture mentions here, derives from Hebrew and can be translated as “king of the shepherds of rams,” that is, he reared huge herds of them. So Jehoram, who had resolved to assert the rights that his brother had renounced, summoned the kings of the inhabitants of Judea and Edom and marched with them through the territories of the children of Moab. But they found themselves on a barren and arid land, and they had no water for the army. The three kings went to see Elisha, following the advice of righteous Jehoshaphat, and implored him to rescue the suffering people, who were overwhelmed with thirst. The prophet protested and…

After the death of Ahab, his son Ahaziah died too, and since he had no children, his brother Jehoram took his place. Therefore the Scripture reports that he moved with his army against the king of Moab. He went to war because Mesha, king of Moab, had refused to pay his tribute to the kings of Israel and had not paid both Hezekiah and Jehoram, that is, [he had not paid] one hundred thousand fat lambs and one hundred thousand unshorn rams. The word noqdo, which the Scripture mentions here, derives from Hebrew and can be translated as “king of the shepherds of rams,” that is, he reared huge herds of them. So Jehoram, who had resolved to assert the rights that his brother had renounced, summoned the kings of the inhabitants of Judea and Edom and marched with them through the territories of the children of Moab. But they found themselves on a barren and arid land, and they had no water for the army. The three kings went to see Elisha, following the advice of righteous Jehoshaphat, and implored him to rescue the suffering people, who were overwhelmed with thirst. The prophet protested and harshly reproached Jehoram but was pleased with Jehoshaphat and gave him hope of salvation. At the same time, he promised that through his mediation, he and his companions would soon obtain the victory through the agency of the Lord.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 3:9

2 Kings 3:15

The Scripture mentions a musical instrument that produces sounds, or a harp, as the Hebrew says, so that, thanks to the sound of its music, all the soldiers might be assembled around it and might understand when they were summoned to destroy their enemies, and there might be evident testimonies of [Elisha’s] words. In this way, when the miracle occurred, they could not attribute it to Baal or the idols they worshiped. Indeed, there were numerous idolaters in the army.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 3:15

2 Kings 3:16

“The harpist played, and the water flowed to the bed of the streams.” Through this figure the voice of Christ is conveniently foreshadowed, because he kept the harp of the spirit on the cross. Indeed, our Lord cried twice and gave up his spirit with a loud voice. And immediately the pagan centurion gave glory to the Lord, and in this manner the conversion of the Gentiles was clearly highlighted. After the Christ had brought to perfection on the wood of the cross the new glory of our Savior, the sources were immediately opened and rivers of living water flowed on the nations of the Gentiles, who are symbolized by the “wadi,” as Jesus had said before his passion: “Let the one who believes in me drink. As the Scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” In this way the word of the prophet might be fulfilled: He who has played the harp will play for the Gentiles in the name of the Lord.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 3:16

2 Kings 3:22-23

“The kings fought together and killed one another.” After the water had come and the armies of Jehoshaphat and his allied kings had drunk their fill, the Moabites, who had seen that the water was red, said this. But they were wrong, because the color of the water had become red on account of the coming of the sun that oppressed them. When they saw the stream flow, they did not think that water was actually flowing in it, because rain had not fallen in all those days. Consequently they took for granted that no source of water could exist in that dried and scorched region. Therefore they thought that the gods of their homeland had caused the kings and their armies to attack and destroy one another. Indeed, they were easily inclined to religious dissensions. They believed that what they saw flowing in the stream was the blood from the carnage of battle.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 3:25

2 Kings 3:24

When the Moabites came to plunder the camp, they convinced themselves that its ruins had been abandoned by their guards. Instead, Jehoshaphat and the kings with him suddenly rose up with drawn swords when they realized that their enemies were approaching and almost upon them. But the Moabites did not persist in their attack. They turned around and ran away because they had come unarmed. They had not come to fight, but to plunder. Therefore they scattered the army of their enemies by simply turning their weapons against them. Then they destroyed and laid waste the land bordering [the Moabites]. And finally, like an overflowing stream, they rushed in to attack Moab, cutting down their trees according to Elisha’s order, stopping up the flowing springs, destroying the villages, and demolishing all their houses until they brought down their walls. They surrounded and demolished their fortresses, that is, knocked down the walls and scattered the rubble of the demolition.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 3:23

2 Kings 3:26-27

People imitate those who do good deeds, therefore, not out of love for these good deeds but because of their usefulness. For Balaam also flattered [God], in that he had seven altars built because he had heard concerning these ancient ones that, with regard to the sacrifices they had offered to him, their prayers were accepted. The king of Moab took note of Jephthah. But, because it was his firstborn and a human being rather than an animal that he killed, God took pity on him, since it was in affliction that he did it and not through love. In the case of Jephthah, if it had been one of his servants who had been first to encounter him, he would have killed him. But, in order that people would not engage in the sacrifice of their fellow human beings, he caused his own daughter to meet him, so that others would be afraid, lest they offer human beings by vow to God.

COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 10.3

2 Kings 3:26-27

Therefore Mesha, who had lost all his hope in his armies, made an about-face to ask the gods for help, because he had seen that no human being could help him. Certain wise men of his country said to him that it was necessary to implore the mercy of the God of Israel by means of an extraordinary sacrifice, for exactly the same reason which Abraham, the father of the Israelites, had made his offering, which had been quite pleasing to God, according to the tradition that is generally renowned among the Canaanites. But the power and the strength of God had already been recognized by all with great admiration for what he had done before all the Moabites. Indeed, no one but him had made the water flow on his people in the desert of Edom, and they had never heard of or known another God who granted his worshipers greater benefits. Therefore the king, who could not deny the miracle that he had seen with his own eyes, did not want to be deprived of sufficient aid in the difficulties that encircled him. He was confirmed [in his hope] and abandoned the worship of idols by taking refuge in the p…

Therefore Mesha, who had lost all his hope in his armies, made an about-face to ask the gods for help, because he had seen that no human being could help him. Certain wise men of his country said to him that it was necessary to implore the mercy of the God of Israel by means of an extraordinary sacrifice, for exactly the same reason which Abraham, the father of the Israelites, had made his offering, which had been quite pleasing to God, according to the tradition that is generally renowned among the Canaanites. But the power and the strength of God had already been recognized by all with great admiration for what he had done before all the Moabites. Indeed, no one but him had made the water flow on his people in the desert of Edom, and they had never heard of or known another God who granted his worshipers greater benefits. Therefore the king, who could not deny the miracle that he had seen with his own eyes, did not want to be deprived of sufficient aid in the difficulties that encircled him. He was confirmed [in his hope] and abandoned the worship of idols by taking refuge in the powerful God who had created a new sea in the desert. Therefore he was invited by the word of the wise men and nobles of Moab to make a great sacrifice and to offer his firstborn child, the pillar of his house and the hope of his kingdom, on the city walls, before the armies that besieged him. He wanted the Hebrew to see the sacrifice he was about to make to the God of Abraham according to the teaching of Abraham.And then the wrath against the Israelites increased, because the calamities, which the Scripture accurately relates after these events, happened to them again. They had seen how God protected them, and the abundance of water that he had made miraculously flow for them and the retreat of their enemies before them. Nevertheless, they persisted in their dishonor, and their hearts were still attached to their calf.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 3:25-27

2 Kings 4:1

It is said that this woman was the wife of Obadiah, the treasurer of Ahab and a secret disciple of Elijah, who had taken one hundred prophets away from the rage of Jezebel and had fed them when they were hungry. It seems that in this affair he was entrusted with the gold of the royal house, but after his death his wife was left with a huge debt to be paid to his masters. But since she could not pay, and the taxmen of the king pressed her and wanted to sell her children, the mother implored Elisha, because she knew he was the father of orphans and the defender of widows, and she thought he would have not drawn back his hands [when asked to help] the sons of a righteous man who had served his companions the prophets. Among other things, the taxmen of the king, who had lent money to Obadiah, in justice, according to the law of the Hebrews, had moved against his children; and this is what our Lord suggested to us in the parable of the creditor king who ordered the children to be sold for the debt of their father, even though he was still alive and only needed some time to pay his debt.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:1

2 Kings 4:2-7

Here the Scripture relates the other miracle that Elisha performed in order to help the widow. He made flow into the vessels an amount of oil sufficient to pay the debt of her husband and abundantly multiplied it for the nourishment of her children.From the symbolic point of view three aspects must be observed here: first of all it is said that the widow filled the vessels of her neighbors with an oil that gushed out in her house thanks to a gift of God, because the holy church resembles the widow. In fact, she was not abandoned when her husband ascended to heaven, but she filled the hearts of the Gentiles with the oil of the knowledge of salvation which has multiplied and become abundant in her house thanks to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Gentiles, who were separated before, after being filled with that fat oil, glorified with their lips of cheerfulness that God whom they had ignored before. In the second place, the widow asked for empty vessels and filled with oil those that her children brought to her, both small and large vessels. This signifies the saints who h…

Here the Scripture relates the other miracle that Elisha performed in order to help the widow. He made flow into the vessels an amount of oil sufficient to pay the debt of her husband and abundantly multiplied it for the nourishment of her children.From the symbolic point of view three aspects must be observed here: first of all it is said that the widow filled the vessels of her neighbors with an oil that gushed out in her house thanks to a gift of God, because the holy church resembles the widow. In fact, she was not abandoned when her husband ascended to heaven, but she filled the hearts of the Gentiles with the oil of the knowledge of salvation which has multiplied and become abundant in her house thanks to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, the Gentiles, who were separated before, after being filled with that fat oil, glorified with their lips of cheerfulness that God whom they had ignored before.
In the second place, the widow asked for empty vessels and filled with oil those that her children brought to her, both small and large vessels. This signifies the saints who have rejected any worldly passion and are filled with the fat of the holy ointment and the oil of happiness. So their mother, that is, the grace of God gives oil to each of them, both to the great and the little. For God gives his gifts as he likes, so that everything may be ours, as the apostle says: “We must grow up in Christ according to his gift.” But those who are weighed down by their intemperance, drunkenness and worldly interests, those who, as the apostle says, walk in the vanity of their spirit and are obscured in their intelligence, those who have lost their hope and have given themselves to the practice of every sort of paganism and covetousness are deprived of this grace. In fact, they do not desire this oil, and if they desire it, they prepare no vessel to be filled with it.
In the third place, the rest of the oil, which the dead husband had left to his widow, signifies the mercy that [Christ] had shown to the saints while he lived on earth. Solomon says that he who associates himself with the Lord has mercy for the poor, and [the Lord] will reward him according to his works.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:3

2 Kings 4:8-10

It happened, in the next days, that Elisha arrived at Shunem and passed it. After the ascension of Elijah, Elisha took his place and was appointed as the chief and prefect of the children of the prophets. Duty to his calling obligated him to visit their lodgings in Bethel and Jericho, as well as those along the Jordan. In fact, since the straight line of his route compelled him to pass through the village of Shunem, now and then he made a detour to the house of the Shunammite, because she was an admirable woman. And she, after hearing the words of her fellow citizens about him and seeing him in her house, understood the advantages of his stay at her place. Therefore she asked her husband to build a high room, solitary and separated from the rest of the people of the house. Indeed, she said that it was not proper for a holy prophet to live in an impure place. She called him holy because of his virginity.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:8

2 Kings 4:16

Elisha said to the Shunammite woman, “At this season, in due time, you shall embrace a son.” He wanted to pay his debt for her service and pious assistance to him. Since she was blessed with the goods of the Law but was deprived of children, even though the Law also promised children to those who observed it, she ardently desired to have an heir for those goods. So Elisha promised the Shunammite woman this blessing, even though she had not asked for it.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:16

2 Kings 4:17-29

“The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her,” but after a few years, the child died. His mother placed the corpse on the bed of the prophet in the high room of her house and then rushed to meet him, blessed him and knelt down at his feet, not in order to make a request but to rebuke him. She said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead your servant?’ ” [“Why did you take me and throw me into the pangs of Eve, when I was free of them, and why did you make death, against which I had risen and for which I had no consideration, reign over me? Indeed, thanks to my unlucky sterility I had been away from those two evils. Because of my fear of death I had not asked you for children, and because of the mockeries of the pagans, among whom I live, I did not desire them. So I have said to you: Do not ask that children be given to me.”]5From her lips she gave reproaches, while with her hands she implored him and, catching hold of his feet, besieged him. She swore she would not leave him until he had given her his grace and h…

“The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her,” but after a few years, the child died. His mother placed the corpse on the bed of the prophet in the high room of her house and then rushed to meet him, blessed him and knelt down at his feet, not in order to make a request but to rebuke him. She said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead your servant?’ ” [“Why did you take me and throw me into the pangs of Eve, when I was free of them, and why did you make death, against which I had risen and for which I had no consideration, reign over me? Indeed, thanks to my unlucky sterility I had been away from those two evils. Because of my fear of death I had not asked you for children, and because of the mockeries of the pagans, among whom I live, I did not desire them. So I have said to you: Do not ask that children be given to me.”]5From her lips she gave reproaches, while with her hands she implored him and, catching hold of his feet, besieged him. She swore she would not leave him until he had given her his grace and had brought back to life her son, which death had grasped. So Elisha was profoundly touched by the words of the woman. [Because he did not suffer so much for the death of the child as for the mockeries he would have been obliged to bear on the part of the prophets of Baal.]
When he saw her suffering and anguish, he immediately sent his disciple, entrusting him with his staff, and told him to lay it on the dead child and to inform him about the results of his ministry. He wanted the resurrection of the dead to happen by means of the staff of the master and the hands of the disciple, if his servant was sufficient for the miracle. If that were not sufficient, he would blame himself, because he had outraged with his laziness the coat of arms of the house of Moses.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:17

2 Kings 4:30-37

“Then the mother of the child said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you.’ ” Now, since Elisha had stayed at home and had sent his disciple, the mother of the [dead] child pressed him to aid her personally. Elisha had mercy on her grief, which was great, and set out to accompany her to the village of Shunem. Gehazi, his disciple, had laid the staff on the child at the time fixed by his master but had not raised him; that is, the resurrection of the dead child had not followed the application of the staff, because Gehazi was a covetous man and was not worthy of being mentioned. Elisha did not raise the child by the mere imposition of the staff either but raised him one hour later by adding certain ceremonies to the imposition of the staff. And in that manner he accomplished the type of the Providence of the Word of God, who came to raise Adam after he had been condemned to death. For he knew that the staff of the prophet represented the wood of the cross. In fact, the salvation of the world was not in the Law, which is only the shadow and the figu…

“Then the mother of the child said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you.’ ” Now, since Elisha had stayed at home and had sent his disciple, the mother of the [dead] child pressed him to aid her personally. Elisha had mercy on her grief, which was great, and set out to accompany her to the village of Shunem. Gehazi, his disciple, had laid the staff on the child at the time fixed by his master but had not raised him; that is, the resurrection of the dead child had not followed the application of the staff, because Gehazi was a covetous man and was not worthy of being mentioned. Elisha did not raise the child by the mere imposition of the staff either but raised him one hour later by adding certain ceremonies to the imposition of the staff. And in that manner he accomplished the type of the Providence of the Word of God, who came to raise Adam after he had been condemned to death. For he knew that the staff of the prophet represented the wood of the cross. In fact, the salvation of the world was not in the Law, which is only the shadow and the figure of the goods to come, and the dead child was not raised by the application of the staff. Therefore, when the prophet set out to accomplish the resurrection, he diminished his size, lowered his height and adjusted himself to the dimension of the child.Immediately [the child’s] dead flesh became warm. In this figure the incarnation of the only One was represented, as well as the beginning of our salvation, because it was necessary that the Son of God “was made a little lower than the angels” in order to be included in a womb of flesh and to be incarnated, so that he might give life to the flesh through the Spirit. With regard to the fact that the prophet walked back and forth in the house of the dead child, it prefigures the times in which Jesus Christ entered and went out of the houses of humankind and lived with them. Finally the prophet came back and adjusted himself again to the size of the child, and his body covered his body; at that time the dead child was resurrected. Our Lord accomplished this figure and brought it to perfection, when, still alive, he adjusted his holy limbs to the cross. And after his death he again adjusted his dead body in the tomb to the size of the dead Adam. And so God, through his great love for us, after we had died for our sins, brought us back to life with Christ. By his grace he saved us and raised us from the dead with him and made us sit with him in heaven through Jesus Christ, as the divine Paul says.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:30-35

2 Kings 4:38-40

This was the starving steward of the prophets who was forced by the lack of food to go through the fields in order to gather some herbs. And since he could not find the herbs he knew, he gathered those that he did not know and were not edible. And since it is written that he gathered wild colocynths, some say that he gathered colocynths, others those [herbs] that are called the source of bitterness: with their inside parts, physicians make an effective and purifying medicine. Others say that perhaps their name comes from the term used by farmers: squirting cucumbers, which have a very bitter taste and resemble a vine. In fact, the Scripture calls a vine that plant that the steward found and from which he gathered colocynths.

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:39

2 Kings 4:40-41

Elisha corrects the nature of the cooked foods with some flour and gives them a new taste. Our Lord did the same according to the [divine] economy, so that he might be imitated, as he said for our exhortation, with the result that we might walk the path of the righteous and the pious, and might rejoice because of the great reward he promised us and might heal the diseases and the anguish and the tribulations that constantly surround us from the beginning of our life. The father of our race, Adam, gathered those [bitter] fruits as a consequence of his sin and proposed and offered them to us in the hour in which he heard [these words] from his Creator: “The ground is cursed because of you; it will bring forth thorns and thistles for you. You are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:41