Three kings march through the wilderness of Edom and find no water; for Jehoshaphat's sake Elisha inquires — 'but now bring me a minstrel' — the trenches fill, Moab is smitten, and Mesha offers his first-born upon the wall.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.
verse value 5728
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "he·reigned" (מָלַ֤ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "two·ten" (שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: he·reigned, king. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Jehoshaphat" (לִיהוֹשָׁפָ֖ט). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he·reigned" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "upon·Israel" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "in·year·of" (root שנה, 109x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שמנה ("eight") in II Kings. First appearance of the root עשר ("ten") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Judah', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: וִיהוֹרָ֣ם [and·Jehoram] (267) + בֶּן־אַחְאָ֗ב [son·of·Ahab] (64) + מָלַ֤ךְ [he·reigned] (90) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [upon·Israel] (641) + בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן [in·Samaria] (598) + בִּשְׁנַת֙ [in·year·of] (752) + שְׁמֹנֶ֣ה [eight] (395) + עֶשְׂרֵ֔ה [ten] (575) + לִיהוֹשָׁפָ֖ט [to·Jehoshaphat] (440) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + יְהוּדָ֑ה [Judah] (30) + וַיִּמְלֹ֖ךְ [and·he·reigned] (106) + שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֥ה [two·ten] (1325) + שָׁנָֽה [year] (355) = 5728.
Rashi
And Jehoram the son of Ahab. Even this section, in order to tell the miracle of Mesha king of Moab that was done by means of Elisha, was written here, for he counted for Elijah eight miracles, and for Elisha sixteen, to fulfill [the verse] 'let a double portion of your spirit be upon me,' and he wrote them all one next to the other, so I saw in the Thirty-Two Middot of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosi the Galilean, and the crossing of the Jordan by Elisha counts as two of Elijah's:
Ralbag
"And Joram, the son of Ahab, reigned over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat." This indicates that Ahaziah did not reign for two complete years, but rather his reign was fragmented. And we have already explained above how all this calculation is resolved without any doubt.
Metzudat David
"In the eighteenth year." This means that the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat had already passed, because Ahaziah, son of Ahab, reigned after the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat had passed, at the beginning of the eighteenth year. He reigned for two years, which comprised part of the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat and part of the nineteenth. Therefore, his brother Joram reigned at the beginning of the nineteenth year, immediately after the eighteenth year had passed.
Twelve years. And they were broken [partial] years:
Malbim
"And Jehoram" — this was at the time when Elisha came to Samaria. For when Ahaziah died, Elijah was taken up, and then Elisha came, and then the war occurred.
And he did that which was evil in the sight of Hashem; but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the pillar of Baal that his father had made. .
verse value 3488
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 55 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֕ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "pillar" (אֶת־מַצְּבַ֣ת, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "as·his·father" (כְאָבִ֖יו), "and·like·his·mother" (וּכְאִמּ֑וֹ), "pillar" (אֶת־מַצְּבַ֣ת). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·did" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). First appearance of the root רק ("only") in II Kings. First appearance of the root סור ("and·removed") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·like·his·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲשֶׂ֤ה [and·did] (391) + הָרַע֙ [the·evil] (275) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + רַ֕ק [only] (300) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + כְאָבִ֖יו [as·his·father] (39) + וּכְאִמּ֑וֹ [and·like·his·mother] (73) + וַיָּ֙סַר֙ [and·removed] (276) + אֶת־מַצְּבַ֣ת [pillar] (933) + הַבַּ֔עַל [Baal] (107) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + עָשָׂ֖ה [did] (375) + אָבִֽיו [his·father] (19) = 3488.
Rashi
Only not like his father and his mother. For they added the Baal, to provoke:
Radak
“And he removed the pillar of Baal.” But he did not remove the Asherah, on account of his mother, who served idolatry, for the prophets of the Asherah ate from his table. However, he did not serve Baal or the Asherah, but only the calves that Jeroboam had made.
Ralbag
"Only he was not like his father and like his mother." This means that he clung solely to the sin of Jeroboam and abandoned the sin of Ahab and Jezebel. Indeed, he removed the pillar of Baal that his father had made, but he did not remove the Asherah that his mother had made, because he could not do so, as she was still alive.
Metzudat Zion
The monument. From the word monument:
Malbim
(2-3) He did evil in that he clung to the sin of Jeroboam, which was due to fear of harm; and this is what is written, "he did not depart from it" — and not like his father and his mother, who acted in order to provoke [God] to anger.
Nevertheless he cleaved to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
verse value 3169
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "only" (רַ֠ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "which·caused·to·sin" (אֲשֶׁר־הֶחֱטִ֥יא, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "in·sins·of" (בְּחַטֹּ֞אות), "sticking" (דָּבֵ֑ק). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which·caused·to·sin" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "son·of·Nebat" (root בין, 106x in II Kings); "Jeroboam" (root ירבעם, 21x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חטאה ("in·sins·of") in II Kings. First appearance of the root ירבעם ("Jeroboam") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sticking', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: רַ֠ק [only] (300) + בְּחַטֹּ֞אות [in·sins·of] (426) + יָרׇבְעָ֧ם [Jeroboam] (322) + בֶּן־נְבָ֛ט [son·of·Nebat] (113) + אֲשֶׁר־הֶחֱטִ֥יא [which·caused·to·sin] (534) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (942) + דָּבֵ֑ק [sticking] (106) + לֹא־סָ֖ר [not·turned·aside] (291) + מִמֶּֽנָּה [from·her] (135) = 3169.
Rashi
Only in the sins of Jeroboam and so on he clung. And so all the kings of Israel, from the fear that the kingdom should not return to the house of David if they go up on pilgrimage, therefore they served the calves:
Metzudat David
“Concerning the sins of Jeroboam”: [This refers] to the golden calves.
Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-master; and he rendered to the king of Israel the wool of a hundred thousand lambs, and of a hundred thousand rams.
verse value 2734
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "was" (הָיָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·king·of·Israel" (לְמֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·Mesha" (וּמֵישַׁ֥ע), "speckled" (נֹקֵ֑ד), "and·rendered" (וְהֵשִׁ֤יב). The root מאה appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·king·of·Israel" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "rams" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מאה ("hundred·man") in II Kings. First appearance of the root אלף ("thousand") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'speckled', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּמֵישַׁ֥ע [and·Mesha] (426) + מֶלֶךְ־מוֹאָ֖ב [king·Moab] (139) + הָיָ֣ה [was] (20) + נֹקֵ֑ד [speckled] (154) + וְהֵשִׁ֤יב [and·rendered] (323) + לְמֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [to·king·of·Israel] (661) + מֵאָה־אֶ֣לֶף [hundred·man] (157) + כָּרִ֔ים [lambs] (270) + וּמֵ֥אָה [and·hundred] (52) + אֶ֖לֶף [thousand] (111) + אֵילִ֥ים [rams] (91) + צָֽמֶר [wool] (330) = 2734.
Rashi
A sheep breeder. Masters of flocks:
Ram wool. Grazing rams, with their wool:
Radak
He was a sheep-breeder [noked]. As its Targum [Yonatan] renders it: "mari giti," and the owner of the flock is called noked, [for] the sheep were mostly speckled. And his custom was that he would send tribute to the king of Israel: one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams, meaning along with their wool, for he did not shear them. And the verse did not state whether he sent this tribute every year or at a specific time agreed upon between them.
Ralbag
"He was a noked [sheep breeder]." That is to say, he was a livestock owner and paid a tax to the king of Israel of one hundred thousand lambs and one hundred thousand woolly rams. "Woolly" means that they were still bearing their wool and had not been shorn.
Metzudat David
"He was a noked." This means: he was a man who owned a large flock, and since most of them were speckled [nekudim], the one who tended them was called by the name "noked," as it is written (Amos 1:1): "The words of Amos, who was among the sheep breeders [nokdim]."
And he restored. Since every year he brought up this tribute to him, therefore it says "and he restored," meaning: he gave and then gave again.
Wool. “With their wool” – they are not shorn.
Malbim
And Mesha, who was a sheep breeder for this purpose — for he would render [tribute]; every single year he used to give this tribute, therefore it uses the language of "returning." And so is the language in II Chronicles (27:5). And when Ahab died, [Moab] rebelled, in the days of Ahaziah, as [explained] above (1:1).
But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
verse value 1747
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֖י, 4 letters) and the longest is "king·Moab" (מֶלֶךְ־מוֹאָ֖ב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 466: as·death·of, and·he·revolted. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "as·death·of" (כְּמ֣וֹת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 101x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Ahab', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֖י [and·it·was] (31) + כְּמ֣וֹת [as·death·of] (466) + אַחְאָ֑ב [Ahab] (12) + וַיִּפְשַׁ֥ע [and·he·revolted] (466) + מֶלֶךְ־מוֹאָ֖ב [king·Moab] (139) + בְּמֶ֥לֶךְ [king] (92) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 1747.
Radak
"And it came to pass, as Ahab was..." The letter kaf is written, meaning "just as when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against Ahaziah, his son, as it is written above, and likewise against Jehoram, his brother, and did not pay tribute to him."
And king Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time, and mustered all Israel.
verse value 2366
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 41 letters. Verse gematria: 2366 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·he·went·out" (וַיֵּצֵ֞א, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·Israel" (אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "all·Israel" (אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "in·the·day" (root יום, 79x in II Kings); "and·he·went·out" (root יצא, 48x in II Kings). First appearance of the root פקד ("and·he·appointed") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Samaria', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּצֵ֞א [and·he·went·out] (107) + הַמֶּ֧לֶךְ [king] (95) + יְהוֹרָ֛ם [Jehoram] (261) + בַּיּ֥וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֖וּא [that] (17) + מִשֹּׁמְר֑וֹן [from·Samaria] (636) + וַיִּפְקֹ֖ד [and·he·appointed] (200) + אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [all·Israel] (992) = 2366.
Metzudat David
"On that day." At the time when Elisha came to Samaria:
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying: ‘The king of Moab has rebelled against me; will you go with me against Moab to battle?’ And he said: ‘I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.’
verse value 4149
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 97 letters. Notable word values: "like·you" (כָמ֛וֹךָ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "against·me" (בִּ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Jehoshaphat" (אֶל־יְהוֹשָׁפָ֨ט, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Jehoshaphat" (אֶל־יְהוֹשָׁפָ֨ט), "will·you·go" (הֲתֵלֵ֥ךְ), "to·Moab" (אֶל־מוֹאָ֖ב). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Judah" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·Jehoshaphat" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מלחמה ("to·the·battle") in II Kings. First appearance of the root כמו ("like·me") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
"Like me, like you." Just as you ascend, so too will I ascend.
Malbim
Like me: For at the time of Moab’s transgression, they joined with the Ammonites and some of the inhabitants of Seir, and they fought against Jehoshaphat and fell (as explained in II Chronicles 20; see there). Therefore, it says “like me” — like you, for they also provoked me.
And he said: ‘Which way shall we go up?’ And he answered: ‘The way of the wilderness of Edom.’
verse value 1442
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "way" (דֶּ֖רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֕אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "where?·this" (אֵי־זֶ֥ה), "we·will·go·up" (נַעֲלֶ֑ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "we·will·go·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings); "way" (root דרך, 22x in II Kings). First appearance of the root אדום ("Edom") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·will·go·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵי־זֶ֥ה [where?·this] (23) + הַדֶּ֖רֶךְ [way] (229) + נַעֲלֶ֑ה [we·will·go·up] (155) + וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + דֶּ֖רֶךְ [way] (224) + מִדְבַּ֥ר [the·wilderness·of] (246) + אֱדֽוֹם [Edom] (51) = 1442.
Rashi
The way of the wilderness of Edom. For also the king of Edom will go with us:
Radak
The way of the desert of Edom. Because the king of Edom was supposed to go with them:
Ralbag
“And He said: ‘By the way of the wilderness of Edom.’” It is possible that He chose that route so that they would not be noticed. And there it is brought that the King of Judah came with the King of Edom, for the latter was under his dominion; he was the governor whom the King of Judah had appointed there.
Malbim
And it said: The king of Israel asked, and the king of Judah answered, that they should go up by way of the wilderness of Edom, for Edom was under the dominion of Judah (as mentioned above, I Kings 22:48, and in II Chronicles 21:8), and he wanted the king of Edom to go with them as well.
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’journey; and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.
verse value 3309
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֨לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·king·of·Judah" (וּמֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: king, water. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·king·of·Judah" (וּמֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה֙), "to·the·camp" (לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֛ה), "or·of·the·animal" (וְלַבְּהֵמָ֖ה). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "and·there·was·not" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root סבב ("and·they·went·about") in II Kings. First appearance of the root שבע ("seven·of") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'days', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
"And the king of Edom." He was a deputy - a king [ruling] under the authority of the king of Judah:
And they went round about, etc. This means: They traveled for seven days and found no water.
Metzudat Zion
With them [lit. at their feet]. Those walking among them and after them, so too (Judges 8:5): to the people who are at my feet:
Malbim
And the King of Edom—he is the one appointed as a deputy king, as it is stated, "And there was no king in Edom." And they went around—indeed, they had a shorter route to Moab, which was situated in the border region of the Land of Israel. Yet they circled around Mount Seir through the wilderness, by the same route that the Israelites had taken when they entered the land. And there was no water there, neither in the days of Moses nor at present.
And the king of Israel said: ‘Alas! for Hashem has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.’
verse value 3844
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3844 = 62². The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·hand·of·Moab" (בְּיַד־מוֹאָֽב, 7 letters). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root אהה ("alas!") in II Kings. First appearance of the root נתן ("to·give") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + אֲהָ֕הּ [alas!] (11) + כִּי־קָרָ֣א [for·proclaimed] (331) + יְהֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + לִשְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙ [to·three·of] (1060) + הַמְּלָכִ֣ים [the·kings] (145) + הָאֵ֔לֶּה [these] (41) + לָתֵ֥ת [to·give] (830) + אוֹתָ֖ם [them] (447) + בְּיַד־מוֹאָֽב [in·hand·of·Moab] (65) = 3844.
Rashi
To give them and so on. That they should die of thirst:
Radak
"To give them into the hand of Moab." This means that if we were not to find water, our troops would scatter here and there in search of water, and the Moabites would come upon us, and we would be unable to escape from their hands.
Metzudat David
"For the Lord called." This means: God decreed that they would be defeated by the hand of Moab, because due to the thirst they would not be able to strengthen themselves to fight.
Metzudat Zion
Alas. A matter of a cry of wailing:
Malbim
And it is said, "Ah, for the LORD has called" — see that they acted foolishly in that they deviated from the near and straight path, and see that the LORD placed in their hearts foolish counsel so that they would fall, for by the natural way they had no reason to choose a circuitous route. And he also knew that had the king of Judah not called for help, he would not have gone by way of Edom, for Edom was not under his dominion. And this itself — that the LORD called the three kings together, from which it resulted that they would go by way of the wilderness — is a cause from God to destroy them, for concerning Moab he could have gone by himself and would have defeated them without the help of the two kings.
But Jehoshaphat said: ‘Is there not here a prophet of Hashem, that we may inquire of Hashem by him?’ And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said: ‘Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.’
verse value 5449
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֞ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "here" (פֹּ֤ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·Israel" (מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "nothing" (הַאֵ֨ין), "and·let·us·inquire" (וְנִדְרְשָׁ֥ה), "who·poured" (אֲשֶׁר־יָ֥צַק). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Israel" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "who·poured" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 12 words.
Rashi
Who poured water upon the hands of Elijah. On Mount Carmel, and in his pouring his fingers became like springs of waters, until the conduit was filled, and he is worthy that a miracle should be done for us by his hand in waters (Yalkut Shimoni Remez 214):
Radak
Here is Elisha. Elisha went with them in accordance with the prophecy, to show them this great miracle, perhaps the king of Israel would turn from his evil way. And they did not know that he was going with them; rather, he came among the people.
"Which poured water." This means that he served him [Elisha served Elijah]. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, it is not stated "studied" but rather "poured," teaching that his service was greater than his study. And in the midrash it says further: "Which poured water" — through Elijah on Mount Carmel, when the altar and the trench were filled with water, Elisha was pouring water through Elijah, and a miracle was performed, and his ten fingers became like springs of water until the trench was filled with water, as it is said, "And they poured." And just as there a miracle was performed through him with water, therefore it says "which poured water," and it does not say "which served" or "which studied." And further, in the midrash regarding "which poured water" through Elijah, they said: Even if he had asked for water before him, he would have given it to him.
Ralbag
Here is Elisha ben Shafat, who poured water for Elijah. Even though Elijah had many students, Elisha is mentioned as his student, and he was worthy to acquire more perfection because he served Elijah, for the servant is always before his master, and thus it is possible that he learned more. Therefore, Jehoshaphat judged that with Elisha the word of God is connected to this, because he saw that he traveled from his place with the men of war, and even though he was not a man of war, and thus it seemed that he did this so that if Israel would need the word of God, they would find him there. And behold, for his honor, the three kings descended to him, and for the honor of Hashem, may He be blessed.
Metzudat David
“Is there not here?” – “Is there not here?”
"Which poured out water." This means: He was his attendant, and he secluded himself with him at all times.
Metzudat Zion
He poured out. He poured:
Malbim
(11-14) The questions: Why did he mention that he poured water? From where did he know that the word of the LORD was with him? And why did he say "oto" [him] instead of "ito" [with him]? From the verse "What have I to do with you?" And what is the answer to "Because the LORD called"? And what did he say to him, "Were it not for the presence of Jehoshaphat," etc.? Why did he insult him unnecessarily?
Is it not so [that Jehoshaphat's question] meant that the prophet should pray to the LORD about the water and tell them their way? And he answered, etc.: Here is Elisha, who poured water on the hands of Elijah — and by means of this pouring he brought down the rain, and he was practiced in such a miracle, to bring down the water and pour it upon the thirsty.
And Jehoshaphat said: ‘The word of Hashem is with him.’ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
verse value 3089
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "being" (יֵ֥שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה, 7 letters). The root יהושפט appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). First appearance of the root יש ("being") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·word·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + יְה֣וֹשָׁפָ֔ט [Jehoshaphat] (410) + יֵ֥שׁ [being] (310) + אוֹת֖וֹ [him] (413) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֑ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + וַיֵּרְד֣וּ [and·went·down] (226) + אֵלָ֗יו [to·him] (47) + מֶ֧לֶךְ [king] (90) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [Israel] (541) + וִיהוֹשָׁפָ֖ט [and·Jehoshaphat] (416) + וּמֶ֥לֶךְ [and·king·of] (96) + אֱדֽוֹם [Edom] (51) = 3089.
Radak
There is that matter of the Lord. For since He did not come to wage war, why did He come? He did not come except through prophecy. Indeed, there is that matter of the Lord.
"And they went down." They descended from their chariot out of respect for him, to speak with him, and they did not call for him to come to them, because they were in great distress, they were mindful of the honor of the Creator and the honor of His prophet.
"King of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Edom." Because Jehoshaphat spoke in his own name, the title "king" was not stated for him. And "king of Edom" refers to the governor whom the kings of Judah appointed over them, and he was a king to them. There is a homiletical interpretation: Why was the title "king" not stated for Jehoshaphat? To inform us of the humility of that righteous man, who did not wish to descend before the prophet in royal garments, but rather as a common person. And some say that a decree had been issued that he would be put to death along with Ahab, and the verse was already counting his son as king from that time onward; therefore, he was not called "king." And as a reward for their having descended before the prophet, they merited to see all these miracles.
Metzudat David
There is the word of the Lord with him. For surely He did not come to the camp to fight, but rather He came by the word of the Lord:
Metzudat Zion
Him. With him:
Malbim
And it said, "Then Jehoshaphat said," meaning that he did not merely intend that he should pray, but that [Elisha] necessarily has the word of the LORD with him. (It is written "oto" [him] instead of "ito" [with him], meaning: from the fact that it says "oto," it is clear that "the word of the LORD is with him" [ito].) For the disciple of Elijah would not go to the camp in vain unless he were on a mission. And they descended from their chariots out of respect for him. And as for Jehoshaphat, the explanation is that he donned the garments of a commoner, so as not to glorify himself before the prophet, especially in a time of distress; therefore, it did not say, "and the king of Judah."
And Elisha said to the king of Israel: ‘What have I to do with you? get you to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your mother.’ And the king of Israel said to him: ‘Nay; for Hashem has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.’
verse value 5729
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 106 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֚ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·prophets·of" (וְאֶל־נְבִיאֵ֖י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "what·to·me" (מַה־לִּ֣י), "to·prophets·of" (אֶל־נְבִיאֵ֣י), "and·to·prophets·of" (וְאֶל־נְבִיאֵ֖י). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 13 words.
Rashi
Only that the Lord called and so on. I pray, do not recall the sins of that wickedness; beg mercy for us, for the Lord is ready, and so on:
Radak
"Al, for GOD has called" — Do not say to us now these words [that you should go to other prophets]; it is true that GOD has called the three kings who have come here, to give them into the hand of Moab. And the Targum renders "al" as an expression of entreaty: "Please, do not recall against us those wicked sins; seek mercy for us, for GOD is prepared [to act] against the three kings." And so Onkelos likewise translated "al na, adoni" [please, my lord] as "be'va'u, ke'an ribbuni" [please, now, my lord].
Metzudat David
"What have I to do with you?" He means to say: What is the love and closeness that exists between us? What kindness have you done for me, and what have I done for you? And why, therefore, do you consult me?
“Go to the prophets of your father, etc.” They are the prophets of Baal.
"No, etc." He means to say: Do not say such words now, for we are in danger, and do not stir up [divine] judgment by mentioning [our] sins.
Malbim
"What have I to do with you?" means: Behold, the prayer of the prophet is effective only for those who believe in the Lord and in His prophets, for in this there is a connection between the prophet and the man for whom he prays. But not so with you; go to your father's prophets. And he said to him, "Al" (No), meaning: This matter is not natural, but rather [an act of] Divine Providence, for the Lord has called [you]; and therefore you must annul the decree. And even though it is not upon me alone, but upon the three kings.
And Elisha said: ‘As Hashem of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward you, nor see you.
verse value 3993
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "king·Judah" (מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֖ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: I, to·you. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "I·stood" (עָמַ֣דְתִּי), "and·Lamed" (לוּלֵ֛י), "if·I·look" (אִם־אַבִּ֥יט). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·Judah" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "that" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings). First appearance of the root צבא ("hosts") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lifting', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
“Who I stood before.” That I am accustomed to standing before Him in prayer.
"For had it not been so... He means to say: If this matter were not the case, namely that I honor Jehoshaphat’s face:"
"If I look, etc." This means: If I were to look at you apart from Jehoshaphat, the punishment of the oath would be upon Me.
Metzudat Zion
Were it not. If not:
Malbim
And he said: For were it not that one of the conditions for the descent of the abundance of prophecy upon a prophet is that he be among righteous men and men of spirit, as it is stated, "and you shall prophesy with them," and if he is among wicked men, this prevents the abundance from descending upon him, he would have said: "Behold, you are the cause that I do not attain the abundance of prophecy." However, since Jehoshaphat is here, and through his righteousness he will assist in causing the prophecy to rest, the matter is balanced; therefore, some additional action is required to facilitate its occurrence, namely, the singing. This would not be the case if Jehoshaphat were not present, for then the singing would not be effective; and if the wicked man were not present, this [additional action] would not be necessary. This is what is written: "Now bring me a musician."
But now bring me a minstrel.’ And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Hashem came upon him.
verse value 1652
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "now" (וְעַתָּ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·hand·of·Hashem" (יַד־יְהֹוָֽה, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "a·minstrel" (מְנַגֵּ֑ן), "as·he·played" (כְּנַגֵּ֣ן), "the·minstrel" (הַֽמְנַגֵּ֔ן). The root נגן appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·hand·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "upon·him" (root על, 116x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נגן ("a·minstrel") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·minstrel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֖ה [now] (481) + קְחוּ־לִ֣י [take·for·me] (154) + מְנַגֵּ֑ן [a·minstrel] (143) + וְהָיָה֙ [and·it·shall·be] (26) + כְּנַגֵּ֣ן [as·he·played] (123) + הַֽמְנַגֵּ֔ן [the·minstrel] (148) + וַתְּהִ֥י [and·it·was] (421) + עָלָ֖יו [upon·him] (116) + יַד־יְהֹוָֽה [the·hand·of·Hashem] (40) = 1652.
Rashi
Bring me a musician. Because of the anger the Shekhinah departed from him:
Radak
“Bring me a musician.” They said that from the day that his teacher Elijah departed, the spirit of prophecy had not yet rested upon him, for he was in mourning, and the Holy Spirit does not rest except in a state of joy. And others say it was because of anger: since he was angry with the King of Israel, he was sorrowful. And they said: “For anyone who becomes angry, if he is a prophet, his prophecy departs from him.” From where do we know this? From Elisha. And in order to bring himself joy, he said: “Bring me a musician.”
Ralbag
"And now, take for me a musician." It is known that anger prevents the intellect from concentrating at the time prophecy arrives, due to the disturbance of thoughts that anger entails. Since Elisha was very angry with Jehoram because he clung to the sins of Jeroboam, he needed something [i.e., music] to remove his anger and broaden his heart, and then the Holy Spirit rested upon him.
Metzudat David
"Take for me a musician." To gladden me with his playing, for since he was angry with Jehoram, prophecy did not rest upon him, for prophecy does not rest except in the midst of joy, and anger comes with sadness.
"And it shall be as the musician." When the musician began to play, the spirit of prophecy rested upon him.
And he said: ‘Thus says Hashem: Make this valley full of trenches.
verse value 1144
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1144 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֕אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 55: pits, pits. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "torrent" (הַנַּ֥חַל). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "surely" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נחל ("torrent") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + כֹּ֖ה [thus] (25) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + עָשֹׂ֛ה [surely] (375) + הַנַּ֥חַל [torrent] (93) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + גֵּבִ֥ים [pits] (55) + גֵּבִֽים [pits] (55) = 1144.
Rashi
Reservoirs and reservoirs. Pits full of water:
Radak
"[This wadi] shall be made [into] pools." [The word "asoh"] is an infinitive used in place of an imperative.
"Gevim." Pits, as in, "They came to the gevim," and the Targum [renders it] "bor guva" [a pit]. He told them to make pits, pits, in the wadi, so that they would be filled with the water that comes. And its Targum is "petzirin, petzirin." And likewise he translated "its channels" as "petzirohi."
Ralbag
He made this river into pools, pools. This means that they should make this plain into excavations, excavations, and besides wind and rain, God, blessed be He, will perform a miracle in such a way that the excavations in that plain will be filled with water, sufficient for them to drink, they and their livestock which they brought to eat from it, and their beasts upon which they will ride.
Metzudat David
"Pits, pits." To gather in them the waters that come:
Metzudat Zion
The ravine. The valley:
Reservoirs. Cisterns, so too (Isaiah 30:14): and to uncover waters from a reservoir:
Malbim
Gibbim: excavations. [The verse] commanded to dig excavations that would be filled with the waters that would come there, as it says, “They came upon gibbim” (Jeremiah 14:3).
For thus says Hashem: You shall not see wind, neither shall you see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water; and you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts.
verse value 4824
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4824 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "said" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·see" (וְלֹא־תִרְא֣וּ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "for·thus" (כִּי־כֹ֣ה), "you·shall·not·see" (לֹא־תִרְא֥וּ), "and·not·see" (וְלֹא־תִרְא֣וּ). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "for·thus" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מלא ("shall·be·filled") in II Kings. First appearance of the root שתה ("and·you·shall·drink") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Metzudat David
"You shall not see wind." This means: The waters will not come by natural means, through wind and rain, but rather they will come by means of a miracle.
"And your livestock." [This refers to] what they brought for their food.
"and your pack animals" – this refers to the animals upon which they rode.
And this is but a light thing in the sight of Hashem; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
verse value 1794
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1794 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֹ֖את, 3 letters) and the longest is "Moab" (אֶת־מוֹאָ֖ב, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·is·light" (וְנָקַ֥ל), "and·will·give" (וְנָתַ֥ן), "in·your·hand" (בְּיֶדְכֶֽם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·will·give" (root נתן, 60x in II Kings); "in·your·hand" (root יד, 52x in II Kings). First appearance of the root זאת ("this") in II Kings. First appearance of the root יד ("in·your·hand") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְנָקַ֥ל [and·is·light] (186) + זֹ֖את [this] (408) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וְנָתַ֥ן [and·will·give] (506) + אֶת־מוֹאָ֖ב [Moab] (450) + בְּיֶדְכֶֽם [in·your·hand] (76) = 1794.
Rashi
And is this a light thing. And furthermore this miracle will be light and little in the eyes of the Lord, and He will add to amaze you with another miracle, and He will give Moab into your hand:
Radak
"And it was a light thing in the sight of the Lord." It was a light thing in His sight to perform for you this miracle, to the extent that He will perform for you an even greater miracle and deliver Moab into your hands.
Ralbag
"And it is a light thing in the sight of the Lord." This means that it will not suffice for the Lord to perform this act of kindness for you, for it is light in His eyes in comparison to the kindness that He desires to perform, namely, that He will already give Moab into your hands.
Metzudat David
And this kindness is light. This kindness is considered light in the eyes of the Lord, for He will yet perform a greater kindness than this, by giving Moab into your hands.
Malbim
The questions: What did he intend by saying, “And this thing is a light matter in the eyes of the Lord”? Could it enter one’s mind that in His eyes every matter is too difficult?
"Vayiqal" means to say that the miraculous goodness which the Lord will do for the sake of the people or for a single individual, and which will necessarily come to him essentially and primarily, not secondarily and by chance: since these waters were for the sake of Israel, it was necessary that they descend here, which is the place of need, and not in the land of Edom, so that it would appear as if the primary purpose of the waters was for the sake of the land of Edom, to water it, and Israel received them only incidentally, in accordance with the idea of "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground," as explained there. And one should not say that the miracle would be greater in that they would not see wind or rain, and nevertheless the stream would be filled with water; rather, the opposite is true: the miracle would have been greater if the rain had come in that place where it was not its nature to rain, for it was a desert and arid. This is not so in the land of Edom, where rain is customary, and that its streams overflow is a familiar occurrence. Therefore, he said that truly "vayiqal" — this, in the eyes of the Lord, this miracle is a matter that is easy and close to nature. And that the Lord chose this way and not a greater miracle, whereby the rain would fall in that place, is for the reason that thereby "and He gave Moab into your hand," which is the ultimate purpose for Him, so that the waters would be merely intermediate to this ultimate purpose of conquering Moab, and that they would be found in your hands easily, as indeed happened. And since the miracle is not sought for its own sake, but for the sake of another end, He does not care if it is close to the customary, for there is yet another matter in it: that Israel were not worthy of two miracles at one time, namely the rain and the conquest of Moab. And if the rain had come as a great miracle, this would have diminished their power, and they would not have conquered Moab, for their merit was sufficient only for one miracle. Therefore, He chose that the waters be found easily through the natural order, and this is what is written, "vayiqal" — this is easy in the eyes of the Lord. And thereby the miracle that was worthy to be done for them was that they conquered Moab, and this is what is written, "and thereby He gave Moab into your hand."
And you shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’
verse value 4491
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "good" (טוֹב֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·springs·of·water" (וְכׇל־מַעְיְנֵי־מַ֖יִם, 11 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·you·shall·defeat" (וְהִכִּיתֶ֞ם), "all·excitement" (כׇּל־עִ֤יר), "and·every·city·of" (וְכׇל־עִ֣יר). The root עיר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·every·tree" (root כל, 66x in II Kings); "all·excitement" (root עיר, 61x in II Kings); "and·you·shall·defeat" (root נכה, 58x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מבצר ("fortification") in II Kings. First appearance of the root כל ("and·every·tree") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·stop·up', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
And every good tree you shall fell. Even though it was said (Deuteronomy 20:19): you shall not destroy its tree, here He permitted you, for it is a despised and contemptible nation before Him, and so He says (there 23:7): you shall not seek their peace and their good, these are the good trees among them:
The good tilled land. A sown field, a 'qomtsi' in the vernacular:
Radak
“And every good tree you shall cut down.” For the verse did not say “You shall not destroy a tree” except when laying siege to a city, as stated with the reason: “for you shall eat from it.” And even though our Sages of blessed memory received [the tradition] that in every place and at every time it is forbidden to destroy a fruit tree, the plain meaning of the verse is that it said this only at the time of siege. And it is possible that it was a commandment for the moment, like Elijah on Mount Carmel, who offered a burnt offering outside [the Temple] at a time when the altars were forbidden. And in the homiletical interpretation: when the prophet said to them, “And every good tree you shall cut down,” they said to him, “Behold, it says, ‘You shall not destroy a tree,’ and you say this?” He said to them, “This was said concerning the other nations, but this nation is despised and abhorred before the Lord, as it is said, ‘And this one is despised in the eyes of the Lord,’ and it is said, ‘You shall not inquire after their peace and their welfare’—these are their good trees.”
"You shall pain them with stones." [This is] by way of metaphor, as in, "Will the stones be revived?" and "he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down." And its Targum is: "You shall hide them."
Ralbag
"And you shall smite every fortified city, etc." This means that God, blessed be He, commanded them to strike every fortified city and every chosen city, and to fell every good tree, even though the Torah states, "You shall not destroy its tree." However, this was by the command of God, blessed be He, for a temporary period, to devastate Moab to the extent of their ability. For this reason, He also commanded them to stop up every spring of water and to strike every good field with stones, so that they might ruin its produce.
Metzudat David
From the word "chosen." "Good and chosen":
“Tachai’vu.” You shall destroy it, by casting stones upon it. This is a borrowed term from living creatures, which are said to be “nich’avim” (suffering) when they are destroyed.
Metzudat Zion
The field. The open field, so too (II Samuel 14:30): behold Joab's field:
And it came to pass in the morning, about the time of making the offering, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. .
verse value 2762
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֤י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·behold·water" (וְהִנֵּה־מַ֥יִם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "as·upon" (כַּעֲל֣וֹת), "gift" (הַמִּנְחָ֔ה), "and·behold·water" (וְהִנֵּה־מַ֥יִם). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "going·in" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "as·upon" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings). First appearance of the root בקר ("in·the·morning") in II Kings. First appearance of the root מנחה ("gift") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Edom', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֤י [and·it·was] (31) + בַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ [in·the·morning] (304) + כַּעֲל֣וֹת [as·upon] (526) + הַמִּנְחָ֔ה [gift] (108) + וְהִנֵּה־מַ֥יִם [and·behold·water] (156) + בָּאִ֖ים [going·in] (53) + מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ [from·way·of] (264) + אֱד֑וֹם [Edom] (51) + וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א [and·was·filled] (477) + הָאָ֖רֶץ [earth] (296) + אֶת־הַמָּֽיִם [the·water] (496) = 2762.
Rashi
And it was in the morning as the grain offering was being offered. The waters began to descend from the heavens in the morning in the land of Edom, and as the grain offering was being offered they come flooding and come to that ravine, for he said you shall not see wind and you shall not see rain, in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanhuma:
Radak
"And it came to pass in the morning, as the grain offering was going up" – "as" [is expressed] with a kaf, and the explanation of "in the morning" is: at the time of the offering of the morning grain offering. As for these waters, it is possible that they were rains that fell far from them in the land of Edom, but this camp saw neither wind nor rain. Or perhaps one of the rivers in the land of Edom burst forth by the will of the Creator, and the waters flowed down to this wadi. And in the midrashic interpretation: What is meant by "in the morning" [and] "as the grain offering was going up"? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: A flood of rains fell in Edom in the morning, and it reached them as the grain offering was going up.
Ralbag
“And it came to pass in the morning, as the evening sacrifice was going up.” Since it is not possible that the words of the kings to Elisha occurred at night, nor is it appropriate to say that they waited to drink until the next day, on which day water came from the way of Edom, behold, what appears to me in this matter is that the intent of “And it came to pass in the morning” is that the evil which He said He would do to Moab was in the morning of the day following that day, as will be explained later. However, the promise of water there was fulfilled immediately at the time when the evening sacrifice was brought up, which is the Tamid of between the evenings, and it was that God, blessed be He, had already brought water from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with it.
Metzudat David
"As the grain offering was brought up": When the time comes for the bringing up of the morning continual grain offering.
Malbim
And according to the understanding of our Sages of blessed memory, the explanation is that “it came to pass” (that this utterance of Elisha occurred) in the morning (when he prophesied and the rain began to fall in the land of Edom), and “as the offering was going up” (the evening offering), behold, waters were coming; then the waters reached the stream. And the commentators explained that “as the offering was going up” refers to the morning offering.
Now when all the Moabites heard that the kings were come up to fight against them, they gathered themselves together, all that were able to put on armour, and upward, and stood on the border.
verse value 2189
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 63 letters. The shortest word is "in·them" (בָּ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·Moab" (וְכׇל־מוֹאָב֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 136: for·upon, and·they·stood. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·all·Moab" (וְכׇל־מוֹאָב֙), "for·upon" (כִּי־עָל֥וּ), "and·they·were·cried" (וַיִּצָּעֲק֗וּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·kings" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "for·upon" (root כי, 76x in II Kings); "from·all" (root כל, 66x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שמע ("they·heard") in II Kings. First appearance of the root לחם ("to·battle") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְכׇל־מוֹאָב֙ [and·all·Moab] (105) + שָֽׁמְע֔וּ [they·heard] (416) + כִּי־עָל֥וּ [for·upon] (136) + הַמְּלָכִ֖ים [the·kings] (145) + לְהִלָּ֣חֶם [to·battle] (113) + בָּ֑ם [in·them] (42) + וַיִּצָּעֲק֗וּ [and·they·were·cried] (282) + מִכֹּ֨ל [from·all] (90) + חֹגֵ֤ר [girding] (211) + חֲגֹרָה֙ [girdle] (216) + וָמַ֔עְלָה [and·upward] (151) + וַיַּעַמְד֖וּ [and·they·stood] (136) + עַֽל־הַגְּבֽוּל [upon·the·border] (146) = 2189.
Rashi
On the border. On the edge, which they call 'marka':
Radak
"From everyone who girds a belt." As its Targum [renders]: "from all who are girded with the sword."
“On the border.” On the border of their land, to fight if kings come against them.
Ralbag
"From every one who girds a loincloth and upward": This means everyone fit to gird a loincloth for battle, and whoever is older than them — all of them were mustered and stood by the border of their land, to guard so that its enemies would not enter it.
Metzudat David
"They heard." Just as they heard that they [the kings] went up to war, they too gathered together.
“From every one who girds.” From every one who knows how to gird the sword.
"And upward." And the choicest among them were the mighty men, men of war, and he meant to say: not a single man was missing.
Metzudat Zion
And they cried out. They gathered by means of the crier's call:
Malbim
And all Moab heard it (already beforehand — for this is the rule that a noun preceding its verb is not particular about temporal precedence), and they stood [there] already beforehand:
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water some way off as red as blood;
verse value 2786
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "as·the·blood" (כַּדָּֽם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·rose·early" (וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·the·sun" (וְהַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ), "she·broke·forth" (זָרְחָ֣ה), "upon·the·water" (עַל־הַמָּ֑יִם). The root מים appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·saw" (root ראה, 66x in II Kings); "from·opposite" (root נגד, 24x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שכם ("and·they·rose·early") in II Kings. First appearance of the root שמש ("and·the·sun") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·the·water', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ [and·they·rose·early] (392) + בַבֹּ֔קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + וְהַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ [and·the·sun] (651) + זָרְחָ֣ה [she·broke·forth] (220) + עַל־הַמָּ֑יִם [upon·the·water] (195) + וַיִּרְא֨וּ [and·they·saw] (223) + מוֹאָ֥ב [Moab] (49) + מִנֶּ֛גֶד [from·opposite] (97) + אֶת־הַמַּ֖יִם [the·water] (496) + אֲדֻמִּ֥ים [red] (95) + כַּדָּֽם [as·the·blood] (64) = 2786.
Rashi
Red as blood. Such is the way of waters, when the sun shines upon them in the morning, they redden:
From a distance. From afar, and they had never seen water in that ravine, therefore they thought it was blood:
Metzudat David
"Upon the waters." Those that came to the river by the word of the Lord:
“Red as blood.” Through the sun’s rising upon the waters, they appear red:
Malbim
"And they rose early" (according to the opinion of our Sages of blessed memory, this refers to the morning that followed; and according to the commentators who explain that "as the offering was presented" refers to the morning offering, it was that very morning, immediately):
and they said: ‘This is blood: the kings have surely fought together, and they have smitten each man his fellow; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.’
verse value 2900
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. Verse gematria: 2900 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "blood" (דָּ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "sword" (הׇחֳרֵ֤ב), "have·been·destroyed" (נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙), "shouting" (אֶת־רֵעֵ֑הוּ). The root חרב appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·kings" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חרב ("sword") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shouting', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ [and·they·said] (263) + דָּ֣ם [blood] (44) + זֶ֔ה [this] (12) + הׇחֳרֵ֤ב [sword] (215) + נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ [have·been·destroyed] (266) + הַמְּלָכִ֔ים [the·kings] (145) + וַיַּכּ֖וּ [and·they·smote] (42) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + אֶת־רֵעֵ֑הוּ [shouting] (682) + וְעַתָּ֥ה [now] (481) + לַשָּׁלָ֖ל [to·the·spoil] (390) + מוֹאָֽב [Moab] (49) = 2900.
Radak
"This blood." Since they saw the redness, and water had not been flowing—for now the water came there, since it had not been there yesterday or the day before—their hearts were strengthened [in the belief] that it was blood, and they thought that a quarrel had broken out between the kings and they had slain one another.
"The sword was destroyed." This is from the sense of chereb [sword], meaning that they were slain among themselves; [the word] is of the Hof'al conjugation.
Ralbag
And they said, "This blood," etc. Since it was not the custom of that plain to have water, they assumed that it was blood, and they did not consider the effect of the sun striking the water.
"They were utterly destroyed." This means: They struck one another with the sword and killed one another.
Metzudat David
This blood. Since there had never been water there before, they thought that it appeared red from the rising of the sun, because they did not know that water had come there by a miracle.
"Utterly destroyed." This means that the kings were killed by the sword, for they struck one another in their mutual warfare.
"And now." Since this is so, they are prepared to plunder Moab, and they will no longer need to fight against them.
Metzudat Zion
"Utterly destroyed." From the term meaning ruin/desolation:
Malbim
"Utterly destroyed" (הָחֳרֵב נֶחֶרְבוּ) — this is related to the word חֶרֶב (sword), [meaning] that they fought each other with the sword.
And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them. And they smote the land, even Moab, mightily.
verse value 3212
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "and·they·smote" (וַיַּכּ֣וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·encampment" (אֶל־מַחֲנֵ֣ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·they·went·in" ((ויבו)), "and·smote·it" (וַיַּ֨כּוּ־בָ֔הּ), "and·smiting" (וְהַכּ֖וֹת). The root נכה appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 101x in II Kings); "from·their·face" (root פנים, 72x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נוס ("and·they·fled") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·their·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֘אוּ֮ [and·they·came] (25) + אֶל־מַחֲנֵ֣ה [to·encampment] (134) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ [Israel] (541) + וַיָּקֻ֤מוּ [and·they·arose] (162) + יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ [Israel] (541) + וַיַּכּ֣וּ [and·they·smote] (42) + אֶת־מוֹאָ֔ב [Moab] (450) + וַיָּנֻ֖סוּ [and·they·fled] (132) + מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם [from·their·face] (225) + (ויבו) [and·they·went·in] (24) + וַיַּ֨כּוּ־בָ֔הּ [and·smote·it] (49) + וְהַכּ֖וֹת [and·smiting] (437) + אֶת־מוֹאָֽב [Moab] (450) = 3212.
Radak
"And they came." They came as men confident in themselves, not as men prepared for battle; and Israel and those with them rose against them and struck them down.
"And they came against it." So it is written with a bet, and read with a kaf; I have not found a reason for this, unless we say that the vav is in place of an aleph, so that it would be like "and he came into it" [ויבא בה], meaning that Israel came into it. And the explanation of "into it" is "into the city," meaning into every city to which these [Moabites] were fleeing to escape there from Israel. And this [word] is noted in the Masorah, being one of two [instances] that are read "bah" but presumed [to be] "bam"; the other is "and the new wine shall fail her" [Hosea 9:2].
Ralbag
“And they came to the camp of Israel.” Behold, God, blessed be He, arranged that they all came there not in the manner of men going out to war, but in the manner of men going out for plunder; and for this reason Israel struck them down with ease.
"And they struck it, and smite Moab." Behold, it is written "vayyavo" with a bet [ketiv], but read "vayyakku" with a kaf [keri]. The intention is that they had already struck them in that camp where they came, which is the camp of Israel, and it uses the feminine language in the manner of "if a camp encamps upon you." And after this, they completed striking Moab in their places.
Metzudat David
"And they came." Like those who walk in security, without preparing for war.
“And they smote it” – the word “smote” (and so forth): This means that they struck it, and then returned and struck it again.
Malbim
And they struck them: after they fled, they pursued them to the land of Moab and struck them (within the country itself), and they continued to strike Moab; and regarding this it says, “and you shall strike Moab.”
And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees; until there was left only Kir-hareseth with the stones of the wall thereof; so the slingers encompassed it, and smote it.
verse value 5132
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 105 letters. The shortest word is "good" (ט֠וֹבָ֠ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·every·spring·of·water" (וְכׇל־מַעְיַן־מַ֤יִם, 10 letters). 16 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·the·cities" (וְהֶעָרִ֣ים), "they·will·tear·down" (יַהֲרֹ֡סוּ), "and·every·portion" (וְכׇל־חֶלְקָ֣ה). The root טוב appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man·stone" (root איש, 119x in II Kings); "and·the·cities" (root עיר, 61x in II Kings); "and·smote·it" (root נכה, 58x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שאר ("until·there·remained") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hareseth', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 3 words.
Rashi
And the cities they shall destroy. They were destroying:
Every man shall throw his stone. That they were taking the stones from the walls, until they left all the stones of the walls remaining in the wall, standing on their clay, that is, the mud, meaning that there was no longer a stone in the wall, and after this the slingers surrounded [it] and struck what remained in the tilled land, whose wall was not broken, and they overthrew it:
Radak
"Until he left its stones in Kir-hareseth." Kir-hareseth is the name of a large city among the cities of Moab; Scripture mentions it in every account of Moab's downfall, and since it was a city of renown, it mentioned it and did not mention the other cities that were destroyed. The explanation of "until he left" is: they destroyed and demolished everything, until they left Kir-hareseth alone, which was a fortified city, and in it they left only the stones of the wall — this is what is meant by "its stones," the stones of this city. For everything that was outside the city they destroyed and demolished; the wood and all the stones they threw into the good fields, and [only] the wall of this city remained.
"And the slingers went around and struck it." They struck the wall until they demolished it. It appears that for the other cities they did not need slingers; rather, they would capture the cities and only afterward would they destroy them. But because this was a fortified city, they required slingers. And these slingers were not those who wield slings by hand, but rather slingers who hurl large stones using a *dik* or similar device, in which a single stone is a heavy load, and they would hurl the stone with those instruments at the wall until they broke the wall. And so they did to Kir-hareseth, and struck it. And the Targum [renders]: "until there remained no stone in the city that they had not broken, and the slingers went around and struck it."
Ralbag
"And the cities shall be destroyed." "Until he left its stones in Kir-hareseth" means that in that city alone he left its stones, for it was very strong, and already the slingers were surrounding it and striking it. And behold, the king of Moab was there; and when he saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took with him seven hundred men, each drawing his sword, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not then. He took, at the camp of the king of Edom, the firstborn son of the king of Edom, who was to reign in his stead, and offered him up as a burnt offering on the wall — meaning that he burned him, as it is stated, "because he burned the bones of the king of Edom to lime."
Metzudat David
"A man his stone." Each one cast the stone that he was obligated to cast.
"Until he left its stones, etc." This means to say: they did not leave [anything] in the city of Kir-hareseth, except the stones of the wall, even though it was the capital of Moab.
And they went around. After this, they also breached the wall, with sling stones.
Metzudat Zion
The slingers. Throwers of sling-stones:
Malbim
And the cities were being destroyed without cease — [as for the phrase] 'until he left [her stones in Kir-hareseth],' meaning: they destroyed all the cities, except Kir-hareseth, which was a great fortress, whose wall was built of large stones; and '[in Kir-hareseth] her stones remained' — meaning, the stones of the wall, which they could not destroy or capture due to the strength of the stones (and there was the king of Moab). And 'the slingers surrounded [it]' with large stones, which they use to sling to destroy the wall, and 'they struck it' — meaning, they struck it with their slings to destroy it.
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew sword, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not.
verse value 3544
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Sheba·hundred" (שְׁבַע־מֵא֨וֹת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 217: and·saw, to·break·through. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "because·was·severe" (כִּֽי־חָזַ֥ק), "Sheba·hundred" (שְׁבַע־מֵא֨וֹת), "he·drew" (שֹׁ֣לֵֽף). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 407x in II Kings); "to·king" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root יכל ("were·able") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Radak
"And the king of Moab saw" – The king of Moab was within this city, as stated above, "for they fled from before them," and he planned to take refuge in this city. Upon seeing that the matter of this war was too strong for him, he took with him seven hundred men to break through to the king of Edom in order to exit the city, for it was possible that the king of Edom was closer to the city than the two kings.
"Stronger than him was the war." The explanation is that ["the war" here means] "the matter of the war," and "chazak" is a past-tense verb, since half of it has a qamats and half a patach.
Metzudat David
The war. With the war that comes upon him:
"to break through." This means: to pass through the midst of the camp, to the king of Edom, to fight against him; but they could not come to his place.
Metzudat Zion
Him. With him:
To breach. From the word breach, meaning to split the camp and pass through it:
Malbim
The Questions: Why was there anger against Israel because the king of Moab brought his son up to the wall? What was Israel’s sin in this matter?
And the King of Moab saw that he was trapped within, realizing that he could not prevail from behind the wall, for the battle was fierce and they would capture the wall. Therefore, he took and drew his sword (for they were fighting from the wall with arrows and bow), and he sought to break through to the King of Edom, for the King of Edom and his camp were standing on one side and were weak against him. He sought to break through to seize the king himself, but they could not seize him; rather, they seized his firstborn son. They took him and brought him up and burned him on the wall to take vengeance upon the King of Edom (and regarding this it is said, “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment… because he burned the bones of the King of Edom to lime”). From this, anger arose in the camp of Edom against Israel, for they were angered that Israel did not help him when he broke through from the wall and fought against him, having left him to fight alone. And because of this, they did not depart from him, for anger arose among the three kings. This is according to the simple meaning. And the words of our Sages of blessed memory are well known.
Then he took his eldest son that should have reigned in his stead, and offered him for a burnt-offering upon the wall. And there came great wrath upon Israel; and they departed from him, and returned to their own land.
verse value 4569
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "a·burnt-offering" (עֹלָה֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·would·reign" (אֲשֶׁר־יִמְלֹ֣ךְ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "firstborn" (הַבְּכ֜וֹר), "who·would·reign" (אֲשֶׁר־יִמְלֹ֣ךְ), "great·wrath" (קֶצֶף־גָּד֖וֹל). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who·would·reign" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "upon·Israel" (root על, 116x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חומה ("upon·the·wall") in II Kings. First appearance of the root גדול ("great·wrath") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 4 words.
Rashi
And he took his firstborn son. In the Pesikta of the portion of Shekalim it is expounded: he asked his servants what is the nature of this nation that such miracles were done for them, they said to him: their father Abraham had an only son, the Holy One blessed be He said to him offer him before Me, and he wished to offer him to the Holy One blessed be He, he said to them: even I have a firstborn son, I will go and offer him to idolatry:
On the wall. Deficient in vav, for he was serving the sun:
And there was great anger. That their sins were remembered, that even they were servants of idolatry, and they were not worthy of a miracle:
Radak
“And he took his eldest son.” The explanation of my master and father, of blessed memory, is that the son of the King of Edom, who was fit to reign in his stead, was in the power of the King of Moab. For this reason he came with the two kings, for he thought to bring out his son from the hand of the King of Moab with their help. And when the King of Moab thought to break through to the King of Edom and could not, he took in his anger the son of the King of Edom and brought him up upon the wall and burned him before his father’s eyes. This is what is meant by “and he offered him up as a burnt-offering,” that he burned him as one burns a burnt-offering.
“And there was great anger upon Israel.” From the king of Edom, because he thought that with their help he would bring his son out from under the hand of the king of Moab. And this is what the verse says regarding "for his burning the bones of the king of Edom to lime" [Amos 2:1]. And my brother, Rabbi Moses, of blessed memory, explained that when the king of Moab intended to breach [the defenses of] the king of Edom, he then took his son in that battle, snatched him from them, and brought him up upon the wall and burned him before his father’s eyes. And there was great anger upon Israel from the king of Edom because they did not help him to save him from their hands. And in the Midrash, regarding “and he brought him up as a burnt-offering,” the king of Moab asked: “Why is this nation worthy of these miracles?” They said to him, “Their father Abraham offered his son as a burnt-offering.” He said to them, “I too will do so,” and he brought up his son as a burnt-offering. And they differed regarding this matter: some said that he offered him for the sake of Heaven, and this is what it says, “And there was great anger upon Israel,” meaning that the Holy One, Blessed be He, was angry with them, because the king of Moab did not spare his son when he intended to do the will of God, whereas Israel were provoking Him every day. And he intended to do the will of God, and he is not like what it is said regarding Jephthah, who offered up his daughter, [for it is written], “Which I did not command,” meaning this Jephthah who offered up his daughter; but “which did not come into my mind,” this is Mesha, king of Moab, who offered up his son. Others said that he offered him up to idolatry, and because of this the letter vav is missing from “the sun,” because he served the sun and offered up his son to the sun. And what it says, “And there was great anger upon Israel,” means that the sins of Israel were remembered at that time, for they too were burning their sons to idolatry and to Asherah. And Scripture says, “and you have not even done according to the ordinances of the nations,” and our Sages of blessed memory said, “You did not do as the best among them did, but you did as the worst among them did.”
“And they returned to their land.” Each of the kings returned to his own land, and in the Midrash, [it is stated that] at that time Israel descended to the lowest level.
"And they returned." It is written defectively, meaning "they returned to the land," like "and they brought him back to the land."
Ralbag
And behold, this matter brought great wrath upon Israel; that is to say, they were exceedingly angry that this evil occurrence happened to the king of Edom, who had come to help them. Or perhaps the intention is that the king of Edom had great wrath against Israel, because on their account this happened to him.
Metzudat David
“And he took his son.” When he came to the place of his son, he took him with him and burned him entirely as a burnt offering, on the wall opposite his father, the king of Edom.
And there was anger. The king of Edom was angry with Israel, because on her account that evil came upon him, and they did not see fit to save him. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Sanhedrin 39b): that the king of Moab offered his son as a burnt offering; some [of the Sages] said [it was offered] to Heaven, and some said [it was offered] to idolatry. And because of this, the Lord was angry with Israel, etc.
Rashi
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim