1map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

2tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

3tn Heb “walked after.”

4tn Heb “he did not turn aside from it.”

5tn Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against.”

6tn Heb “he gave them into the hand of.”

7tn Heb “all the days.”

8tn Heb “appeased the face of the Lord.”

9tn Heb “and the Lord heard.”

10tn Heb “for he saw the oppression of Israel, for the king of Syria oppressed them.”

11sn The identity of this unnamed “deliverer” is debated. For options see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 143.

12tn Heb “and they went from under the hand of Syria.”

13tn Heb “and the sons of Israel lived in their tents as before.”

14tn Heb “they did not turn away from.”

15tn Heb “house.”

16tc Heb “in it he walked.” The singular verb (הָלַךְ, halakh) is probably due to an error of haplography and should be emended to the plural (הָלְכּוּ, hal˙ku). Note that a vav immediately follows (on the form וְגַם, v˙gam).

17tn Or “an image of Asherah”; ASV, NASB “the Asherah”; NCV “the Asherah idol.”

sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).

18tn Heb “Indeed he did not leave to Jehoahaz people.” The identity of the subject is uncertain, but the king of Syria, mentioned later in the verse, is a likely candidate.

19tn Heb “them,” i.e., the remainder of this troops.

20tn Heb “and made them like dust for trampling.”

21tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoahaz, and all which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”

22tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

23tn Heb “and they buried him.”

24map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

25tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

26tn Heb “turn away from all.”

27tn Heb “in it he walked.”

28sn Jehoash and Joash are alternate forms of the same name.

29tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Joash, and all which he did and his strength, [and] how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”

30tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”

31tn Heb “sat on his throne.”

32tn Heb “Now Elisha was ill with the illness by which he would die.”

33tn Heb “went down to him.”

34tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”

35sn By comparing Elisha to a one-man army, the king emphasizes the power of the prophetic word. See the note at 2:12.

36tn Heb “and he took a bow and some arrows.”

37tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

38tn Heb “Cause your hand to ride on the bow.”

39tn Heb “and he caused his hand to ride.”

40tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

41tn Heb “He opened [it].”

42tn Heb “and he shot.”

43tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

44tn Heb “The arrow of victory of the Lord and the arrow of victory over Syria.”

45tn Heb “you will strike down Syria in Aphek until destruction.”

46tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

47tn Heb “and he took [them].”

48tn Heb “man of God.”

49tn Heb “[It was necessary] to strike five or six times, then you would strike down Syria until destruction.” On the syntax of the infinitive construct, see GKC 349 §114.k.

50tn Heb “and they buried him.”

51tn Heb “entered.”

52tc The MT reading בָּא שָׁנָה (ba shanah), “it came, year,” should probably be emended to בְּבָּא הַשָּׁנָה (b˙ba hashanah), “at the coming [i.e., ‘beginning’] of the year.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 148.

53tn Heb “and it so happened [that] they.”

54tn Heb “and look, they saw.”

55tn Heb “the man”; the adjective “dead” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

56tn Heb “the man.”

57tn Heb “he”; the referent (the dead man) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Otherwise the reader might think it was Elisha rather than the unnamed dead man who came back to life.

58tn Heb “all the days of Jehoahaz.”

59tn Or “showed them compassion.”

60tn Heb “he turned to them.”

61tn Heb “because of his covenant with.”

62tn Heb “until now.”

63tn Heb “from the hand of.”