2 Kings 2:19

Of the city. That is, of Jericho. After the ascension of Elijah, Elisha sojourned for a period at Jericho, where in a fruitful and pleasant oasis one of the schools of the prophets had been established.

Pleasant. Compared with the desolate region round about, the situation of Jericho indeed was pleasant. Here was the Wilderness of Judah, a dry, barren waste, with the sun beating down upon the bare, brown earth. At the time of the entrance into Canaan life-giving springs had preserved a verdant place in a portion of this desolate valley. There were groves of palm trees and figs, aromatic shrubs, and fields of grain. Jericho had been a delightful abode.

The water is naught. The waters of Jericho, once so wholesome and refreshing, had become tainted and corrupt, and as a result the once pleasant valley was becoming unfruitful. It looked as if the curse on Jericho’s rebuilder (Joshua 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34) had cursed the land also.