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2 Kings 6:30-32

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

30. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, [he had] sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31. Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. 32. But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and [the king] sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: [is] not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?

2 Kings 6:30-32 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on 2 Kings 6:30

Theological / Devotional

Rent his clothes. Under the circumstances this seemed to be the king’s only possible response. He could not order a woman to produce her son that the child might be eaten, nor was he in a position to end this terrible distress. His clothes were rent, not in grief or repentance like his father (1 Kings 21:27), but in horror and consternation.

Sackcloth within. Instead of wearing sackcloth on the outside, Joram, it seems, had put on this ascetic garment under his outer attire and was wearing it less openly. By such a device he probably hoped to appease the wrath of Jehovah. The people saw in the sackcloth an expression of the king’s sympathy for them in their distress.

By SdaBc