And he sent thither horses and chariots, and a great host, and they came by night and surrounded the city.
The king of Syria found out that his secret war plans kept reaching Israel, and that one prophet was the source. So he sent an army by night to ring a single town. The question the chapter raises is who was really trapped.
The Syrian king never considered that he was up against God. He looked for a traitor instead:
His plans kept being foiled, so the king of Syria suspected treachery in his court. The idea of God and of His stepping in does not even occur to him, and this comes out again and again in these accounts. The world always thinks this way. It puts everything that happens down to second causes instead of seeing the hand of God in them... Did the king of Syria not realize that even if he could get rid of the visible witness in Israel, he would by no means get rid of the eye of the invisible God?
His new plans would fare no better than the old ones:
But the king of Syria should have known that he was really fighting against God. The remarkable way his secrets had come to light should have told him so, and that is a very serious matter. The God he completely overlooked soon threw his new plans into confusion.
The size of the force is out of all proportion to the target. That mismatch says something about the men who sent it:
He sends a great army to take one man. That strikingly proves that the ungodly know their own weakness and helplessness before one man upheld by the power of God. The wicked Ahab felt the same in an earlier day, when he sent his captains with their fifties to take Elijah, who stood alone. So did the Jews in a later day, when they sent a band of officers and men to take the Lord of glory. The world instinctively knows that one man, if God is with him, is stronger than a great host without God.
Why bring a crowd against one unarmed man, here or at the arrest of Jesus? One writer answers:
Because they were afraid of spiritual power, but thought that overwhelming numbers could defeat that power. How pathetically foolish! The Lord Jesus showed His superior power in speaking the words, "I Am," causing all the crowd to go backward and fall to the ground (John 18:6). So they were helpless before His face, yet He allowed them to get up and take Him prisoner!
Elisha was not hiding, so finding him took no effort. It was the army that wanted the dark:
"Go and see where he is." Natural eyes could find where Elisha was without trouble, for he did not slip away in secret. God has nothing to hide; He is light itself. Men, on the contrary, love darkness and fear the light. This is why the army came up "by night" and surrounded the city.
As a military plan, nothing was left out. Judged by sight alone, the prophet was finished:
To natural sight Elisha's case seemed hopeless. The Syrians had taken every precaution. The great army took every care, coming to Dothan under cover of darkness. There seemed no way of escape for the prophet.
The servant was not mistaken about what was out there. His problem lay elsewhere, and one writer holds him responsible for it:
His eyes did not deceive him, but he lacked the eyes of faith. That is why he despaired at once... He has no excuse. As the prophet's servant he was in constant touch with the unseen world, and he ought to have known that no human strength can stand before the power of God.
Elisha saw the same army and felt no fear. He saw more than the army:
Elisha knows no fear, for he knows that "those who are with us are more than those who are with them." He had seen the chariots of Israel and its horsemen before. He knew that the Lord's hosts surrounded him. He did not need to pray for himself, that he might see, for he saw, because he believed. He prayed for his servant that his eyes might be opened.
- Overlooked. The king blamed a traitor for his failures, not God. That is the world's habit: it explains everything by second causes.
- Outnumbered on purpose. The king sent a whole army after one unarmed man. The ungodly fear the power of God and hope that numbers will beat it.
- Overnight. Elisha hid nothing and was easy to find. The army needed the dark, because men love darkness and fear the light.
- Outwardly hopeless. The Syrians took every precaution and ringed the city before dawn. To natural sight there was no way out.
- Outseen. The servant's eyes told the truth, but not the whole truth. Elisha saw because he believed, and he prayed for his servant to see too.
And when the attendant of the man of God rose early and went forth, behold, an army surrounded the city, with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
Dothan wakes to a siege. A whole Syrian army has moved in during the night, and the only man they want is an unarmed prophet. The servant's cry is the honest reaction of anyone who counts only what he can see.
The size of the force is itself a confession. Commentators say it takes fear, not strength, to send an army after one unarmed man.
He sends a great army to take one man. That proves, in a striking way, that godless people feel their own weakness and helplessness in front of one man whom the power of God holds up. The wicked Ahab felt this in an earlier day, when he sent his captains with their fifties to take Elijah, who stood alone. It was the same in a later day, when the Jews sent a band of officers and men to take the Lord of glory. The world instinctively knows that one man, if God is with him, is stronger than a great host without God.
The timing matters too. The army moved at night, while Elisha made no attempt to hide.
"Go and see where he is." The eyes of the flesh could easily discover where Elisha was, for he did not steal away. God has nothing to hide; He is light itself. Men, on the contrary, love darkness and fear the light. This is why the army came up "by night" and surrounded the city.
The servant's report was not exaggerated. His problem was not bad information but a second kind of sight he never used.
Elisha's servant rose early. He saw the whole enemy army, the horses and the chariots, and he was afraid. His eyes did not deceive him; what he lacked was the eyes of faith. That is why he despaired at once: "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" In effect, the confident Syrian army was throwing all its strength at one defenceless man. How could he resist? The servant saw the army and drew that conclusion. He has no excuse. As the prophet's servant he lived in constant contact with the unseen world, and he ought to have known that no human strength can stand before the power of God.
Two men faced the same army that morning and reached opposite verdicts.
Elisha calms the young man's alarm. He says, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." The young man is walking by sight. Elisha is walking by faith. The prophet anticipates the experience of the apostle who could say, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
The Syrians formed the outer ring. Writers point out that the vision granted in the next verses showed a second ring, closer in.
When the young man's eyes were opened in 2 Kings 6:17, he saw "horses of fire and chariots of fire round about Elisha." The host of the enemy lay camped around the man of God, and apparently every route of escape was closed. But nearer to him still, and standing between him and them, was the host of God. In the same way a host is camped against us. The devil seeks by every trick to drive us off heavenly ground.
The prophet asked nothing for himself. He had already watched fiery horses and chariots carry Elijah away, and he expected the same escort on his own road.
There was no need for Elisha to have his eyes opened. He had already seen the chariots of Israel and their horsemen waiting on Elijah as he went up from earth to heaven. The prophet's faith realises that the same chariots and horses of God go with him as he travels through the earth. The young man has seen the horses and chariots and the great army that surrounded the city. Now he sees the mountain "full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." The Syrian army may be around the city. But what can they do if God's higher host is around Elisha?
Elisha's own calm was not the end of his responsibility.
With every anxiety of his own settled, he can pray for others. He asks that the same vision of faith his own eye rested on may make his servant sure too. "Lord, please open his eyes that he may see." It is not enough for me to rest on God's help by faith, or to ask others to do so. I must also help them stand firm in that power.
Writers turn the servant's panic into a question for the reader.
There seemed to be no way of escape. He may have begun to feel that it would have been better to be on the enemy's side than against him, since his power was so great. He was wise to run to his master in his fear, but his cry, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" showed how shaken he was. Have we ever felt like that? ... Is the way of escape to make terms with the enemy? Can you find relief by compromising with him? No, that will not do. Stand fast! Have faith in God. A little faith can overcome great difficulties, for faith is the sight that sees God.
- Counted. The servant's arithmetic was right and his conclusion wrong; he saw the army accurately but never counted the God he served.
- Cornered. A whole army sent by night for one unarmed man shows how weak the strong feel when God is with someone.
- Calmed. "Do not be afraid" was Elisha's answer, and he could give it because his own soul was already settled: those who are with us are more than those who are with them.
- Circled. The enemy ringed the city; God's horses and chariots ringed Elisha, and the unseen army was the stronger one.
- Carried. Elisha did not stop at his own peace but prayed his servant into it; the way out of fear was never compromise, only sight that sees God.
And he said, Fear not, for they that are with us are more than they that are with them.
Overnight the king of Syria surrounds the town of Dothan with horses, chariots and a great army — all to capture one prophet. His servant wakes, sees the trap and panics; Elisha answers by counting a second army the young man cannot see.
The size of the force says something about the fear behind it. An army sent after one unarmed man is a confession:
The king of Syria learns that Elisha, not some traitor, is the one frustrating his plans. So he sends horses, chariots and a great army to take him captive. He sends a great army to take one man. That is striking proof that the ungodly realize their weakness and helplessness in the presence of one man sustained by the power of God. The wicked Ahab felt this in an earlier day, when he sent his captains with their fifties to take Elijah, who stood alone. It was the same in a later day, when the Jews sent a band of officers and men to take the Lord of glory. The world instinctively knows that one man, if God is with him, is stronger than a great army without God.
Both men looked at the same hillside. The difference was not in their eyes but in what each man walked by.
Elisha quietens the young man's alarm. He says, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." The young man is walking by sight. Elisha is walking by faith. The prophet anticipates the experience of the Apostle who can say, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
The next verse identifies the reinforcements as horses and chariots of fire. Writers tie them to the same chariots that carried Elijah to heaven. That protection, they say, has never stopped:
These chariots of fire and this cavalry are angels. Once they gathered to take Elijah up to heaven. Now they gather to protect one defenceless man on earth, bringing all the plans of his enemies to nothing. This divine intervention on behalf of the redeemed has never ceased. Jacob had seen it when angels in two bands met him at Mahanaim. With danger close at hand, he identified himself with the Lord's army and could say of himself, "I have become two camps."
Position matters as much as number. The enemy had closed every road out, yet something stood between the prophet and them:
When God opened the young man's eyes in 2 Kings 6:17, he saw "horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." The enemy army lay camped around the man of God. Every way out seemed closed. But nearer to him still, and between him and them, was the army of God.
The prophet is not content to be calm alone. He asks God for the servant, because only God can give this kind of sight.
Elisha, however, is not content to rest in quiet faith himself, nor to seek only to comfort others. He would gladly bring the young man up to his own spiritual level. Realizing that only God can do this, he prays to the Lord to open his servant's eyes... There was no need for Elisha to have his eyes opened. He had already seen the chariots of Israel and their horsemen waiting on Elijah as he went up from earth to heaven.
No technique produces this sight:
He was not told to cultivate psychic powers. GOD opened his eyes.
Fear pushes toward a deal with the stronger side. One writer names that pressure and answers it:
He may have begun to feel that it would have been better to be for the enemy than against him, since his power was so great... Is the way of escape to make terms with the enemy? Can you find relief by compromising with him? No, that will not do. Stand firm! Have faith in God. A little faith can overcome great difficulties, for faith is the sight that sees God.
Commentators apply the count to believers now, even without the vision:
Is there any less protection for believers today? Believers may not see the angel of the Lord camping around us, but it is still true (Ps. 34:7). Those redeemed by the blood of Christ have no reason to fear any enemy, for God is their Protector.
- Counted. Faith counts what the eye cannot see: the enemy is real, but those with us outnumber them.
- Cause. The servant saw one army and panicked. The prophet had already seen the other, and stayed calm.
- Gift. No one can work this sight up. Elisha prayed, and God opened the young man's eyes.
- Reach. The chariots that carried Elijah up now surround one defenceless man. That protection has never stopped.
- Result. The count holds, so there is no reason to bargain with the enemy. Stand firm, because "faith is the sight that sees God."
And Elisha prayed and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
A Syrian army surrounds Dothan by night, and Elisha's servant wakes to find every road blocked. The prophet does not pray for escape or for rescue; he prays that one frightened man might see what is already there.
The servant's report was accurate. He did not need better information. He needed a second kind of sight, and only God could give it.
"Do not be afraid," Elisha says to his servant, "for those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (v. 16). Then he prays: "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." The eyes of his flesh saw the army of the enemy, and they did not deceive him. Yet he was blind. Some things needed the prophet's prayer and the Lord's own intervention before he could see them. Then his eyes were opened. These chariots of fire and horsemen are angels. They once gathered to take Elijah up to heaven. Now they gather to protect one defenseless man on earth, and they bring all the plans of his enemies to nothing. God has never stopped acting like this for His redeemed.
after-check: splits 59-word sentence, restores ESV wording, adds source material on who the horses are
Elisha asks nothing for himself. Something he saw years earlier explains why.
Elisha is not content to rest in quiet faith himself, nor only to comfort others. He would gladly bring the young man up to his own spiritual level. Knowing that only God can do this, he prays to the Lord to open his servant's eyes... There was no need for Elisha to have his eyes opened. He had already seen the chariots of Israel and the horsemen as Elijah went up from earth to heaven. The prophet's faith knows that the same chariots and horses of God go with him on his journey through the earth.
The fiery host could look like a copy of the army outside the city. One difference sets them apart.
The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around them! It might seem an exact copy of the host outside the city. But there was an important difference. The chariots outside could be burned up. The chariots surrounding them were made of fire, matching the character of the God who had sent them. He is a consuming fire! The host surrounding the prophet and his servant was certainly angelic. They were there not to display heaven's delight, but for service.
Nothing in the story puts the servant to work on himself. The change came from outside.
When the Syrian army surrounded Dothan, Elisha's servant was terrified. So Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes to see the horses and chariots of fire around the mountain. He was not told to develop psychic powers. GOD opened his eyes. This leads us to Psalm 34:7: "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them." Here we see a ministry of care, protection and deliverance. The word "encamps" suggests that the angel of the Lord has a whole army of helpers behind him.
The order of the two circles matters. The Syrians ringed the city; the fiery host ringed Elisha — closer in.
The enemy's army was camped around the man of God, and apparently every way of escape was closed. But nearer to him still, and between him and them, was the host of God. In the same way a host is camped against us.
The story runs on, and the enemy meets the opposite of what the servant received.
We are also allowed to see that Elisha deals with the enemies of God in the ways of grace. At the same time he shows that they are completely in his power. So the young man had his eyes opened, while the enemies of God's prophet will now have their eyes blinded. The same was true in spirit when the Lord was here. He came "that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind" (John 9:39). To admit one's blindness and submit to God is the way to sight, as the blind man in John's Gospel found.
- The danger was real. The servant saw the Syrian army, and his eyes told him the truth. He was still blind, because only God could show him the rest.
- Faith saw it first. Elisha needed no prayer for himself. He had watched the chariots of fire carry Elijah up, and he counted on the same escort ever since.
- The gift was sight, not rescue. Nothing was added to the mountain that morning. God opened one man's eyes, and no skill of the servant's own had any part in it.
- The nearer circle wins. The enemy ringed the city. The host of God stood closer, between Elisha and them: chariots of fire, angels sent to serve.
- Two results, one lesson. One man had his eyes opened; the enemy had their eyes blinded. Admitting your blindness before God is still the road to sight.