2 Kings 3:17 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Ye shall not see wind, &c.— See the note on 1 Kings 18:45. It is very common in the eastern countries, and particularly in the deserts of Arabia, to be in want of water, which is so scarce there, that travellers, and the beasts they carry with them, often perish with thirst. Their last resource for preserving their lives is, to cut open their camels, and get from their stomachs what water they contain. We cannot say whether these kings, from a want of precaution, had neglected to provide sufficiently for themselves and their army, or whether they remained upon the road longer than they had foreseen. From the text it is plain, that they wanted water, and that the army found itself so urged by thirst that both men and beasts were in danger of their lives. In this calamity the kings had recourse to Elisha; as in cases of emergency, we see men have recourse to the prayers of wise and pious persons, to whom they paid little regard at another time, but who, in the days of calamity, are resorted to by whole cities and nations. The prophet arrives; he reproves Jehoram for his impiety, and then foretels things superior to reason and the powers of nature, insomuch that the impious acknowledged and adored the assisting hand of the Almighty. He commands what is to be done, in order that so miraculous a succour may be of use to those who were thus pressed by necessity, and that it might not slip them too speedily. Thus saith the Lord, make this valley full of ditches, &c. These circumstances deserve attention, and furnish certain proofs of the miracle: after a long drought it commonly happens, especially in hot climates, that the rains are accompanied or preceded by winds, which collect together clouds, and break against each other the little bubbles of water which float in the air. See 1 Kings 18:41. Without rain, rivers never overflow. But here, without rain, without wind, there came water by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. It issued somewhere, by the order of God, from the bowels of the earth, and flowed into the camp of the allied princes. Who but God could, at a given period, have produced so marvellous an effect?