2 Kings 5:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

He—took with him ten talents of silver, &c.— See on 1 Kings 14:3 concerning the presents of eatables; besides which, in other cases the presents that anciently were, and of late have been, wont to be made to personages eminent for study and piety, consisted of large sums of money or vestments. Thus we find here, that the present which a Syrian nobleman would have made to an Israelitish prophet, with whom he did not expect to stay any time, or indeed to enter his house, (see 2 Kings 5:11.) consisted of ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. It is needless to mention the pecuniary gratifications which have been given to men of learning in the east in later times; but as to vestments, D'Herbelot tells us, that Bokhteri, an illustrious poet of Cufah in the ninth century, had so many presents made him in the course of his life, that at his death he was found possessed of a hundred complete suits of clothes, two hundred shirts, and five hundred turbans. An indisputable proof of the frequency with which presents of this kind are made in the Levant to men of study; and at the same time a fine illustration of Job's description of the treasures of the east in his days, as consisting of raiment as well as silver. Job 27:16-17. Observations, p. 238.