מלכים ב י״ג

ויתן ה' לישראל מושיע. את יואש בן יהואחז, שנאמר בו (לקמן פסוק יט): שלש פעמים תכה את ארם:

And Adonoy provided Yisroel with a savior. Yoash son of Yehoachaz, concerning whom it is stated, “You will strike [and defeat] Arom [only] three times.”¹Below, v. 19.

בשנת שלשים ושבע וגו'. מקרא זה מוכחש משני צדדין, ולא מצאתי לו מתקן, שהיה לו לומר שלשים ותשע, שהרי עמד אביו בשנת עשרים ושלש ליואש, ומלך שבע עשרה שנה, נמצא שמת בשנת שלשים ותשע ליואש ועוד הא אמור למטה בענין, בשנת שתים ליואש בן יהואחז מלך ישראל, מלך אמציה בן יואש מלך יהודה, נמצא שעמד יואש בן יהואחז בשנת ארבעים של יואש שהיתה שנה אחרונה לו, ובשנה שניה ליואש בן יהואחז מלך אמציה, ואף כי תאמר שמלך אמציה בשנת מות אביו, וקרא הכתוב שנת שתים ליואש, למדת שלא מלך יואש מלך ישראל עד שנת שלשים ותשע של יואש מלך יהודה:

In the thirty-seventh year, etc. This verse is contradicted from two sides, and I have not found a reconciliation, for it should have said, “thirty-ninth [year],” because his father ascended [to the throne] in the twenty-third year of Yoash[’s reign], and reigned seventeen years, consequently, he died in the thirty-ninth year of Yoash[’s reign]. Also, it is stated below in this section, “In the second year of Yoash son of Y[eh]oachaz, king of Yisroel, Amatzyoh, son of Yoash became king.”²Below 14:1.—the king of Yehudah—Consequently, Yoash son of Yehoachaz, ascended [to the throne] in the fortieth year of Yoash, which was his last year, and in the second year of Yoash son of Yehoachaz, Amatzyoh became king. And even if you say that Amatzyoh became king in the year of his father’s death, and Scripture calls this the second year of Yoash[’s reign], [nonetheless,] you can deduce that Yoash the king of Yisroel did not become king until the thirty-ninth year of Yoash the king of Yehudah.

וירבעם ישב על כסאו. בנו היה ויש לתמוה, למה נכתבו כאן שני מקראות הללו, שהרי עוד לפנינו הוא מספר והולך בדברי יואש, וחוזר וכותב ויתר דברי יואש וגו', וישכב יואש עם אבותיו וגו'. ואומר אני, שלא נכתבו אלא להפסיק, שלא לסמוך מיתת אלישע, למקרא של עבודה זרה, לומר ויעש הרע וגו', ואלישע חלה וגו':

And Yorovom sat on his throne. He was his [Yoash’s] son. There is reason to wonder why these two verses were written here, for [Scripture] continues and tells about events of Yoash, and then repeats, “The rest of Yoash’s deeds, etc.,³Below 14:15. and Yehoash slept with his forefathers, etc.,”⁴Ibid. v. 16. I therefore say that they [i.e., these two verses] were written [here] for the sole purpose of causing a break, so as not to juxtapose Elisha’s death with a verse [dealing] with idolatry,⁵Alternatively, the verses are inserted here to indicate that Yorovom was placed on the throne by his father during his lifetime, and he ruled for two years.—Radak by saying, “He did what was evil, etc.,⁶v. 11. and Elisha became sick.”⁷v. 14.

פתח החלון קדמה. מול ארץ ארם שהם במזרח, כמה שנאמר (ישעיהו ט יא): ארם מקדם:

“Open the window towards the east.” Opposite the land of Arom which is located in the east, as it is stated, “Arom from the east.”⁸Yeshayahu 9:11.

ירה ויור. שדי ושדא:

“Shoot!” And he shot. [Targum Yonoson renders] “Shoot!” And he shot.

ויאמר חץ תשועה וגו'. אלישע אמר החץ הזה יהיה סימן תשועה לישראל:

And he said, “An arrow of salvation, etc.” Elisha said, “This arrow is a symbol of salvation for Yisroel.”

באפק. שם העיר:

In Apheik. The name of the city [is Apheik].⁹Yisroel had been defeated earlier by Arom. See I Melochim 20:26-30.

ויאמר להכות חמש או שש פעמים. היה לך:

And [he] said, “[If only] you had struck [the arrows at the ground] five or six times. [I.e.,] you should have.

אז. אם כך עשית, הכית את ארם חמש או שש פעמים, שהרי לסימן תשועה הרכבתי ידיך על הקשת:

Then. Had you done so, you would have struck Arom five or six times, for as a symbol of victory, I placed your hands on the bow.

יבאו בארץ. היו רגילין לבא ולשלול בארץ:

Would invade the land. It was common for them to come and plunder the land.¹⁰After Elisha’s death.—Radak For as long as he was alive no Aramean dared to invade as indicated in II Melochim 6:23.

בא שנה. במיעל שתא, בתשובת השנה, בעוד הארץ מליאה דשאים ויש מאכל לבהמתם, דרך חיילות לצאת:

At the beginning of each year. [Targum Yonoson renders,] “at the beginning of the year,”¹¹I.e., בָּא שָׁנָה means “when the year [= שָׁנָה] enters [=בָּא].” However, שָׁנָה is feminine and בא is masculine. This difficulty can be resolved by substituting בָּא with בָּהּ, meaning “in that very year,” i.e., the year that Elisha died.—Radak. Or, בָּא שָׁנָה means, “when he [Elisha] had come [to his resting place] for a year.—Ralbag [i.e.,] at the return of the year, when the ground is still full of vegetation, and there is food for their animals, it is customary for troops to set out [for war].