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Verse 4
Theosis · English Bible
4 Kingdoms (2 Kings)

4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 6

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1And the sons of the prophets said to Elisaie, Behold now, the place wherein we dwell before thee is too narrow for us. 2Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and make for ourselves a habitation there. 3And he said, Go. And one of them said gently, Come with thy servants. And he said, I will go. 4And he went with them, and they came to Jordan, and began to cut down wood. 5And behold, one was cutting down a beam, and the axe head fell into the water: and he cried out, Alas! master: and it was hidden. 6And the man of God said, Where did it fall? and he shewed him the place: and he broke off a stick, and threw it in there, and the iron came to the surface. 7And he said, Take it up to thyself. And he stretched out his hand, and took it. 8And the king of Syria was at war with Israel: and he consulted with his servants, saying, I will encamp in such a place. 9And Elisaie sent to the king of Israel, saying, Take heed that thou pass not by that place, for the Syrians are hidden there. 10And the king of Israel sent to the place which Elisaie mentioned to him, and saved himself thence not once or twice. 11And the mind of the king of Syria was very much disturbed concerning this thing; and he called his servants, and said to them, Will ye not tell me who betrays me to the king of Israel? 12And one of his servants said, Nay, my Lord, O king, for Elisaie the prophet that is in Israel reports to the king of Israel all the words whatsoever thou mayest say in thy bedchamber. 13And he said, Go, see where this man is, and I will send and take him. And they sent word to him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothaim. 14And he sent thither horses, and chariots, and a mighty host: and they came by night, and compassed about the city. 15And the servant of Elisaie rose up early and went out; and, behold, a host compassed the city, and horses and chariots: and the servant said to him, O master, what shall we do? 16And Elisaie said, Fear not, for they who are with us are more than they that are with them. 17And Elisaie prayed, and said, Lord, open, I pray thee, the eyes of the servant, and let him see. And the Lord opened his eyes, and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses, and there were chariots of fire round about Elisaie. 18And they came down to him; and he prayed to the Lord, and said, Smite, I pray thee, this people with blindness. And he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisaie. 19And Elisaie said to them, This is not the city, and this is not the way: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them away to Samaria. 20And it came to pass when they entered into Samaria, that Elisaie said, Open, I pray thee, O Lord, their eyes, and let them see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21And the king of Israel said to Elisaie, when he saw them, Shall I not verily smite them, my father? 22And he said, Thou shalt not smite them, unless thou wouldest smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow: set bread and water before them, and let them eat and drink, and depart to their master. 23And he set before them a great feast, and they ate and drank: and he dismissed them, and they departed to their master. And the bands of Syria came no longer into the land of Israel. 24And it came to pass after this, that the son of Ader king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up, and besieged Samaria. 25And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was valued at fifty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung at five pieces of silver. 26And the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, and a woman cried to him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. 27And he said to her, Unless the Lord help thee, whence shall I help thee? from the corn-floor, or from the wine-press? 28And the king said to her, What is the matter with thee? And the woman said to him, This woman said to me, Give thy son, and we will eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow. 29So we boiled my son, and ate him; and I said to her on the second day, Give thy son, and let us eat him: and she has hidden her son. 30And it came to pass, when the king of Israel heard the words of the woman, that he rent his garments; and he passed by on the wall, and the people saw sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31And he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisaie shall stand upon him this day. 32And Elisaie was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and the king sent a man before him: before the messenger came to him, he also said to the elders, Do ye see that this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? See, as soon as the messenger shall have come, shut the door, and forcibly detain him at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? 33While he was yet speaking with them, behold, a messenger came to him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?

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4 Kingdoms (2 Kings) 6:4

Caesarius of Arles

Caesarius of Arles6th century

As we engage with the Scriptures, dear brethren, we come across the account of the blessed Elisha who journeyed to the Jordan with the prophetic sons to gather timber. During this endeavor, an axe fell into the water, prompting the young man who lost it to cry out to Elisha, ‘Oh, my lord, it was borrowed!’ In response, Elisha cast a wooden stick into the place where the axe had submerged, causing the iron to rise to the surface. Elisha serves as a representation of our Lord and Savior, a resemblance we have frequently reminded you of, dear brethren. Furthermore, the young man, one of the prophets, who lost the axe symbolizes our Lord Christ Himself. The axe’s fall signifies Adam or, more broadly, humanity. The prophet’s son held the axe, reflecting how our Lord and Savior bears the authority over the human race He created. Just as the axe slipped from the prophet’s grasp into the water, humanity, through pride, was wrenched from the hand of Almighty God, plunging into the depths of moral degradation and various sins. Hence, the axe lies submerged in the depths, representing how humanity has descended into an abyss of sin, a state of sorrowful corruption. As it is written: "I have sunk into the deep mire," and again, "I have entered into the depth of the waters, and the current swept me away" (Psalm 68:3). The river that claimed the axe symbolizes the fleeting pleasures and luxuries of this world that flow down into the abyss.

In a river, the notion of flowing is inherent; thus, all sinners are drawn downward by the lure of transient delights, which is why the axe remains ensconced in the muddy waters. Elisha arrived to cast a stick into those waters, enabling the iron to rise. This act signifies the elevation of humanity through the mystery of the Cross, as it draws us from the depths of hell and cleanses us from the defilement of sin. When the iron surfaced, the prophet reclaimed it for use and returned it to its owner. May we also reflect on our own plight, dear brethren. We, having fallen from the Lord’s hand through pride, have been graced to return to His power through the tree of the Cross. With this divine support, let us earnestly strive not to slip away from His grasp once more out of pride. Although we once had no worthy merit, we are now brought from darkness to light, called from death to life, and set on a just path after much wandering. Therefore, let us hasten while we still benefit from the light of life, seizing the opportunity for salvation. Let us resist being lured by the deceptively sweet yet perilous joys of this world, which could lead us to stray from good deeds and the path of righteousness, akin to departing from the Lord’s hand and plunging into the evil river of worldly distractions. Let us not become mired once more in the filth of sin, where sorrow breeds decay. Instead, let us hearken to the apostle who proclaims: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God; set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:1-2). Why does he urge us to seek if we haven’t fallen? In another context, the same apostle cries out, "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light" (Ephesians 5:14). Does it not resonate with you as though he calls out to an axe lying in the mire? "Awake," he commands, "you who slumber in the depths of water, and Christ will illuminate you through the mystery of the Cross." All of this has been realized in us, dear brethren, through the Sacrament of Baptism.