Chapter 3 of Sefer Melachim II opens the era of the reign of Yehoram the son of Achav. Achav died in battle and the dogs licked his blood, in accordance with the word of Eliyahu, because he had seized the vineyard of Navot the Yizre'elite, and in his place his son Yehoram reigned. But one must ask: Why does Scripture begin here with the details of Yehoram's reign? The answer lies in Elisha's request of his master: "Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me," meaning that he merited to perform twice as many miracles as his master. Rashi cites the Midrash in the name of the Thirty-Two Rules of Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yose HaGelili, that we find eight miracles performed by Eliyahu and sixteen by Elisha, and thus "a double portion of your spirit be upon me" was fulfilled. From here on, Scripture begins enumerating these miracles one after another.
וִיהוֹרָם בֶּן־אַחְאָב מָלַךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשֹׁמְרוֹן בִּשְׁנַת שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לִיהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה וַיִּמְלֹךְ שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה׃ - Now Yehoram the son of Achav became king over Israel in Shomron in the eighteenth year of Yehoshaphat king of Yehudah, and he reigned twelve years.
וַיַּעֲשֶׂה הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה רַק לֹא כְאָבִיו וּכְאִמּוֹ וַיָּסַר אֶת־מַצְּבַת הַבַּעַל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אָבִיו׃ רַק בְּחַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם בֶּן־נְבָט אֲשֶׁר־הֶחֱטִיא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל דָּבֵק לֹא־סָר מִמֶּנָּה׃ - And he did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, only not like his father and like his mother, and he removed the pillar of the Baal that his father had made. But he clung to the sins of Yerovam the son of Nevat, who caused Israel to sin; he did not turn away from it.
Yehoram did evil in the eyes of Hashem, yet Scripture emphasizes that he was not like his father and mother. There is a distinction here between two types of kings: there were those who clung to the sin of Yerovam out of political expedience, and those who clung to it out of spite. What was the expedience? If a king of Israel were to observe the mitzvot, he would have to lead the people up to Yerushalayim to offer sacrifices during the Three Pilgrimage Festivals, and there in the Azarah (Temple Courtyard) he would not be permitted to sit, for only kings of the Davidic dynasty may sit in the Azarah. Consequently, he would be forced to stand, and everyone would say: Look, the king of Yehudah sits while the king of Israel stands; evidently he is not a real king, and the people would be drawn after the king of Yehudah. This was the origin of it all; this was the sin of Yerovam. Achav and Izevel made the pillar of the Baal and the Asherah out of sheer defiance, whereas Yehoram removed the pillar of the Baal and clung only to the sin of Yerovam, out of fear and dread lest the kingdom fall into the hands of the kings of Yehudah, and not, Heaven forbid, out of defiance like his father and mother.
וּמֵישַׁע מֶלֶךְ־מוֹאָב הָיָה נֹקֵד וְהֵשִׁיב לְמֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָה־אֶלֶף כָּרִים וּמֵאָה אֶלֶף אֵילִים צָמֶר׃ וַיְהִי כְּמוֹת אַחְאָב וַיִּפְשַׁע מֶלֶךְ־מוֹאָב בְּמֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And Mesha king of Moav was a sheep breeder, and he would render to the king of Israel one hundred thousand fattened lambs and one hundred thousand rams with wool. But when Achav died, the king of Moav rebelled against the king of Israel.
"Noked" means a sheep breeder. Why did Mesha become a shepherd? Because he was subjugated under the rule of the king of Israel and was obligated to pay him an annual tribute of one hundred thousand fattened lambs and one hundred thousand rams with wool - intact with their fleece, not shorn sheep. When such a heavy tribute is imposed upon a person, he has no choice but to breed sheep en masse. When Achav died, Mesha sought an opportunity to cast off this heavy burden, and therefore "he rebelled" - casting off the yoke of the king of Israel.
וַיֵּצֵא הַמֶּלֶךְ יְהוֹרָם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא מִשֹּׁמְרוֹן וַיִּפְקֹד אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And King Yehoram went out of Shomron on that day and mustered all Israel.
In Yehoram's eyes, this was unacceptable: how could he fail to fulfill his obligation? Presumably, the kingdom relied heavily upon these tributes. Therefore, he set out from Shomron and mustered all of Israel, as a census was conducted for the purpose of war.
וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶל־יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה לֵאמֹר מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב פָּשַׁע בִּי הֲתֵלֵךְ אִתִּי אֶל־מוֹאָב לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶעֱלֶה כָּמוֹנִי כָמוֹךָ כְּעַמִּי כְעַמֶּךָ כְּסוּסַי כְּסוּסֶיךָ׃ - And he went and sent to Yehoshaphat the king of Yehudah, saying, "The king of Moav has rebelled against me; will you go with me to Moav to war?" And he said, "I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
Yehoram asks Yehoshaphat to join him, and he has good reason to rely on him: as we know, Yehoshaphat and Achav were related by marriage. In particular, the Malbim adds, when Moav rebelled against the king of Yisrael, they also allied with the Ammonites and some of the inhabitants of Seir and came to wage war against Yehoshaphat, but fell in battle. This incident is not mentioned here, but in Divrei HaYamim II, chapter 20. Naturally, when the opportunity presented itself to take retribution from them, Yehoshaphat does not let it pass. He responds, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses" - we will fight shoulder to shoulder, and I am ready to commit whatever you are ready to commit.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵי־זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ נַעֲלֶה וַיֹּאמֶר דֶּרֶךְ מִדְבַּר אֱדוֹם׃ - And he said, "Which way shall we go up?" And he said, "The way through the wilderness of Edom."
The king of Yisrael asks the king of Yehudah which route they should take, and he replies: through the wilderness of Edom. Why? Because Edom was subject to Yehudah in those days, and as recalled, there was a deputy acting as king in Edom. Yehoshaphat wanted the king of Edom to join them as well, thinking that as three kings, the battle would be easier.
וַיֵּלֶךְ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה וּמֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם וַיָּסֹבּוּ דֶּרֶךְ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְלֹא־הָיָה מַיִם לַמַּחֲנֶה וְלַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלֵיהֶם׃ - So the king of Yisrael went, and the king of Yehudah, and the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days' journey; and there was no water for the camp, nor for the animals that followed them.
The king of Edom was not a sovereign monarch, but a governor, and indeed the king of Yisrael and the king of Yehudah were joined by him. But notice: they had a direct, short route to Moav, as Moav borders Yisrael across the Jordan, where the modern state of Jordan is situated today. You cross the Jordan and you arrive. Why, then, head into the desert? Because they circled around Mount Seir to pick up the king of Edom, and thus were forced to take a detour through the wilderness. And that was precisely what created their predicament.
וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲהָהּ כִּי־קָרָא יְהֹוָה לִשְׁלֹשֶׁת הַמְּלָכִים הָאֵלֶּה לָתֵת אוֹתָם בְּיַד־מוֹאָב׃ - And the king of Yisrael said, "Alas! For Hashem has called these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moav!"
Suddenly it becomes clear to them that detouring to bring the king of Edom along was their undoing: they are now stranded in the desert with no water for the camp or the animals, leaving the king of Moav able to defeat them easily. The king of Yisrael says: It is now obvious to me that deviating from the sensible route - crossing the Jordan directly to attack Moav - in order to bring Edom with us was entirely a decree from Hashem to foil our plans and deliver us into the hand of the king of Moav. Simple logic never would have suggested doing this: when you have a direct path, why take a detour? From this I realize "for Hashem has called" - Hashem orchestrated events and blinded our judgment so that we would make an irrational choice, in order to hand us over to Moav.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשָׁפָט הַאֵין פֹּה נָבִיא לַיהֹוָה וְנִדְרְשָׁה אֶת־יְהֹוָה מֵאוֹתוֹ וַיַּעַן אֶחָד מֵעַבְדֵי מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר פֹּה אֱלִישָׁע בֶּן־שָׁפָט אֲשֶׁר־יָצַק מַיִם עַל־יְדֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ׃ - And Yehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of Hashem here, that we may inquire of Hashem through him?" And one of the servants of the king of Yisrael answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shafat is here, who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu."
Yehoshaphat was a righteous king, and he realizes that this entire predicament is being orchestrated by Hashem. Therefore, he asks for a prophet to inquire: What is this path we have taken, should we proceed, and what does Hashem want of us? A servant of the king of Yisrael replies that Elisha ben Shafat is present, "who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu." In its plain sense: he was his disciple, and a disciple is described as one who pours water over his master's hands, because it is the way of a disciple to serve his rebbe even in the most menial tasks, such as pouring water over his hands, which resembles the labor of a servant. On the contrary, the more a disciple attends to his master, the more he displays genuine bittul (self-effacement) and expands his capacity to absorb his master's Torah.
However, there is another explanation as to why it specifically says "who poured water." Chazal say that when Eliyahu was on Mount Carmel, he asked Elisha to take water and pour it over the sacrifice, so that there would be no suspicions that flammable material had been placed there. A miracle occurred, and his ten fingers became like springs of water until the entire trench was filled with water. This is why it says "who poured water" - not "who served" or "who studied," but that his hands, as it were, poured water before him. And why does Scripture specifically mention this point here? The Malbim explains: because this is precisely what they need now - water. And who is the most suitable person? "Who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu." One through whom a miracle with water was performed is worthy of having a miracle with water performed through him now as well. Therefore they said: no one is more suitable than Elisha.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוֹשָׁפָט יֵשׁ אוֹתוֹ דְּבַר־יְהֹוָה וַיֵּרְדוּ אֵלָיו מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהוֹשָׁפָט וּמֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם׃ - And Yehoshaphat said, "The word of Hashem is with him." So the king of Israel and Yehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
Seemingly, the more appropriate phrasing would have been yeish ito ("the word of Hashem is with him"). What is the meaning of yeish oto? The Malbim offers a wonderful explanation: Elisha certainly had an exemption, or at the very least a deferment - why would he go out with the army, especially since he was probably no longer young at that time? Furthermore, with whom was Yehoshaphat going out to battle? With the wicked Yehoram. Why would Elisha, a prophet of Hashem, join such a battle? From this Yehoshaphat deduced: yeish oto - the very fact that the prophet is here demonstrates that the word of Hashem is with him. Eliyahu's disciple would not go to the military camp in vain, but on a mission; if he is here, he has a divine mission here.
And further in the verse: "So the king of Israel and Yehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him." Notice the difference: regarding Israel and Edom it says "king," but regarding Yehoshaphat it does not. Chazal explain: Yehoshaphat wore the clothes of an ordinary commoner, so as not to display majesty before the prophet. It was a time of distress, and not a time to appear before the prophet in grandeur. Therefore, he is not mentioned here in royal attire, but as an ordinary person.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלִישָׁע אֶל־מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַה־לִּי וָלָךְ לֵךְ אֶל־נְבִיאֵי אָבִיךָ וְאֶל־נְבִיאֵי אִמֶּךָ וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל כִּי־קָרָא יְהֹוָה לִשְׁלֹשֶׁת הַמְּלָכִים הָאֵלֶּה לָתֵת אוֹתָם בְּיַד־מוֹאָב׃ - And Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother." And the king of Israel said to him, "No, for Hashem has called these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moav."
Elisha says to the king of Israel: What are you seeking from me? Since when have I become an address for you? You have prophets - the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother - go to them. The Malbim explains: a prophet's prayer is effective only for someone who believes in Hashem and His prophets. A person must bond his soul with the prophet, and only then is there benefit in his prayer; but for someone who does not believe in Divine Providence, no matter how much they pray on his behalf, it will not help him. Therefore he tells him: You believe in the prophets of the Baal, you are connected to them - go to them, perhaps they will help you. But as for me, how can I help you if you do not connect with me and believe neither in me nor in Hashem?
Here it is worth mentioning that the same applies when people go to ask for a blessing from a tzaddik. There is a story told about the Baba Sali: two women came to him who had not been blessed with children for many years. He told them to accept upon themselves the observance of Taharat HaMishpachah (family purity), and they did so, beginning to immerse in the mikveh. One was blessed with a child shortly thereafter, while the second was still waiting. After several months they returned to him; one shared the good news that, Baruch Hashem, she had conceived, while the other asked: Why was my friend answered and not I? The Rav said to her, through his attendant - since he did not speak directly to women: Tell the truth, is it not true that when I blessed you, you did not believe? She admitted that she indeed had not believed; after all, she had consulted so many doctors, specialists, and professors - could some elderly man from Netivot simply give her a blessing and that would be that? He said to her: Your friend believed, but you did not believe. If you believe in Hashem and believe in the blessing, the blessing will take effect in you. And this is what Elisha was saying: How can I pray for you if you do not believe?
The king of Israel answers, "No" - do not turn me away, for the decree is not against me alone, but against three kings, including Yehoshaphat and the king of Edom. An awareness of Divine Providence is felt here: "for Hashem has called these three kings." In other words: you are not dealing here with a personal matter between you and me alone, there are other people here - act for their sake even if not for ours. Even if I am unworthy, there is someone here who is worthy, and I see that Divine Providence is at work here, so you are called upon to act.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלִישָׁע חַי־יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָמַדְתִּי לְפָנָיו כִּי לוּלֵי פְּנֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט מֶלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה אֲנִי נֹשֵׂא אִם־אַבִּיט אֵלֶיךָ וְאִם־אֶרְאֶךָּ׃ - And Elisha said, "As Hashem of Hosts lives, before Whom I have stood, were it not that I have regard for the presence of Yehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you."
"Before whom I have stood" - that I am accustomed to always stand before Him in prayer. And Elisha says: Were it not for Yehoshaphat king of Yehudah being here, I would not look at you or see you at all. What is the deeper meaning of this? The Malbim explains: One of the conditions for prophetic flow descending upon a prophet is that he be among God-fearing, wholesome, and righteous people, for the environment itself is a prerequisite for prophecy to rest upon him. So we find regarding Shaul, when he came upon the band of prophesying prophets and it was said to him, "and you shall prophesy with them," and they wondered, "Is Shaul also among the prophets?" - when you are in a place where Hashem pours out the spiritual flow, you receive the flow even if you are not at that peak spiritual level. Conversely, when a prophet is among the wicked, Ruach HaKodesh departs from him. And where do we see this? With Esther, when she entered the chamber of idols and said, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" and Chazal say that she entered the idol chamber and the Shechinah departed from her, because it was a place of idolatrous statues.
Therefore, Elisha tells him: The very fact of your presence here impedes the spiritual flow and prevents me from prophesying. But there is another side here as well: "I regard the presence of Yehoshaphat king of Yehudah" - Yehoshaphat is a tzaddik, and his very presence aids in receiving the flow. Thus, the situation is evenly balanced: on the one hand there is resistance to receiving the flow, and on the other hand there is assistance.
וְעַתָּה קְחוּ־לִי מְנַגֵּן וְהָיָה כְּנַגֵּן הַמְנַגֵּן וַתְּהִי עָלָיו יַד־יְהֹוָה׃ - "And now, bring me a musician"; and it came to pass, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
Since the situation was evenly balanced - an impediment on one side and an aid on the other - Elisha required an external action to stimulate the reception of the flow. He therefore asked for a musician, through whom he could reach that spiritual elevation and upliftment by which he could receive the flow. The Malbim explains: Under normal circumstances, Elisha would not have needed a musician at all; it was only because of these two opposing forces that a musician was needed to help him receive the spirit of Hashem.
Our Sages offer an additional reason: Elisha was not immediately privileged to have the spirit rest upon him because he was angry at the king of Yisrael. And whoever becomes angry, if he is a prophet - his prophecy departs from him. From where do we derive this? From Elisha, who had to dissipate his anger through the musician. According to the Sages, bringing the musician was intended to calm the anger with which he addressed the king of Yisrael, thereby making him fit for the spirit of Hashem to rest upon him.
וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה עָשֹׂה הַנַּחַל הַזֶּה גֵּבִים גֵּבִים׃ כִּי־כֹה אָמַר יְהֹוָה לֹא־תִרְאוּ רוּחַ וְלֹא־תִרְאוּ גֶשֶׁם וְהַנַּחַל הַהוּא יִמָּלֵא מָיִם וּשְׁתִיתֶם אַתֶּם וּמִקְנֵיכֶם וּבְהֶמְתְּכֶם׃ - And he said, "Thus says the Lord: Make this valley full of trenches. For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain, yet that valley shall be filled with water, that you may drink, both you, and your cattle, and your beasts."
"Trenches" (gevim) means excavations, pits, and the water will fill those pits. The Holy One, blessed be He, promises that there will be neither wind nor rain, and despite all that, the valley will be filled with water, and you, your livestock, and your animals will drink.
וְנָקַל זֹאת בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה וְנָתַן אֶת־מוֹאָב בְּיֶדְכֶם׃ - "And this is but a light thing in the eyes of the Lord; He will also deliver Moav into your hand."
The plain meaning of the text is: This is a small thing in the eyes of Hashem, and furthermore He will deliver Moav into your hand, which is the major matter. Yet the Malbim, as is his way, reveals a deeper insight here. Seemingly, if we were asked which miracle is greater - that the valley fill without rain and without wind, or that it fill with rain and wind - we would say that the greater miracle is for the valley to fill without rain. However, one must realize that this place was an arid wasteland where rain never falls at all; consequently, had rain fallen there, it would have been a complete departure from the laws of nature. Thus, had Hashem brought down rain there as well as filling the valley, it would have been a far greater miracle.
And see what happened here: The rain did not fall in the wilderness, but in the land of Edom, where rain is regular and normal, not a place devoid of rain. The rain fell there, and the water flowed down to here, while they saw neither wind nor clouds. Thus, this was a small miracle, a miracle close to the natural order. And why did Hashem choose to perform a small miracle when He could have performed a great one? The Malbim offers two reasons. The first is straightforward: They were not worthy of two grand miracles, for the wicked King Yehoram was among them, and they still needed the miracle of deliverance from Moav; therefore, Hashem minimized this miracle in order to grant the miracle of salvation. The second reason is deeper: When a miracle is not an end in itself but merely an instrument and a means, there is no purpose in magnifying it. And here, what was truly needed? The water was not the goal for which they had set out; rather, the victory over Moav was. Since the water was merely an instrument toward the primary goal, Hashem saw no purpose in performing a massive miracle by bringing down rain.
And this is the meaning of 'And this is a light thing in the eyes of the Lord.' But what does 'difficult' or 'easy' mean with respect to the Holy One, Blessed be He? For Him, nothing is difficult or easy. Rather, when it is said that it is 'difficult' for Him to overturn the order of nature, the meaning is that this runs contrary to the structure He established in the world. The design is that the world operates consistently according to natural laws, and when that must be altered, it is, as it were, 'difficult' for Him - not in terms of hardship or inability, but in terms of reluctance, like a person who says, 'It is hard for me to give to him,' where he does not mean it is physically heavy, but that he is disinclined to do so. Therefore the prophet says: The miracle performed for you with the water is an easy, light miracle, close to nature, because 'He will also deliver Moab into your hand' - the major miracle will be reserved for the ultimate objective itself, the conquest of Moab.
וְהִכִּיתֶם כָּל־עִיר מִבְצָר וְכָל־עִיר מִבְחוֹר וְכָל־עֵץ טוֹב תַּפִּילוּ וְכָל־מַעְיְנֵי־מַיִם תִּסְתֹּמוּ וְכֹל הַחֶלְקָה הַטּוֹבָה תַּכְאִבוּ בָּאֲבָנִים׃ - 'And you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and you shall fell every good tree, and stop all springs of water, and mar every good plot of land with stones.'
'Every fortified city' - the fortified towns; 'and every choice city' - the prime and most prominent cities; 'and mar every good plot of land with stones' - arable land suitable for crops, where stones would be cast so that it would become unfit for cultivation. And ostensibly one must ask: Is this permitted according to Halachah? For it is said: 'When you besiege a city for many days... you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them, for is the tree of the field a human being, to withdraw before you into the siege?' And by the way, this is one of those verses whose straightforward meaning few know: it is phrased as a rhetorical question - is the tree of the field a man, that you should wage siege against it? Fight against human beings, not against trees.
There are those who suggest that the prohibition applies specifically during a siege, and here it does not state that they besieged the city, so the prohibition did not apply. Others distinguish between fruit trees and non-fruit-bearing trees, but that cannot be the meaning here, since 'every good tree' specifically denotes actual fruit trees. Rather, the Midrash explains: When the prophet told them, 'And you shall fell every good tree,' they said to him, 'Does it not say, "You shall not destroy its trees," yet you tell us to do this?' He answered them: That was said regarding other nations, but this nation is contemptible and despised in the eyes of Hashem, as it says, 'And this is a light thing [venakal zot] in the eyes of the Lord' - an expression indicating that they are degraded and despised [niklim venivzim] in the eyes of Hashem. And concerning them it was said, 'You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity [tovatam]' - and what is their 'prosperity'? These are their good trees. It emerges, then, that this was a temporary ruling [hora'at sha'ah], just as there was a temporary ruling for Eliyahu HaNavi on Mount Carmel to offer a sacrifice outside the Beit HaMikdash.
וַיְהִי בַבֹּקֶר כַּעֲלוֹת הַמִּנְחָה וְהִנֵּה־מַיִם בָּאִים מִדֶּרֶךְ אֱדוֹם וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ אֶת־הַמָּיִם׃ - 'And it came to pass in the morning, when the meal offering was offered, that behold, water came from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.'
'And it came to pass in the morning, when the meal offering was offered' seems to be a contradiction in terms: either in the morning or at the time of the Minchah offering! There are several explanations for this. Some say 'in the morning' means toward the end of the morning, as the morning was turning toward the time of Minchah. A second explanation, from the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma: a torrent of rain fell in Edom in the morning, and the waters reached them at the time the Minchah was offered. And a third explanation: 'And it came to pass in the morning' - Elisha's prophecy was spoken in the morning, and when the Minchah was offered, behold, water came from the way of Edom.
וְכָל־מוֹאָב שָׁמְעוּ כִּי־עָלוּ הַמְּלָכִים לְהִלָּחֶם בָּם וַיִּצָּעֲקוּ מִכֹּל חֹגֵר חֲגֹרָה וָמַעְלָה וַיַּעַמְדוּ עַל־הַגְּבוּל׃ - 'And all Moab heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, and they were gathered together, from all who girded on a belt and upwards, and they stood at the border.'
Moab heard that the kings had marched up to fight them, and they declared a general mobilization - an emergency call-up: anyone who could strap on a belt was summoned to the army. 'And they stood at the border' - fully prepared for battle and war.
וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ בַבֹּקֶר וְהַשֶּׁמֶשׁ זָרְחָה עַל־הַמָּיִם וַיִּרְאוּ מוֹאָב מִנֶּגֶד אֶת־הַמַּיִם אֲדֻמִּים כַּדָּם׃ וַיֹּאמְרוּ דָּם זֶה הָחֳרֵב נֶחֶרְבוּ הַמְּלָכִים וַיַּכּוּ אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ וְעַתָּה לַשָּׁלָל מוֹאָב׃ - 'And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water from afar as red as blood. And they said, This is blood; the kings have surely clashed, and they have struck down one another; and now, Moab, to the spoil!'
The Moabites saw the camps of Edom, Israel, and Judah from a distance, and they saw water there - yet they knew it was a desert place devoid of water. When the sun cast its glistening rays upon the water, the water appeared red as blood, like a sort of mirage. They said: Surely the kings have slaughtered one another with the sword, fighting among themselves, and all we are seeing is spilled blood. In short: our work has been done by others; Edom, Israel, and Judah must have turned on each other, and God is with us! Consequently, all that remained was to fall upon the fallen and gather the spoil.
וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּקֻמוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־מוֹאָב וַיָּנֻסוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם וַיַּכּוּ־בָהּ וְהַכּוֹת אֶת־מוֹאָב׃ - "And they came to the camp of Israel, and Israel arose and struck Moab, so that they fled before them; and they went forward striking down Moab as they went."
They arrived confident, not like soldiers primed for battle, but like men coming to gather spoil, and Israel rose up and surprised them. Why does the verse repeat "and they struck Moab" and then "and they struck them, striking down Moab"? The Malbim explains: at first they struck the Moabites who had marched against them; then, "and they struck them" - they continued pursuing them until they reached the land of Moab, and then "striking down Moab" - striking them within the land itself.
וְהֶעָרִים יַהֲרֹסוּ וְכָל־חֶלְקָה טוֹבָה יַשְׁלִיכוּ אִישׁ־אַבְנוֹ וּמִלְאוּהָ וְכָל־מַעְיַן־מַיִם יִסְתֹּמוּ וְכָל־עֵץ־טוֹב יַפִּילוּ עַד־הִשְׁאִיר אֲבָנֶיהָ בַּקִּיר חֲרָשֶׂת וַיָּסֹבּוּ הַקַּלָּעִים וַיַּכּוּהָ׃ - "And they tore down the cities, and on every good piece of land each man threw his stone and filled it, and they stopped up every spring of water and felled every good tree, until only its stones were left in Kir-chareseth; and the slingers surrounded it and struck it."
Everything they did was precisely as the prophet had instructed: they demolished the cities, covered every good plot of land with stones, stopped up the water springs, and felled every good tree. "Until only its stones were left in Kir-chareseth" - only a single wall of Kir-chareseth remained standing, a mighty fortress whose wall was built of massive stones, which they could not demolish due to the strength of the place and the durability of the structure. Therefore, "and the slingers surrounded it and struck it" - not with swords, but by hurling large stones at it, until they had destroyed all the cities except for that fortified city which they could not conquer.
וַיַּרְא מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב כִּי־חָזַק מִמֶּנּוּ הַמִּלְחָמָה וַיִּקַּח אוֹתוֹ שְׁבַע־מֵאוֹת אִישׁ שֹׁלֵף חֶרֶב לְהַבְקִיעַ אֶל־מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם וְלֹא יָכֹלוּ׃ - "And the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, and he took with him seven hundred men who drew the sword to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not."
The king of Moab saw that the battle was overwhelming him, so he took seven hundred swordsmen - a sort of elite unit - to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not. According to the Malbim's explanation, he reasoned that he needed a tactical victory: if he could penetrate the camp of the king of Edom, who was evidently the weak link in the coalition, and succeed in abducting his son, he would hold a hostage and thereby turn the tide of the war. For such an operation, only a small force was needed. The primary objective was to kill the king of Edom, but they were unable to do so, and thus in the end they captured his son.
וַיִּקַּח אֶת־בְּנוֹ הַבְּכוֹר אֲשֶׁר־יִמְלֹךְ תַּחְתָּיו וַיַּעֲלֵהוּ עֹלָה עַל־הַחֹמָה וַיְהִי קֶצֶף־גָּדוֹל עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּסְעוּ מֵעָלָיו וַיָּשֻׁבוּ לָאָרֶץ׃ - "Then he took his firstborn son who was to reign in his place and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall; and there was great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to the land."
According to the peshat, it was the king of Edom's son who was captured and offered up upon the wall, and this aroused great wrath against Israel, as the king of Edom was furious with them: Why did you not help me rescue my son from the hand of the king of Moab?
However, Chazal offer a different interpretation here, one familiar to many. The king of Moab asked: How is it that this nation always triumphs? They told him: Because they had a righteous forefather named Avraham, who was willing to bind his son and slaughter him, and therefore Hashem performs miracles for them. He said: If so, I will do the same. At first he tried to break through to the king of Edom and could not, and so he said: I will do something that will cause Hashem to come to my aid. He took his own son, his firstborn who was to reign in his place, and slaughtered him upon the wall, sacrificing him, as it were, to Hashem. There are two views regarding this: some say he sacrificed him to idolatry, while others say he sacrificed him to Hashem. No one had commanded him to do this; he simply thought: If Avraham did this, I will do so too. Concerning this it is said, "Which I did not command, nor did I speak, nor did it enter My heart," and Chazal explain that one of these references is to the king of Moab - "nor did it enter My heart," I never told him to do such a thing. So too regarding Yiftach, and so too regarding Avraham: concerning all of them Chazal say, "I did not command, nor did I speak" that they should slaughter.
According to this explanation, the wrath aroused against Israel came from Hashem Yitbarach: it was said in Heaven - look, a gentile is willing to go and slaughter and sacrifice his own son, yet you are not willing to dedicate yourselves to the service of Hashem? This is the meaning of "and there was great wrath against Israel." "And they departed from him and returned to the land" - with this, the battle and the war came to an end.
Our chapter opens the series of Elisha's miracles, in which his request for 'a double portion of your spirit upon me' is fulfilled. Yehoram, who although he did evil was not like his father and mother, sets out to wage war against Mesha, king of Moav, who had cast off the heavy burden of tribute, and he enlists the righteous Yehoshaphat and the king of Edom to join him. The detour taken to join with Edom leads them into a waterless desert, and the king of Yisrael realizes that Hashem's providence has thwarted their plan. Yehoshaphat asks for a prophet, and Elisha - 'who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu', uniquely suited for the miracle of water - rebukes the king of Yisrael, explaining that a prophet's prayer is of no avail to one who lacks faith. Only out of respect for Yehoshaphat does he agree to respond, assisted by the musician whose playing was needed to dispel the resistance and anger. The miracle of the water is brought about in an understated way, close to nature, because it is not the ultimate goal but an instrument for the primary miracle: the delivery of Moav into their hands. And so it was: Moav mistook the water that looked red as blood, advanced overconfidently, and fell, and Yisrael laid waste to their land by a temporary ruling (hora'at sha'ah), until the king of Moav offered his son as an olah on the wall - a horrific act that Hashem never commanded nor did it enter His mind - and from this, great wrath came upon Yisrael.