13:14 Now Elisha had a terminal illness. 1 King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. 2 He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot 3 and horsemen of Israel!” 4
1 tn Heb “Now Elisha was ill with the illness by which he would die.”
2 tn Heb “went down to him.”
3 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
4 sn By comparing Elisha to a one-man army, the king emphasizes the power of the prophetic word. See the note at 2:12.
5 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
6 tn Heb “I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab.” The measuring line and plumb line are normally used in building a structure, not tearing it down. But here they are used ironically as metaphors of judgment, emphasizing that he will give careful attention to the task of judgment.
7 tn Heb “just as one wipes a plate, wiping and turning [it] on its face.” The word picture emphasizes how thoroughly the Lord will judge the city.