Rashi on Tanakh2 Kings 3

Yehorom, son of Achov. This section too [in order] to tell the miracle of Meisha the king of Moav, which was performed through Elisha, was written here, for [Scripture] enumerated for Eliyahu eight miracles and for Elisha sixteen, to fulfill “a double amount of your spirit upon me,”¹Above, 2:9. and he wrote them all, one juxtaposed to the other. I saw this in the “Thirty-two Methods of Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Yose Haglili.” And the dividing of the Yardein by Elisha, is [counted] like two of Eliyahu’s miracles.²See above 2:14 and Rashi there.

But not [as bad] as his father and mother. Who added the [worship of the ] Baal in order to provoke [God].³Yehorom abolished worship of the Baal but not the Asheiroh because is mother, Izevel, was still alive at the time and she supported Asheiroh worship.—Ralbag

However, to the sins of Yorovom, etc. he cling. And so did all kings of Yisroel, out of fear, so that the kingdom does not return to the House of Dovid if they were to perform the pilgrimage on the [Three] Festival[s]. They, therefore, worshiped the calves.

Owned many flocks. [Targum Yonoson renders,] “owner of livestock.”⁴Sheep are usually spotted [= נְקוּדִים], therefore a sheep owner is called נַקָּד.—Radak

Wooly rams. [Targum Yonoson renders,] “pasture-fed rams,” with their wool.

Through the road of the wilderness of Edom. For the king of Edom,⁵He was not a king, but actually a governor that was appointed by the king of Yehudah.—Metzudas Dovid too, will go with us.

To hand them over, etc. For they will die of thirst.⁶The three kings will be handed over to Moav because either they will die of thirst, or if they scatter across the countryside in search for water, they will be in an unprotected and vulnerable position.—Radak

Who poured water on the hands of Eliyahu. On Mount Carmel,⁷See I Melochim 18:34 and Rashi there. and with his pouring, his fingers became like springs of water, until the ditch filled up, and it is [therefore] fitting for a miracle to be performed for us through him concerning water.⁸See Yalkot Shimoni 247:214.⁹Alternatively, this is an expression to indicate Elisha’s total devotion to Eliyahu to the extent that he even poured water on Eliyahu’s hands. From here we derive that those who serve Torah scholars are greater than those who only study the Torah. See Maseches Berachos 7b.

Do not [say that], for Adonoy has called, etc. [Targum Yonoson renders,] “Please [אל]¹⁰Alternatively, Gא means “do not,” i.e., “do not tell us these things now, etc.”—Radak do not mention the sins of that wicked woman. Beg mercy for us, for Adonoy has summoned, etc.”

Bring me a musician. Because of his anger, the Divine Presence departed from him.¹¹See Maseches Pesachim 66b. Alternatively, Elisha was unable to prophesy because he was mourning Eliyahu’s departure. The Divine Presence does not reside with people who are sad. It rests on prophets only when they experience joy in their fulfillment of a mitzvah. See Maseches Pesachim 117a.

Many pools. Ditches full of water.

This is easy. And furthermore, this miracle is slight and insignificant in the eyes of God, and He will proceed to act wondrously with you and [perform] another miracle, and He will deliver Moav into your hand.

And every valuable tree you will chop down. Even though it is stated, “Do not harm any of its trees,”¹²Devarim 20:19. here He permitted it for you, for this is a contemptible and insignificant nation before Him. And so Scripture states, “You shall not pursue their peace and their benefit,”¹³Devarim 23:7. [i.e.,] these are the good trees that are among them.

Fertile field. Sown field, koumici, in O.F.

At the time of the morning when the meal-offering was brought up. The water began falling from heaven in the morning¹⁴Rashi is explaining the apparent contradiction between the expressions “morning” and “when the meal-offering was offered up” which refers to the afternoon services. Rashi explains that two expressions refer to the beginning and end of the miracle. in the land of Edom,¹⁵Alternatively, God caused one of the rivers in Edom to overflow its banks causing the valley near the camp to fill with water.—Radak and at the [time of] offering up the meal-offering, it came surging into that valley, because Elisha had said, “You will not see wind and you will not see rain.”¹⁶Above v. 17. [This is stated] in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma.

At the border. At the border, that is called marche, in O.F.

Red as blood. Such is the nature of water; when the sun shines on it in the morning, causes it to appear red.

From a distance. At a distance, but because they had never seen water in that valley, they, therefore, thought that it was blood.

They demolished the cities. They would destroy the cities.

Each man threw his stone. For they would take stones from the walls until they left all the stones of the walls in the wall, with only their clay,¹⁷This is Rashi’s explanation of בַּקִּיר חֲרָשֶׂת [=the clay in the wall]. Alternatively, קִיר חֲרָשֶׂת was the name of a mighty fortified city in Moav. Generally, enemy cities would be destroyed after their capture. But, because קִיר חֲרָשֶׂת was a mighty fortified city, they needed catapulters to destroy its wall in order to capture it.—Radak [i.e.,] their mortar; i.e., there were no more stones in the wall. Afterwards, “and the catapulters surrounded it,” and destroyed that which remained in the fields where the wall was not broken, and tore it down.

And then took his firstborn son. In the Pesikta of the section of Shekalim it is expounded: He asked his servants, “What is the character of this nation, that miracles such as these were performed for them?” They replied, “Their forefather, Avrohom, had an only son. The Holy One, Blessed Is He, said to him, ‘Offer him before me,’ and he wanted to sacrifice him to the Holy One, Blessed Is He.” He said to them, “I too have a firstborn son. I will go and sacrifice him to the gods.”¹⁸There are different opinions whose firstborn son was offered as a burnt offering. Some say that the king of Edom’s firstborn son was in the custody of Moav’s king, and he was burnt by the king of Moav. Others maintain that Meisha, the king of Moav, sacrificed his own son. In Maseches Sanhedrin 39b there are also different opinions whether the firstborn was offered to God or to a heathen deity.—Radak

On the wall. The ‘vav’ [in חֹמָה] is missing,¹⁹I.e., it should have been spelled חוֹמָה. for he worshiped the sun [=חַמָּה].

This caused a terrible anger. For their iniquities were remembered, that they too worship pagan deities and are not worthy of a miracle.²⁰See Maseches Sanhedrin 39b.