“As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said. ‘O Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.’ Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw. They were inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha. ‘Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?’ He answered. ‘No! Did you capture with your sword and with your bow those whom you want to kill? Set food and water before them, so that they may eat and drink. Let them go to their master.’ So he prepared for them a great feast. After they ate and drank, he sent them on their way. They went to their master. The Arameans no longer came raiding into the land of Israel.”
When they got to Samaria, Elisha asked Yahweh to cure them of their blindness. In this way, Elisha is not as cruel as some of the prophets. After all he had cured Naaman of leprosy, who was the head of the Aramean army. Now when the king of Israel wanted to kill all these Arameans, Elisha said no. They had not been captured by the use of swords or bows and arrows. He had tricked them with the aid of Yahweh. He wanted the opposite. He set out a great feast with eating and drinking. This was the uncommon idea of killing them with kindness. After the festival he sent them away to their master. This strange incident led to some kind of truce, where the Arameans did not raid Israel anymore. Was it this kindness of Elisha or where they so afraid of him? We do not know their motivation.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 