Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 6:1

"And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us." — 2 Kings 6:1 (ASV)

THE HISTORY OF ELISHA’S MIGHTY WORKS CONTINUED.

The prophet causes an iron ax-head to float in the Jordan.

And the sons of the prophets said. — The form of the verb implies connection with the preceding narrative; but as the section refers to Elisha’s activity among the sons of the prophets, it was probably connected originally with 2 Kings 4:44. The compiler may have transferred it to its present position in order, as Thenius suggests, to indicate the lapse of some time between the events described here and there; and further, to separate the account of the renewed warfare between Syria and Israel (2 Kings 6:8 and following) from that of Elisha’s good deed to Naaman the Syrian.

The place where we dwell with thee. — Rather, the place where we sit before thee: namely, habitually, for instruction. The phrase occurred in 2 Kings 4:38.

The common hall is meant; whether that at Gilgal or at Jericho is uncertain. Jericho was close to the Jordan (2 Kings 6:2), but that does not prove that it is meant here.

The prophet’s disciples did not live in a single building, like a community of monks. Their settlement is called “dwellings” (nâyôth) in the plural (1 Samuel 19:18), and they could be married (2 Kings 4:1).

Too strait. — Their numbers had increased. (Compare 2 Kings 4:43.)