Commentators highlight this as a prime example of the principle to "overcome evil with good." Instead of executing his captives, the king of Israel, following Elisha's command, showed radical generosity by feasting them. This act of mercy, as Charles Spurgeon notes, was so powerful that the Syrians "could not come any more to vex a people who had treated them so generously," demonstrating that divine goodness can be more effective than vengeance.