2 Kings 5:8

There is a prophet. — With stress on there is (yçsh): scil., as his message pre-supposes.

When Elisha... had heard. — He was in Samaria at the time (2 Kings 5:3), and would hear of the coming of the great Syrian captain and of the king’s alarm. Why did not Jehoram think at once of Elisha? King and prophet were not on good terms with each other. (Comp. 2 Kings 3:14.) Besides, Elisha had not as yet done any miracle of this sort; and his apprehensions may have made the king unable, for the moment, to think at all.