SOURCE: Mordechai Cogan, editor/
commentator, Anchor Bible, vol. 11
Of sociological interest is the status
of the woman as revealed through
her court appeal and the question
of land tenure in ancient Israel. There
is no way to determine the reason
for the loss of the woman's fields.
Had they become "crown property"
in her absence? Or was the land
originally a fief granted by the crown
"on the condition that certain services
were performed"? On the face of it, however,
the story speaks simply of confiscation,
"unlawful appropriation," perhaps even by
another family member or a neighbor.
The appearance of the woman as plaintiff
is in line with her earlier description (in
II Kings Chapter 4, verse 8). The lands
were likely hers through inheritance (from
a previous marriage?), and it would have been
legally proper for her to make claim for
their restoration. Conclusions as to her
assumed widowhood by all commentators
are therefore unjustified.
Beyond the details of the story itself, these
few verses offer an unencumbered view of
the creative process behind the Elisha Cycle.
His "great deeds" were retold not only among
the Sons of the Prophets, those circles of
Elisha's loyal disciples, but also at the court
of Samaria (and Damascus). The man of
God seems to have been a subject of interest
to many, and different performers regaled
their audiences with stories of his wonders.
It was in these settings that the Elisha tradition
was first shaped and transmitted.
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