2 Kings 6:17

“And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see, etc.] Not the eyes of his body, which were not shut nor blinded, but the eyes of his mind; or, in other words, grant him a vision, represented in so strong a light, as to remove his fears: and the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; he had a vision of angels: and, behold, the mountain; on which the city was built, or one near it: was full of horses and chariots of fire; angels in this form, as in (<120211>2 Kings 2:11), and these were round about Elisha; being round about the city where he was; or rather so in the vision it was represented to the young man, he saw his master surrounded with horses…”

“Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see--The invisible guard of angels that encompass and defend us (Psa 34:7). The opening of the eyes, which Elisha prayed for, were those of the Spirit, not of the body--the eye of faith sees the reality of the divine presence and protection where all is vacancy or darkness to the ordinary eye. The horses and chariots were symbols of the divine power (see on Kg2 2:12); and their fiery nature denoted their supernatural origin; for fire, the most ethereal of earthly elements, is the most appropriate symbol of the Godhead [KEIL].”

“Open his eyes that he may see - Elisha’s servant lacked the faith of his master. Elisha therefore prays that he may be given a vision of the spiritual world, and see, as if with the bodily eye, the angelic host (marginal references) which he himself knows to be present. return to 'Top of Page'”

“He saw, &c. - Fire is both dreadful and devouring: that power which was engaged for Elisha, could both terrify and consume the assailants. Elijah gave a specimen of Divine justice, when he called for flames of fire on the heads of his persecutors to consume them. Elisha gives a specimen of Divine mercy, in heaping coals of fire on the heads of his persecutors to melt them. 4 Kings (2 Kings) 6:22”

“prayed: Psa 91:15; Jam 5:16-18 open his eyes: Kg2 6:18-20; Psa 119:18; Isa 42:7; Act 26:18; Eph 1:18; Rev 3:7 full of horses: Kg2 2:11; Psa 34:7, Psa 68:17, Psa 91:11, Psa 104:3; Eze 1:13-16; Zac 1:8, Zac 6:1-7; Mat 26:53; Heb 1:14; Rev 19:11, Rev 19:14 4 Kings (2 Kings) 6:18”