מלכים ב, פרק ו׳, פסוק כ״ב

A remarkable moment of wartime mercy unfolds when the prophet Elisha stops the King of Israel from executing enemy soldiers who were miraculously led directly into the city. By stepping in, the prophet establishes a firm moral and legal boundary regarding the treatment of prisoners of war.

Elisha challenges the king with a rhetorical question [מצודת ציון], questioning his underlying authority over the captives. The primary approach among commentators notes that the king did not capture these men through his own military skill or weaponry. Because they were delivered into the city entirely through a miracle from God, the king has no legal right or permission to execute them [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Alternatively, the prophet’s challenge can be understood as an argument based on the standard customs of war. Even when a king captures enemies by his own physical might, it is not the practice to execute them once they have surrendered and become prisoners [רש״י]. Therefore, it is certainly wrong to harm men who were taken captive by the direct power of God [רלב״ג]. Furthermore, the usual right of a king to kill his enemies applies strictly during active combat. In this specific situation, the enemy soldiers did not even arrive with the intention to harm or kill the prophet, but merely to capture him and bring him back with them [מלבי״ם].

Rather than allowing any harm to come to the soldiers, Elisha instructs the king to treat them as honored guests. He commands the king to provide them with food and water, and then to ensure they are sent safely back to their master [ביאור שטיינזלץ].