And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. (2 Kings 13:17)
Several towns widely separated bore this name (see on 1 Sam. 4:1). The one probably referred to here is the town 3 3/4 mi. (6 km.) east of the Sea of Galilee on a road connecting the Jordan valley with Damascus. This may also have been the Aphek where the Syrians suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of Ahab (1 Kings 20:26-34), and where Ahab had shown them an unreasonable lenity. The site is now called Fiq.
The Lord’s deliverance.
As the king shot his arrow toward the east in response to the command from the messenger of God, Elisha, under divine inspiration, foretold the coming victory of Israel over the forces of Damascus.
Eastward.
Toward the east was Gilead, then held by Syria. The king was to direct his efforts toward the east, to bring deliverance to the cities beyond the Jordan that were then under Syrian control.y