And the king of Israel said to Eliseus, when he saw them: My father, shall I kill them?

And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite? shall I smite them?

And the king of Israel saith unto Elisha, at his seeing them, 'Do I smite, do I smite, my father?'

And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?

And the king of Israel, when he had seen them, said to Elisha, "My father, should I not strike them?"

My father - A term of respect used by Jehoram in his joy at seeing an army of Syrians delivered up to him by the prophet. That the king's character was not changed appears from 2-Kings 6:31-32.
Shall I smite them? shall I smite them? - The repetition of the words mean, "Shall I utterly smite them?" Compare similar repetitions with similar meanings in Genesis 22:17; Luke 22:15.

My father, shall I smite - This was dastardly; the utmost he could have done with these men, when thus brought into his hand, was to make them prisoners of war.

And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, (l) My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]?
(l) The wicked use reverent and grave words toward the servants of God, when they think to have any blessing from them, though in their heart they cannot abide them.

And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them,.... The Syrian army thus in his hands:
my father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? he speaks with great reverence and respect to the prophet, whom at other times he neglected and despised; and the repetition of his words shows the eagerness of his mind to fall upon his enemy when they where at a disadvantage.

Elisha forbade king Joram to slay the enemy that he had brought to him, because he had not taken them prisoners in war, and recommended him to treat them hospitably and then let them return to their lord. The object of the miracle would have been frustrated if the Syrians had been slain. For the intention was to show the Syrians that they had to do with a prophet of the true God, against whom no human power could be of any avail, that they might learn to fear the almighty God. Even when regarded from a political point of view, the prophet's advice was more likely to ensure peace than the king's proposal, as the result of 2-Kings 6:23 clearly shows. The Syrians did not venture any more to invade the land of Israel with flying parties, from fear of the obvious protection of Israel by its God; though this did not preclude a regular war, like that related in the following account. For אבי see the Comm. on 2-Kings 5:13. וגו שׁבית האשׁר: "art thou accustomed to slay that which thou hast taken captive with sword and bow?" i.e., since thou dost not even slay those whom thou hast made prisoners in open battle, how wouldst thou venture to put these to death? כּרה להם יכרה, he prepared them a meal. כּרה is a denom. from כּרה, a meal, so called from the union of several persons, like coena from κοινή (vid., Dietr. on Ges. Lex. s. v. כרה).