King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
And he said, Take the arrows. And he took [them]. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.
Complete Jewish Bible:
He said, "Take the arrows"; and he took them. He told the king of Isra'el, "Strike the ground." He struck three times, then stopped.
Berean Standard Bible:
Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped.
American Standard Version:
And he said, Take the arrows; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground; and he smote thrice, and stayed.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
And he said{H559}, Take{H3947} the arrows{H2671}. And he took{H3947} them. And he said{H559} unto the king{H4428} of Israel{H3478}, Smite{H5221} upon the ground{H776}. And he smote{H5221} thrice{H7969}{H6471}, and stayed{H5975}.
Cross-References (KJV):
2 Kings 4:6
- And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, [There is] not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
Ezekiel 4:1
- ¶ Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it the city, [even] Jerusalem:
Ezekiel 4:10
- And thy meat which thou shalt eat [shall be] by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it.
Isaiah 20:2
- At the same time spake the LORD by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
Isaiah 20:4
- So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with [their] buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
Exodus 17:11
- And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Ezekiel 5:1
- ¶ And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber's razor, and cause [it] to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the [hair].
Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:
Commentary for 2 Kings 13:18
2 Kings 13:18 is part of a narrative involving Elisha, the prophet of Israel, and Joash, the king of Israel, during the latter part of the 8th century BCE. The verse is set within a broader context of repeated conflicts between Israel and the Arameans (Syrians) of Damascus. In the preceding verses, Elisha is on his deathbed, and Joash visits him, mourning the impending loss of the prophet and acknowledging Elisha as the key to Israel's military success against Aram.
In the verse itself, Elisha instructs Joash to take a bow and arrows, which he does. Elisha then directs Joash to strike the ground with the arrows, which symbolically represents the number of times Israel will defeat the Arameans. Joash strikes the ground three times and then stops. Elisha rebukes him for not striking five or six times, indicating that Joash's lack of faith and vision limited the extent of the victory that could have been achieved over Aram. The themes present in this verse include the importance of faith, the power of prophecy, and the consequences of limited vision. It underscores the idea that divine favor is contingent upon the depth of one's faith and the willingness to act boldly in accordance with divine instruction.
Historically, this event is situated during a period of resurgence for the Kingdom of Israel, which had been suffering from Aramean aggression. The interaction between Elisha and Joash reflects the intertwining of religious and political authority in ancient Israel, as well as the belief in the prophetic influence over the nation's fortunes. The verse serves as a narrative device to explain the limited success of Joash's military campaigns and to illustrate the broader biblical theme that God's blessings are often proportionate to the recipients' faith and obedience.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H559
There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אָמַר
Transliteration: ʼâmar
Pronunciation: aw-mar'
Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. - Strong's Number: H3947
There are 909 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לָקַח
Transliteration: lâqach
Pronunciation: law-kakh'
Description: a primitive root; to take (in the widest variety of applications); accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win. - Strong's Number: H2671
There are 50 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֵץ
Transliteration: chêts
Pronunciation: khayts
Description: from חָצַץ; also by interchange for עֵץ; properly, a piercer, i.e. an arrow; by implication, a wound; figuratively, (of God) thunderbolt; the shaft of aspear; [phrase] archer, arrow, dart, shaft, staff, wound. - Strong's Number: H4428
There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
Transliteration: melek
Pronunciation: meh'-lek
Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal. - Strong's Number: H3478
There are 2229 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Transliteration: Yisrâʼêl
Pronunciation: yis-raw-ale'
Description: from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel. - Strong's Number: H5221
There are 460 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נָכָה
Transliteration: nâkâh
Pronunciation: naw-kaw'
Description: a primitive root; to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively); beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound. - Strong's Number: H776
There are 2739 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶרֶץ
Transliteration: ʼerets
Pronunciation: eh'-rets
Description: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land); [idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world. - Strong's Number: H7969
There are 381 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁלוֹשׁ
Transliteration: shâlôwsh
Pronunciation: shaw-loshe'
Description: or שָׁלֹשׁ; masculine שְׁלוֹשָׁה; or שְׁלֹשָׁה; a primitive number; three; occasionally (ordinal) third, or (multiple) thrice; [phrase] fork, [phrase] often(-times), third, thir(-teen, -teenth), three, [phrase] thrice. Compare שָׁלִישׁ. - Strong's Number: H6471
There are 108 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פַּעַם
Transliteration: paʻam
Pronunciation: pah'-am
Description: or (feminine) פַּעֲמָה; from פָּעַם; a stroke, literally or figuratively (in various applications, as follow); anvil, corner, foot(-step), going, (hundred-) fold, [idiom] now, (this) [phrase] once, order, rank, step, [phrase] thrice, (often-), second, this, two) time(-s), twice, wheel. - Strong's Number: H5975
There are 495 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָמַד
Transliteration: ʻâmad
Pronunciation: aw-mad'
Description: a primitive root; to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive); abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, [phrase] serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-) stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.