2 Kings 3:19

And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

And ye shall smite {H5221} every fenced {H4013} city {H5892}, and every choice {H4004} city {H5892}, and shall fell {H5307} every good {H2896} tree {H6086}, and stop {H5640} all wells {H4599} of water {H4325}, and mar {H3510} every good {H2896} piece {H2513} of land with stones {H68}.

You will conquer every fortified city and every choice town, you will chop down every good tree, stop up every well and ruin every good field with stones."

And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.โ€

And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.

Commentary

2 Kings 3:19 describes a severe military strategy commanded by God through the prophet Elisha to the allied kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom against Moab. This verse details the extent of the destruction they were to inflict upon the rebellious Moabites, emphasizing a total devastation of their infrastructure, resources, and agricultural capacity.

Context

This command comes during a critical juncture in the campaign against Moab. The kings of Israel (Jehoram), Judah (Jehoshaphat), and Edom had marched against Mesha, the king of Moab, who had rebelled against Israel's tribute. Their army faced a dire lack of water in the wilderness, and it was through the prophet Elisha that God provided miraculous relief and a promise of victory. As part of this divine assurance, Elisha delivered specific instructions for the conquest, found in 2 Kings 3:16-18, which included the devastating tactics outlined in verse 19. This was not merely human strategy but a divinely ordained act of judgment.

Key Themes

  • Divine Judgment and Warfare: The verse highlights God's active role in warfare, commanding a strategy of total destruction against Moab. This reflects God's justice against a rebellious nation and His commitment to His covenant people.
  • Scorched-Earth Tactics: The instructions to "smite every fenced city, and every choice city," "fell every good tree," "stop all wells of water," and "mar every good piece of land with stones" illustrate a comprehensive strategy to cripple the enemy's ability to sustain itself and rebuild. This was a common, albeit brutal, ancient warfare tactic, here given divine sanction.
  • Severity of Consequences: The thoroughness of the destruction underscores the severity of God's judgment against Moab's rebellion, demonstrating that disobedience has profound and devastating consequences.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Hebrew word for "smite" (ื ึธื›ึธื”, nakah) implies a decisive and destructive blow, often leading to death or utter defeat.
  • "Fell" (ื›ึธึผืจึทืช, karat) means to cut down or cut off, specifically referring to the destruction of trees. While Deuteronomy 20:19-20 generally prohibited felling fruit trees during a siege, this specific command against Moab indicates a unique, severe judgment.
  • To "stop" (ืกึธื›ึธืจ, sakar) wells means to block them up, rendering them unusable, a critical blow in an arid region.
  • "Mar every good piece of land with stones" refers to scattering stones over fertile ground, making it barren and unproductive, a deliberate act of rendering the land useless for agriculture.

Practical Application

While the specific commands for warfare in the Old Testament are rooted in a different covenantal context than the New Testament, 2 Kings 3:19 offers several enduring principles:

  • God's Sovereignty: It reminds us that God is sovereign over nations and the outcomes of human conflicts. Even in ancient warfare, His purposes were at work.
  • Consequences of Rebellion: The severe judgment on Moab serves as a stark reminder that rebellion against God's will or established order can lead to devastating consequences.
  • Understanding God's Justice: This passage helps us understand the multifaceted nature of God's character, including His justice and holiness, which sometimes necessitate severe judgment against evil and rebellion, as seen in other acts of divine judgment like the Great Flood or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Note: If the commentary doesnโ€™t appear instantly, please allow 2โ€“5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated โ€” the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • 2 Kings 3:25

    And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about [it], and smote it.

  • Deuteronomy 20:19

    When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by forcing an axe against them: for thou mayest eat of them, and thou shalt not cut them down (for the tree of the field [is] man's [life]) to employ [them] in the siege:

  • Deuteronomy 20:20

    Only the trees which thou knowest that they [be] not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down; and thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued.

  • Numbers 24:17

    I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.

  • 1 Samuel 15:3

    Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

  • Judges 6:16

    And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

  • 1 Samuel 23:2

    Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.