Then he said, “Take the arrows”; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; so he struck three times, and stopped.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “Take the arrows”; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground”; and he struck three times, and stopped.
- KJV 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.
- BSB 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.
- NASB Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped.
- NLT Then he said, “Now pick up the other arrows and strike them against the ground.” So the king picked them up and struck the ground three times.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elisha tells Joash to strike the ground with the arrows; the king strikes only three times and stops.
Overview
This second sign-act tested the king's faith and zeal: the number of strikes would correspond to the completeness of victory over Syria. Joash's half-hearted three strikes reveal a small, hesitant faith rather than bold trust in God's promise. The episode warns that lukewarm faith limits one's experience of the blessings God stands ready to give.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Kgs 4:6When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” He said to her, “There isn’t another container.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
- Exod 17:11When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
- Isa 20:2–4at that time Yahweh spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loosen the sackcloth from off your waist, and take your shoes from off your feet.” He did so, walking naked and barefoot.
- Ezek 5:1–4“You, son of man, take a sharp sword. You shall take it as a barber’s razor to yourself, and shall cause it to pass over your head and over your beard. Then take balances to weigh and divide the hair.
- Ezek 12:1–7Yahweh’s word also came to me, saying,
- Ezek 4:1–10“You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 13:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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