And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
Parallel translations
- WEB Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
- BSB And Elisha died and was buried. Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring.
- NKJV Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year.
- NASB And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the marauding bands of the Moabites would invade the land in the spring of the year.
- NLT Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring.
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 dies and is buried, and Moabite raiding bands invade the land at the turn of the year.
Overview
The great prophet's death closes a long ministry of God's word and wonders in Israel, yet the immediate mention of Moabite raids shows the nation's continued vulnerability under judgment for its sins. Elisha's passing does not mean God's power has departed, as the very next verse will show. The scene reminds us that God's servants die, but His word and purposes endure beyond them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Kgs 24:2And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.
- 2 Kgs 3:7And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
- Judg 3:12And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 2 Kgs 3:5But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
- 2 Chr 24:16And they buried him in the city of David among the kings, because he had done good in Israel, both toward God, and toward his house.
- 2 Kgs 3:24–27And when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and smote the Moabites, so that they fled before them: but they went forward smiting the Moabites, even in their country.
- 2 Kgs 5:2And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.
- 2 Kgs 6:23And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
- Acts 8:2And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
- Judg 6:3–6And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 13:20 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.