But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
Parallel translations
- WEB But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, Yahweh’s hand came on him.
- KJV But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
- NKJV But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
- NASB But now bring me a musician.” And it came about, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
- NLT Now bring me someone who can play the harp.” While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha,
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 calls for a musician, and as he plays, Yahweh's hand comes upon the prophet. God's Spirit empowers Elisha to deliver His word.
Overview
The music apparently helped settle the prophet's spirit to receive God's revelation. The phrase "Yahweh's hand came on him" marks the divine inspiration of the message that follows. The episode shows that true prophecy comes by God's empowering, not human effort.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Sam 16:23And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.
- Eph 5:18–19Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- 1 Sam 10:5After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.
- Ezek 1:3the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.
- 1 Kgs 18:46And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
- Ezek 8:1In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me.
- Acts 11:21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
- 1 Sam 18:10The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,
- 1 Chr 25:1–3Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
- Ezek 3:22And there the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.”
- Ezek 3:14So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
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 3:15 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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