But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.
Parallel translations
- WEB But now bring me a musician.” When the musician played, Yahweh’s hand came on him.
- BSB But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
- 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 it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
- Eph 5:18–19And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
- 1 Sam 10:5After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
- Ezek 1:3The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.
- 1 Kgs 18:46And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
- Ezek 8:1And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
- Acts 11:21And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
- 1 Sam 18:10And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.
- 1 Chr 25:1–3Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:
- Ezek 3:22And the hand of the LORD was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the plain, and I will there talk with thee.
- Ezek 3:14So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the LORD was strong 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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