When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way.
Parallel translations
- WEB They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
- KJV And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
- NKJV Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.
- NASB Then they got up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
- NLT But when they got up the next morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it appear red to the Moabites—like blood.
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
At dawn the sun makes the water look red as blood to the Moabites. A divinely arranged appearance deceives the enemy.
Overview
The reddish water, perhaps colored by the soil and morning light, is misread by Moab as a sign of disaster in the enemy camp. God uses this perception to lure them into a fatal miscalculation. The Lord turns even the appearance of His provision into an instrument of victory.
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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 3:22 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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