So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
Parallel translations
- WEB So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood.
- BSB So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
- NKJV So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
- NASB So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees.
- NLT So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees.
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 goes with the prophets to the Jordan, where they begin cutting wood. The verse sets the scene of shared work by the river.
Overview
The narrative records the company arriving and starting their labor, with Elisha present among them. The Jordan, recurring throughout Elijah and Elisha's ministry, again becomes the setting for God's intervention. The plain account of cutting wood heightens the surprise of the coming miracle over a seemingly trivial mishap. It reminds readers that God is present in the commonplace tasks of His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Deut 19:5As when a man goeth into the wood with his neighbour to hew wood, and his hand fetcheth a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slippeth from the helve, and lighteth upon his neighbour, that he die; he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live:
- Deut 29:11Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:
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 6:4 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.