Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now the king of Syria was at war against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
- BSB Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
- NKJV Now the king of Syria was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
- NASB Now the king of Aram was making war against Israel; and he consulted with his servants, saying, “In such and such a place shall be my camp.”
- NLT When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”
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
The king of Syria plans ambush camps in his war against Israel. The verse opens a new account of God's protection through Elisha's insight.
Overview
Aram (Syria) was a persistent military threat to the northern kingdom during this era. The king's secret strategy sessions set the stage for a contest between human cunning and divine knowledge. The narrative shifts from a private miracle to national affairs, showing the same God at work in both. It establishes the tension that Elisha's God-given foreknowledge will repeatedly frustrate.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 20:18Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
- Prov 21:30There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.
- 2 Kgs 6:24And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
- 1 Kgs 22:31But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.
- Isa 7:5–7Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying,
- Isa 8:10Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.
- Job 5:12–13He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
- 1 Kgs 20:23And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
- 1 Kgs 20:1And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
- 1 Kgs 20:34And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.
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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 6:8 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.