Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Elisha said to him, “Go, tell him, ‘You will surely recover;’ however Yahweh has shown me that he will surely die.”
- KJV And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
- NKJV And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the Lord has shown me that he will really die.”
- NASB Then Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You will certainly recover’; but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.”
- NLT And Elisha replied, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But actually the Lord has shown me that he will surely die!”
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 tells Hazael to say Benhadad will recover, though the Lord has shown he will surely die. The cryptic reply unmasks coming treachery.
Overview
Elisha's words distinguish between the illness, from which the king might recover, and his certain death by other means. The statement is widely understood to foretell Hazael's coming assassination of his master. Some read it as Elisha exposing Hazael's intent rather than commanding a lie. Either way, it reveals God's foreknowledge of events soon to unfold.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ezek 11:25I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.
- Amos 7:7This is what He showed me: Behold, the Lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in His hand.
- 2 Kgs 8:13–15“But how could your servant, a mere dog, do such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael. And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”
- Amos 7:1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts just after the king’s harvest, as the late spring crop was coming up.
- Amos 8:1This is what the Lord GOD showed me: I saw a basket of summer fruit.
- Zech 1:20Then the LORD showed me four craftsmen.
- Jer 38:21But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:
- Gen 2:17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
- 1 Kgs 22:15When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.”
- Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
- Amos 7:4This is what the Lord GOD showed me: The Lord GOD was calling for judgment by fire. It consumed the great deep and devoured the land.
- 2 Kgs 1:16And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.”
- Gen 41:39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
- Ezek 18:13He engages in usury and takes excess interest. Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.
- 2 Kgs 1:4Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘You will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’” So Elijah departed.
- Rev 22:1Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
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 8:10 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.