CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
2 Kings 6
Chapter 6 of 25
Chapter Overview
What happens in 2 Kings 6
Elisha performs more miracles: making an iron axe head float and revealing the secret plans of Syria's king. When Syria sends an army to capture Elisha, God protects him with an invisible army of fire. Later, a terrible siege brings famine to Samaria.
Scripture
2 Kings 6
The Floating Axe Head
Study note
The group of prophets living with Elisha needed more space. They went to the Jordan River to cut down trees for a new building. While one man was chopping, his borrowed iron axe head fell into the water. Iron was very expensive in those days, and losing a borrowed tool was a serious matter. Elisha threw a stick into the water, and the iron axe head floated to the surface.
1 The prophets told Elisha, "The space where we gather with you has become too cramped for all of us." And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2 "Let us head to the Jordan River. We can each cut down a log and build ourselves a bigger place to meet." Elisha agreed, saying, "Go ahead." Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
3 One of them asked, "Would you please come with us?" Elisha replied, "Sure, I will come." And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
4 So Elisha went along. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started chopping down trees. So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
5 While one man was swinging his axe at a tree, the iron axe head flew off and splashed into the river. The man cried out, "Oh no, master! That axe was borrowed!" But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
6 Elisha asked, "Show me where it fell in." The man pointed to the spot, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water. The heavy iron axe head bobbed up to the surface. And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
7 Elisha said, "Go ahead and pick it up." The man reached out and grabbed it. Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
Elisha Traps the Syrian Army
Study note
The king of Syria was at war with Israel. But every time he planned an ambush, Elisha would warn the king of Israel. The Syrian king thought he had a spy, but one of his officers explained that Elisha could hear his words even from his private bedroom. The king sent a great army to surround the city of Dothan where Elisha was staying. When Elisha's servant saw the army, he panicked. But Elisha prayed, and God opened the servant's eyes to see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire protecting them. Elisha then prayed for the Syrian soldiers to be struck blind and led them into Samaria, where he told the king of Israel to feed them and send them home. After that, the Syrian raids stopped.
8 During a time when Syria was at war with Israel, the Syrian king met with his officers. He told them where he planned to set a trap. 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.
9 But Elisha sent a warning to the king of Israel: "Be on guard near that area. The Syrians are setting a trap there." And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
10 So the king of Israel sent soldiers to check the place Elisha had warned about. This happened many times. Elisha kept warning the king, and each time Israel stayed out of danger. And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
11 This made the king of Syria furious. He called his officers together and demanded, "Which one of you is secretly working for the king of Israel?" Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
12 One of his officers answered, "No one here is a spy, my lord. It is Elisha, the prophet in Israel. He can tell the king of Israel the very words you whisper in your own bedroom." And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
13 The king ordered, "Find out exactly where he is so I can have him captured." Someone reported, "He is in the city of Dothan." And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
14 The king sent a large force with horses and chariots to Dothan. They arrived in the dark of night and completely surrounded the city. Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
15 Early the next morning, Elisha's servant stepped outside and saw the massive army with horses and chariots circling the city. He panicked and said, "Master, what are we going to do?" And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 Elisha calmly said, "Do not panic. The forces on our side are far greater than theirs." And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, open his eyes so he can see what is truly out there." God opened the servant's eyes, and he saw that the hills were covered with horses and chariots blazing with fire, surrounding Elisha. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
18 As the Syrian troops advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, "Lord, please make these soldiers blind." The Lord struck them all with blindness, exactly as Elisha had asked. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
19 Elisha walked up to the blinded soldiers and said, "You are on the wrong road heading to the wrong city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you want." But he led them straight to Samaria, the capital of Israel. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
20 Once inside Samaria, Elisha prayed, "Lord, now open their eyes and let them see." God restored their sight, and they realized in shock that they were standing in the middle of Israel's capital city! And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
21 When the king of Israel saw the trapped Syrian soldiers, he eagerly asked Elisha, "Should I kill them? Should I kill them all?" And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
22 Elisha replied, "No, do not kill them. You would not even kill prisoners you captured in a normal battle. Give them food and water, let them eat and drink, and send them home." And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
23 So the king threw a big feast for them. After they had eaten and had plenty to drink, he sent them back to their king. From that point on, the Syrian raiders stopped attacking Israel. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Famine in Samaria
Study note
Later, King Ben-hadad of Syria besieged Samaria, causing a terrible famine. Food prices soared to unbelievable levels -- a donkey's head sold for about two pounds of silver, and a tiny amount of seed pods sold for about two ounces of silver. The situation became so desperate that two women made a horrifying agreement to eat their children. When the king of Israel heard about this, he was devastated but blamed Elisha. He sent a man to kill the prophet, but Elisha knew he was coming.
24 Later, King Ben-hadad of Syria gathered his whole army. He marched to Samaria and trapped it. And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
25 The siege caused an awful famine in Samaria. Food became so scarce and expensive that a donkey's head cost about two pounds of silver, and a tiny amount of seed pods cost about two ounces of silver. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
26 One day, the king of Israel was walking along the top of the city wall. A woman screamed up at him, "Please help me, my lord the king!" And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 The king snapped back, "If the Lord will not help you, what can I possibly do? I do not have any grain or wine to give you." And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
28 Then the king asked, "What is your problem?" She explained, "This other woman made a deal with me. She said, 'Hand over your son and we will eat him today, and then tomorrow we will eat my son.'" And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.
29 "We cooked my son and ate him. But the next day when I told her to give up her son, she had hidden him away." So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
30 The king was so horrified by her words that he ripped his clothes. People on the wall could see he was already wearing rough cloth underneath as a sign of deep grief. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
31 The king declared, "May God punish me and worse if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head on his shoulders by the end of this day!" Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
32 Elisha was at home with some community leaders. The king had already sent a servant ahead, but before the man arrived, Elisha told the leaders, "That murderous king has sent someone to chop off my head. When the messenger gets here, slam the door shut and hold it tight. The king himself is right behind him." But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
33 Elisha was still speaking when the messenger appeared. The king arrived right after and said, "All of this disaster comes from the Lord. Why should I keep hoping in him?" And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?
Key Themes
Themes in 2 Kings 6
God's invisible protection surrounds His peopleSeeing with spiritual eyes what physical eyes cannot seeResponding to enemies with kindness rather than destructionThe extremes of suffering when a nation rejects God
Prophetic Connections
How this chapter points to Christ
2 Kings 15-17 Hebrews 1:14
The vision of angelic armies surrounding Elisha confirms the New Testament teaching that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation, revealing the unseen spiritual reality that protects God's people.
Apply This Today
Living 2 Kings 6
When Elisha's servant panicked at the sight of the Syrian army, Elisha prayed for his eyes to be opened. The servant then saw the mountains filled with heavenly forces. In our most frightening moments, the reality we cannot see is greater than the danger we can see. Prayer opens our eyes to God's protection.
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