2 Kings3
English Standard Version
Tap any underlined word for the original Hebrew or Greek.
1 In the of of , the of in , and he .
2 He what was in the of the Lord, like his and , for he put the of his had .
3 , he to the of the of , he to ; he did it.
4 Now of was a , and he had to to the of and the of .
5 But when , the of against the of .
6 So of at that and .
7 And he and to of , The of has against me. Will you with me to against ? And he , I will . I am as you are, my as your , my as your .
8 Then he , By shall we ? Jehoram , By the of the of .
9 So the of with the of and the of . And when they had made a of , there was for the or for the them.
10 Then the of , ! The Lord has to them into the of .
11 And , Is there of the Lord , through whom we may of the Lord? Then of the of , the of is , on the of .
12 And , The of the Lord with him. So the of and and the of to him.
13 And to the of , have I to do with you? to the of your and to the of your . But the of to him, ; it is the Lord who has to them into the of .
14 And , As the Lord of , I , were it I have the of , I would at you you.
15 But me a . And when the , the of the Lord came him.
16 And he , the Lord, I will full of .
17 the Lord, You shall , but that shall be with , so that you shall , you, your , and your .
18 is a in the of the Lord. He will also the into your ,
19 and you shall and , and shall and of and piece of with .
20 The next , about the time of the , , the of , till the was with .
21 When the the had to against them, who were able to on , from the youngest to the , were and were the .
22 And when they in the and the the , the the them as as .
23 And they , is ; the have together and down. then, , to the !
24 But when they to the of , the and the , till they them. And they , the as they went.
25 And they the , and on piece of every a until it was . They of and the , only its were in , and the and it.
26 When the of the was him, he with him to , opposite the of , but they .
27 Then he his was to in his and him for a the . And there came . And they him and to their own .
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2 Kings 3Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 2 Kings 3. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Jehoram, king of Israel. (1–5). War with Moab, The intercession of Elisha. (6–19). Water supplied, Moab overcome. (20–27).
vv1-5
Jehoram took warning by God's judgment, and put away the image of Baal, yet he maintained the worship of the calves. Those do not truly repent or reform, who only part with the sins they lose by, but continue to love the sins that they think to gain by.
vv6-19
The king of Israel laments their distress, and the danger they were in. He called these kings together, yet he charges it upon Providence. Thus the foolishness of man perverteth his way, and then his heart fretteth against the Lord, Pr 19:3. It was well that Jehoshaphat inquired of the Lord now, but it had been much better if he had done it before he engaged in this war. Good men sometimes neglect their duty, till necessity and affliction drive them to it. Wicked people often fare the better for the friendship and society of the godly. To try their faith and obedience, Elisha bids them make the valley full of pits to receive water. Those who expect God's blessings, must dig pools for the rain to fill, as in the valley of Baca, and thus make even that a well, Ps 84:6. We need not inquire whence the water came. God is not tied to second causes. They that sincerely seek for the dew of God's grace, shall have it, and by it be made more than conquerors.
vv20-27
It is a blessing to be favoured with the company of those who have power with God, and can prevail by their prayers. A kingdom may be upheld and prosper, in consequence of the fervent prayers of those who are dear to God. May we place our highest regard upon such as are most precious in his account. When sinners are saying Peace, peace, destruction comes upon them: despair will follow their mad presumption. In Satan's service and at his suggestion, such horrid deeds have been done, as cause the natural feelings of the heart to shudder; like the king of Moab's sacrificing his son. It is well not to urge the worst of men to extremities; we should rather leave them to the judgment of God.
Key Words
שְׁמֹנֶה: a cardinal number, eight (as if a surplus above the 'perfect' seven); also (as ordinal) eighth
שָׁנֶה: a year (as a revolution of time)
יְהוֹשָׁפָט: Jehoshaphat, the name of six Israelites; also of a valley near Jerusalem
מֶלֶךְ: a king
יְהוּדָה: Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory
יְהוֹרָם: Jehoram, the name of a Syrian and of three Israelites
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
אַחְאָב: Achab, the name of a king of Israel and of a prophet at Babylon
מָלַךְ: to reign; inceptively, to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by implication) to take counsel
עַל: above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
2 Kings 3Jehoshaphat repeats his exact same alliance formula to Jehoram that he previously spoke to Ahab.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Repeats the note of Moab's rebellion following Ahab's death, resuming the historical narrative.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jehoshaphat's identical inquiry for a true prophet of Yahweh during a crisis with an Israelite king.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Details the state-sanctioned calf worship of Jeroboam which Jehoram stubbornly maintained.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jehoram blames the Lord for the alliance's distress, illustrating man's folly fretting against Providence.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Digging ditches in the dry valley to receive water mimics making the Valley of Baca a well.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Elisha pouring water on Elijah's hands reflects his original calling as Elijah's personal servant.
Supported by JFB
Elisha's sarcastic rebuff to Jehoram mimics God sending Israel to the false gods they chose.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Elisha adopts Elijah's exact oath highlighting the living God before whom he stands.
Supported by JFB
Contrast's Elisha's command to fell good trees with Deuteronomy's prohibition during siege warfare.
Supported by JFB
Miraculous relief arrives precisely at the time of the morning meat offering, like Elijah's altar fire.
Supported by JFB
Explains the presence of Edom's king, who was a deputy or vice-roy under Jehoshaphat.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Use of music/harpists to prepare the prophet's mind or soothe spirits, as with David.
Supported by JFB
Illustrates the extreme heathen practice of sacrificing the firstborn son for sin or safety.
Supported by Matthew Henry