2 Kings 3:11 BSB — MannaFest

2 Kings 3:11

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

KJV

But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

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Commentary

4 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

A prophet of the Lord - i. e. of Yahweh. It was necessary to inquire thus definitely, as there were still plenty of prophets who were only prophets of Baal 2Ki 3:13. Here is Elisha - Jehoram appears to have been ignorant of his presence with the host, and one of his “servants,” or officers, answered Jehoshaphat’s inquiry. Which poured water - An act signifying ministration or attendance (compare Joh 13:5 ff).

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Poured water - Who was his servant; this being one office of a servant: and this office was the more necessary among the Israelites, because of the frequent washings which their law required. Probably it was by a special direction from God, that Elisha followed them, unasked, unobserved.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Probably it was such a servant as Obadiah was to his father Ahab, one that feared the Lord; to such a one Elisha made himself known, not to the kings. The account he gives of him is that it was he that poured water on the hands of Elijah, that is, he was his servant, and particularly attended him when he washed his hands.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

They were disappointed by finding the wady of this valley, the brook Zered (De 2:13-18) [ROBINSON], dry. But the pious mind of Jehoshaphat inquired for a prophet of the Lord; and, on being informed that Elisha was at hand, the three kings "went down to him"; that is, to his tent, which was either in the camp, or close by it.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

26 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר	vai.Yo.mer	and he said	H559 →
יְהוֹשָׁפָ֗ט	ye.ho.sha.Fat	Jehoshaphat	H3092 →
הַאֵ֨ין	ha.'Ein	¿ [is] there not	H369 →
פֹּ֤ה	poh	here	H6311 →
נָבִיא֙	na.Vi'	a prophet	H5030 →
לַֽיהוָ֔ה	la.Yah.weh	of Yahweh	H3068 →
וְנִדְרְשָׁ֥ה	ve.nid.re.Shah	and let us consult	H1875 →
אֶת־	'et-	<obj.>	H853 →
יְהוָ֖ה	Yah.weh	Yahweh	H3068 →
מֵאוֹת֑וֹ	me.'o.To	from <obj.> him	H853 →
וַ֠יַּעַן	Vai.ya.'an	and he answered	H6030 →
אֶחָ֞ד	'e.Chad	one	H259 →
מֵעַבְדֵ֤י	me.'av.Dei	from [the] servants of	H5650 →
מֶֽלֶךְ־	Me.lekh-	[the] king of	H4428 →
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙	Yis.ra.'El	Israel	H3478 →
וַיֹּ֔אמֶר	vai.Yo.mer	and he said	H559 →
פֹּ֚ה	poh	[is] here	H6311 →
אֱלִישָׁ֣ע	'e.li.Sha'	Elisha	H477 →
בֶּן־	ben-	[the] son of	H1121 →
שָׁפָ֔ט	sha.Fat	Shaphat	H8202 →
אֲשֶׁר־	'a.Sher-	who	H834 →
יָ֥צַק	Ya.tzak	he poured	H3332 →
מַ֖יִם	Ma.yim	water	H4325 →
עַל־	'al-	on	H5921 →
יְדֵ֥י	ye.Dei	[the] hands of	H3027 →
אֵלִיָּֽהוּ׃	'e.li.Ya.hu	Elijah	H452 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Chronicles 15:13
It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”
leads to
- 2 Samuel 6:3
  They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new…
- 1 Corinthians 14:40
  But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.
- 1 Corinthians 11:2
  Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.
- 1 John 1:8–10
  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Through
2 Kings 3:3
Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
leads to
- 1 Kings 14:16
  So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”
Through
Psalms 74:9
There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.
leads to
- Amos 8:11
  Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words…
- Ezekiel 7:26
  Disaster upon disaster will come, and rumor after rumor. Then they will seek a vision from a prophet, but instruction from the priests will perish, as will counsel from the elders.
Through
1 Kings 19:21
So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s equipment, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set…
leads to
- 2 Samuel 24:22
  Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the…

Featured studies on this passage

Walks through 2 Kings 3

Archaeology and the Bible (the Evidence Ledger), MannaFest

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About 2 Kings

Elijah Ascends to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

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01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About 2 Kings

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About 2 Kings