2 Kings 3:19
in 2 Kings 3And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
KJV
And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
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This verse in 2 Kings 3
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Ye shall fell every good tree - This is not an infringement of the rule laid down in Deu 20:19-20. The Israelites were not forbidden to fell the fruit trees in an enemy’s country, as a part of the ravage of war, when they had no thoughts of occupying the country. The plan of thus injuring an enemy was probably in general use among the nations of these parts at the time. We see the destruction represented frequently on the Assyrian monuments and mentioned in the inscriptions of Egypt.
This site's exposition
shall fell every good tree
on 2 Kings 3:19-20
The instruction to fell every good tree sits beside Deut 20:19-20, which forbids destroying an enemy's fruit trees in siege. The two are commonly read as different cases rather than a contradiction: Deuteronomy governs a war of conquest meant to end in settling the land, while this campaign against Moab has no plan to occupy it, only to break its power. The water arrives the next morning at the hour of the meat offering, with neither wind nor rain to account for it, timed to Israel's own act of worship rather than to weather.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
22 And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood: 23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
And ye shall smite every fenced city and every choice city,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Shall fell every good tree - Every tree by which your enemies may serve themselves for fortifications, etc. But surely fruit trees are not intended here; for this was positively against the law of God, Deu 20:19, Deu 20:20: “When thou shalt besiege a city - thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof - for the tree of the field is man’s life - only the trees which thou knowest that they be not trees for meat, thou shalt destroy and cut them down.” Stop all wells of water - In those hot countries this would lead sooner than any thing else to reduce an enemy. Mar every good piece of land with stones - Such a multitude of men, each throwing a stone on a good field as they passed, would completely destroy it.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִכִּיתֶ֞ם | vehikitem | and you will strike down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עִ֤יר | ʾir | city of | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| מִבְצָר֙ | mivtzar | fortification | H4013 → | 37 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עִ֣יר | ʾir | city of | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| מִבְח֔וֹר | mivchor | choice | H4004 → | |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עֵ֥ץ | ʾetz | tree | H6086 → | 328 times |
| טוֹב֙ | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| תַּפִּ֔ילוּ | tapilu | you will make fall | H5307 → | 435 times |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַעְיְנֵי־ | ma'yenei- | [the] springs of | H4599 → | |
| מַ֖יִם | mayim | water | H4325 → | 581 times |
| תִּסְתֹּ֑מוּ | tistomu | you will stop up | H5640 → | |
| וְכֹל֙ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַחֶלְקָ֣ה | hachelkah | <the> portion of land | H2513 → | 29 times |
| הַטּוֹבָ֔ה | hatovah | <the> good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| תַּכְאִ֖בוּ | takhivu | you will spoil | H3510 → | |
| בָּאֲבָנִֽים׃ | baavanim | with <the> stones | H68 → | 273 times |
וְהִכִּיתֶ֞םand you will strike down
vehikitemH5221 →499 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
עִ֤ירcity of
ʾirH5892 →1090 times
מִבְצָר֙fortification
mivtzarH4013 →37 times
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
עִ֣ירcity of
ʾirH5892 →1090 times
מִבְח֔וֹרchoice
mivchorH4004 →
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
עֵ֥ץtree
ʾetzH6086 →328 times
טוֹב֙good
tovH2896 →538 times
תַּפִּ֔ילוּyou will make fall
tapiluH5307 →435 times
וְכָל־and all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
מַעְיְנֵי־[the] springs of
ma'yenei-H4599 →
מַ֖יִםwater
mayimH4325 →581 times
תִּסְתֹּ֑מוּyou will stop up
tistomuH5640 →
וְכֹל֙and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
הַחֶלְקָ֣ה<the> portion of land
hachelkahH2513 →29 times
הַטּוֹבָ֔ה<the> good
hatovahH2896 →538 times
תַּכְאִ֖בוּyou will spoil
takhivuH3510 →
בָּאֲבָנִֽים׃with <the> stones
baavanimH68 →273 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Numbers 24:17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and…
it leads to
- Revelation 22:16
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
- Luke 1:32–33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
- Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
- Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
- Revelation 22:16
Through
1 Samuel 23:2So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 23:4
Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
- 2 Samuel 5:19
So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
- 2 Samuel 5:23
So David inquired of the LORD, who answered, “Do not march straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
- 1 Samuel 23:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.