2 Kings 6:1
in 2 Kings 6Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Please take note that the place where we meet with you is too small for us.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell before thee is too strait for us.
KJV
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
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This verse in 2 Kings 6
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The writer returns here to the series of miracles which Elisha performed for the benefit of the prophetical schools under his care. The connection, in this point of view, is with 2Ki 4:44. The place where we dwell with thee - literally, “the place where we sit before thee,” i. e. “the place where we assemble and sit to bear thy teaching.” Elisha visited the sons of the prophets in circuit, staying a short time at each place where a “school” was established. Perhaps he was now visiting Jericho. Compare 2Ki 2:5.
This site's exposition
is too strait for us
on 2 Kings 6:1-2
The sons of the prophets are Elisha's school, grown large enough that their meeting house no longer holds them. Their request to build at Jordan still asks his leave rather than acting alone, and his answer is two words, Go ye. The same open door runs through the whole chapter: whoever comes to Elisha, whether over lost timber or a besieged capital, finds him attending to it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
These words were fulfilled by the apostles: the house of the sacrifices of the Law was too small for them, and when they realized that the meeting place of the Jews was not sufficient for the greatness of the gospel, they set out to build …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
)-- a good hearing, for it is a sign many are added to them. Elisha's miracles doubtless drew in many. Perhaps they increased the more now that Gehazi was cashiered, and, it is likely, an honester man put in his room, to take care of their provisions; for it should seem (by that instance, ch. iv.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the place where we dwell with thee--Margin, "sit before thee." The one points to a common residence--the other to a common place of meeting. The tenor of the narrative shows the humble condition of Elisha's pupils. The place was either Beth-el or Jericho, probably the latter.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The place - is too strait for us - Notwithstanding the general profligacy of Israel, the schools of the prophets increased. This was no doubt owing to the influence of Elisha.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The disciples of the prophets said. The miracles that were performed through him, he continues to list.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֥וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| בְנֵֽי־ | venei- | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים | haneviim | the prophets | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֱלִישָׁ֑ע | ʾelisha' | Elisha | H477 → | 58 times |
| הִנֵּֽה־ | hineh- | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| נָ֣א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| הַמָּק֗וֹם | hamakom | the place | H4725 → | 401 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| אֲנַ֜חְנוּ | ʾanachnu | we | H587 → | 120 times |
| יֹשְׁבִ֥ים | yoshevim | [are] dwelling | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| שָׁ֛ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| לְפָנֶ֖יךָ | lefaneikha | <to> before you | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| צַ֥ר | tzar | it is [too] cramped | H6862 → | |
| מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ | mimenu | for us | H4480 → | 1188 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֥וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
בְנֵֽי־[the] sons of
venei-H1121 →4930 times
הַנְּבִיאִ֖יםthe prophets
haneviimH5030 →314 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֱלִישָׁ֑עElisha
ʾelisha'H477 →58 times
הִנֵּֽה־here!
hineh-H2009 →843 times
נָ֣אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
הַמָּק֗וֹםthe place
hamakomH4725 →401 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רwhere
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
אֲנַ֜חְנוּwe
ʾanachnuH587 →120 times
יֹשְׁבִ֥ים[are] dwelling
yoshevimH3427 →1079 times
שָׁ֛םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
לְפָנֶ֖יךָ<to> before you
lefaneikhaH6440 →2123 times
צַ֥רit is [too] cramped
tzarH6862 →
מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃for us
mimenuH4480 →1188 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
2 Kings 4:1Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor…
it leads to
- Matthew 18:25
Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
- 2 Kings 2:3
Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do…
- Psalms 147:11
The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
- Nehemiah 5:2–5
Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
- Leviticus 25:39–41
If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.
- Matthew 18:25
Through
2 Kings 2:3Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 4:1
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 4:38
When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and…
- 2 Kings 4:1
Through
1 Kings 20:35Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 2:15
When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down…
- 2 Kings 2:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 6:1; F. W. Farrar, The Second Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.