2 Kings 6:9
in 2 Kings 6Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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 coming down.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 2 Kings 6
Commentary
5 notes on this verseAnd the man of God sent unto the king of Israel,.... That is, Elisha sent to him: saying: beware that thou pass not such a place: not go to it, but avoid it, and pass another way: for thither the Syrians are come down: are hidden, as the Targum; lie covered at the bottom of the hill, so as not to be seen.
This site's exposition
took counsel with his servants
on 2 Kings 6:8-10
The king of Syria plans his raids in secret councils, and each time the man of God sends word to the king of Israel of the place to avoid. The title man of God, used of Elisha here and repeatedly through the chapter's first half, is the same office worn by the prophet of 1 Kings 13 and by Elijah before him, a man whose access runs past locked bedchambers and closed camps. The king of Israel is saved not once nor twice, the text's own count of a pattern that will soon draw Syria's suspicion.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The work of God's prophets is to give us warning; if, being warned, we do not save ourselves, it is our own fault, and our blood will be upon our own head. The king of Israel would regard the warnings Elisha gave him of his danger by the Syrians, but not the warnings he gave him of his danger by his sins.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the king of Syria warred against Israel--This seems to have been a sort of guerrilla warfare, carried on by predatory inroads on different parts of the country. Elisha apprised King Jehoram of the secret purpose of the enemy; so, by adopting precautionary measures, he was always enabled to anticipate and defeat their attacks.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
Beware that thou pass not such a place - Elisha must have had this information by immediate revelation from heaven.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
The king of Yisroel dispatched [scouts]. He would send and see whether it was true.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח | vaiyishlach | and he sent | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֶ֤לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִשָּׁ֕מֶר | hishamer | take care | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מֵעֲבֹ֖ר | meavor | from passing by | H5674 → | 556 times |
| הַמָּק֣וֹם | hamakom | the place | H4725 → | 401 times |
| הַזֶּ֑ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| שָׁ֖ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| אֲרָ֥ם | ʾaram | Aram | H758 → | 143 times |
| נְחִתִּֽים׃ | nechitim | [is] descending | H5185 → |
וַיִּשְׁלַ֞חand he sent
vaiyishlachH7971 →845 times
אִ֣ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מֶ֤לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
הִשָּׁ֕מֶרtake care
hishamerH8104 →468 times
מֵעֲבֹ֖רfrom passing by
meavorH5674 →556 times
הַמָּק֣וֹםthe place
hamakomH4725 →401 times
הַזֶּ֑ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
שָׁ֖םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
אֲרָ֥םAram
ʾaramH758 →143 times
נְחִתִּֽים׃[is] descending
nechitimH5185 →
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
Amos 3:7Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
it leads to
- John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have…
- Genesis 18:17
And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
- Psalms 25:14
The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
- Revelation 1:1
This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
- Daniel 9:22–27
He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.
- John 15:15
Through
Revelation 1:1This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,
it leads to
- Amos 3:7
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 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.”
- Revelation 22:6
Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take…
- Amos 3:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.