Discovery Box2 Kings 21:1
Context21:1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother 2 was Hephzibah.
2 Kings 3:1--4:44
Context3:1 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; 3 he ruled for twelve years. 3:2 He did evil in the sight of 4 the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Yet he persisted in 5 the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. 6
3:4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. 7 He would send as tribute 8 to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 3:5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 3:7 He sent 9 this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat 10 replied, “I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 11 3:8 He then asked, “Which invasion route are we going to take?” 12 Jehoram 13 answered, “By the road through the Desert of Edom.” 3:9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom 14 set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them. 3:10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no! 15 Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!” 3:11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?” 16 One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.” 17 3:12 Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” 18 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.
3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here? 19 Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him, “No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.” 3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 20 lives (whom I serve), 21 if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 22 I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. 23 3:15 But now, get me a musician.” 24 When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 25 3:16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ 26 3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel 27 any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 3:18 This is an easy task for the Lord; 28 he will also hand Moab over to you. 3:19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important 29 city. You must chop down 30 every productive 31 tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.” 32
3:20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land. 33 3:21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, 34 so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. 35 3:22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood. 3:23 The Moabites 36 said, “It’s blood! The kings are totally destroyed! 37 They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!” 3:24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites 38 thoroughly defeated 39 Moab. 3:25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. 40 They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.
Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, 41 but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 3:26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, 42 he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack 43 the king of Edom, but they failed. 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel, 44 so they broke off the attack 45 and returned to their homeland.
4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets 46 appealed 47 to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. 48 Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 4:2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 4:3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. 49 Get as many as you can. 50 4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; 51 set aside each one when you have filled it.” 4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 4:6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, 52 “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 4:7 She went and told the prophet. 53 He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent 54 woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. 55 So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 56 4:9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure 57 that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. 58 4:10 Let’s make a small private upper room 59 and furnish it with 60 a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
4:11 One day Elisha 61 came for a visit; he went 62 into the upper room and rested. 63 4:12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” 64 So he did so and she came to him. 65 4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, 66 “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. 67 What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” 68 4:14 So he asked Gehazi, 69 “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 4:15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” 70 So he did so 71 and she came and stood in the doorway. 72 4:16 He said, “About this time next year 73 you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 4:17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 74 4:19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father 75 told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 4:20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap 76 until noon and then died. 4:21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s 77 bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 4:22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 4:23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon 78 or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” 79 4:24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on. 80 Do not stop unless I say so.” 81
4:25 So she went to visit 82 the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he 83 saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 4:26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, 84 “Everything’s fine.” 4:27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. 85 The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 4:28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 4:29 Elisha 86 told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, 87 and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! 88 Place my staff on the child’s face.” 4:30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha 89 got up and followed her back.
4:31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha 90 he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 4:32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was 91 the child lying dead on his bed. 4:33 He went in by himself and closed the door. 92 Then he prayed to the Lord. 4:34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over 93 the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s 94 mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin 95 grew warm. 4:35 Elisha 96 went back and walked around in the house. 97 Then he got up on the bed again 98 and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 4:36 Elisha 99 called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so 100 and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him 101 and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire 102 and boil some stew for the prophets.” 103 4:39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. 104 He picked some of its fruit, 105 enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices 106 into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. 107 4:40 The stew was poured out 108 for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. 4:41 He said, “Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.” 109 There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.
4:42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet 110 – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. 111 Elisha 112 said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 4:43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” 113 He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” 114 4:44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. 115
[21:1] 1 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[21:1] 2 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
[3:1] 3 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[3:2] 5 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[3:3] 7 tn Heb “held tight,” or “clung to.”
[3:3] 8 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, “it.” Some ancient witnesses read the plural, which seems preferable since the antecedent (“sins”) is plural. Another option is to emend the plural “sins” to a singular. One ancient Greek witness has the singular “sin.”
[3:4] 9 tn For a discussion of the meaning of term (נֹקֵד, noqed), see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 43.
[3:4] 10 tn The vav + perfect here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause. See IBHS 533-34 §32.2.3e.
[3:7] 11 tn Heb “went and sent.”
[3:7] 12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoshaphat) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:7] 13 tn Heb “I will go up – like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
[3:8] 13 tn Heb “Where is the road we will go up?”
[3:8] 14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:9] 15 tn Heb “the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom.”
[3:11] 19 tn Heb “that we might inquire of the
[3:11] 20 tn Heb “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” This refers to one of the typical tasks of a servant.
[3:12] 21 tn Heb “the word of the
[3:13] 23 tn Or “What do we have in common?” The text reads literally, “What to me and to you?”
[3:14] 25 tn Traditionally “the
[3:14] 26 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[3:14] 27 tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”
[3:14] 28 tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”
[3:15] 27 tn The term used refers to one who plays a stringed instrument, perhaps a harp.
[3:15] 28 tn Heb “the hand of the
[3:16] 29 tn Heb “making this valley cisterns, cisterns.” The Hebrew noun גֵּב (gev) means “cistern” in Jer 14:3 (cf. Jer 39:10). The repetition of the noun is for emphasis. See GKC 396 §123.e. The verb (“making”) is an infinitive absolute, which has to be interpreted in light of the context. The translation above takes it in an imperatival sense. The command need not be understood as literal, but as hyperbolic. Telling them to build cisterns is a dramatic way of leading into the announcement that he would miraculously provide water in the desert. Some prefer to translate the infinitive as an imperfect with the Lord as the understood subject, “I will turn this valley [into] many pools.”
[3:18] 33 tn Heb “and this is easy in the eyes of the
[3:19] 35 tn Heb “choice” or “select.”
[3:19] 36 tn Elisha places the object first and uses an imperfect verb form. The stylistic shift may signal that he is now instructing them what to do, rather than merely predicting what would happen.
[3:19] 38 tn Heb “and ruin every good portion with stones.”
[3:20] 37 tn Heb “and in the morning, when the offering is offered up, look, water was coming from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.”
[3:21] 39 tn Heb “had come up to fight them.”
[3:21] 40 tn Heb “and they mustered all who tied on a belt and upwards, and they stood at the border.”
[3:23] 41 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Moabites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:23] 42 tn The translation assumes the verb is חָרַב (kharav, “to be desolate”). The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb form for emphasis. (For another example of the Hophal infinitive with a Niphal finite verb, see Lev 19:20. Cf. also IBHS 582 §35.2.1c.) Some prefer to derive the verb from a proposed homonym meaning “at HALOT 349 s.v. II חרב and BDB 352 s.v. חָרְבָה).
[3:24] 44 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) suggests, “and they went, striking down,” but the marginal reading (Qere) is “they struck down, striking down.” For a discussion of the textual problem, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 46.
[3:25] 45 tn Heb “and [on] every good portion they were throwing each man his stone and they filled it.” The vav + perfect (“and they filled”) here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause (where a customary imperfect is used, “they were throwing”). See the note at 3:4.
[3:25] 46 tn Heb “until he had allowed its stones to remain in Kir Hareseth.”
[3:26] 47 tn Heb “and the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him.”
[3:26] 48 tn Heb “he took with him seven hundred men, who drew the sword, to break through against.”
[3:27] 49 tn Heb “there was great anger against Israel.”
[3:27] 50 tn Heb “they departed from him.”
[4:1] 51 tn Heb “a wife from among the wives of the sons of the prophets.”
[4:1] 53 tn Heb “your servant feared the
[4:3] 53 tn Heb “Go, ask for containers from outside, from all your neighbors, empty containers.”
[4:3] 54 tn Heb “Do not borrow just a few.”
[4:4] 55 tn Heb “all these vessels.”
[4:7] 59 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 16, 22, 25, 27 [twice]).
[4:8] 61 tn Heb “great,” perhaps “wealthy.”
[4:8] 62 tn Or “she urged him to eat some food.”
[4:8] 63 tn Or “he would turn aside there to eat some food.”
[4:9] 64 tn Heb “holy man of God.”
[4:10] 65 tn Heb “a small upper room of a wall”; according to HALOT 832 s.v. עֲלִיָּה, this refers to “a fully walled upper room.”
[4:10] 66 tn Heb “and let’s put there for him.”
[4:11] 67 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:11] 68 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[4:11] 69 tn Or “slept there.”
[4:12] 69 tn Heb “Call for this Shunammite woman.”
[4:12] 70 tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood before him.”
[4:13] 71 tn Heb “he said to him.”
[4:13] 72 tn Heb “you have turned trembling to us with all this trembling.” The exaggerated language is probably idiomatic. The point seems to be that she has taken great pains or gone out of her way to be kind to them. Her concern was a sign of her respect for the prophetic office.
[4:13] 73 tn Heb “Among my people I am living.” This answer suggests that she has security within the context of her family.
[4:14] 73 tn Heb “and he said.”
[4:15] 75 tn Heb “Call for her.”
[4:15] 76 tn Heb “and he called her.”
[4:15] 77 tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood in the door.”
[4:16] 77 tn Heb “at this appointed time, at the time [when it is] reviving.” For a discussion of the second phrase see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57.
[4:18] 79 tn Heb “to his father, to the harvesters.”
[4:19] 81 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the boy’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:21] 85 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[4:23] 87 sn The new moon was a time of sacrifice and special feasts (Num 28:14; 1 Sam 20:5). Apparently it was a convenient time to visit a prophet. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57.
[4:24] 89 tn Heb “lead [the donkey on] and go.”
[4:24] 90 tn Heb “do not restrain for me the riding unless I say to you.”
[4:25] 91 tn Heb “went and came.”
[4:25] 92 tn Heb “the man of God.” The phrase has been replaced by the relative pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[4:26] 93 tn Heb “she said.” The narrator streamlines the story at this point, omitting any reference to Gehazi running to meet her and asking her the questions.
[4:27] 95 tn Heb “her soul [i.e., ‘disposition’] is bitter.”
[4:29] 97 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:29] 98 tn Heb “take my staff in your hand.”
[4:29] 99 tn Heb “If you meet a man, do not greet him with a blessing; if a man greets you with a blessing, do not answer.”
[4:30] 99 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent must be Elisha here, since the following verse makes it clear that Gehazi had gone on ahead of them.
[4:31] 101 tn Heb “to meet him.”
[4:33] 105 tn Heb “and closed the door behind the two of them.”
[4:34] 107 tn Heb “he went up and lay down over.”
[4:34] 108 tn Heb “his” (also in the next two clauses).
[4:34] 109 tn Or perhaps, “body”; Heb “flesh.”
[4:35] 109 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:35] 110 tn Heb “and he returned and went into the house, once here and once there.”
[4:35] 111 tn Heb “and he went up.”
[4:36] 111 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:36] 112 tn Heb “and he called for her.”
[4:38] 113 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.”
[4:38] 114 tn The words “the fire” are added for clarification.
[4:38] 115 tn Heb “sons of the prophets.”
[4:39] 115 tn Heb “a vine of the field.”
[4:39] 116 tn Heb “[some] of the gourds of the field.”
[4:39] 117 tn Heb “he came and cut [them up].”
[4:39] 118 tc The Hebrew text reads, “for they did not know” (יָדָעוּ, yada’u) but some emend the final shureq (וּ, indicating a third plural subject) to holem vav (וֹ, a third masculine singular pronominal suffix on a third singular verb) and read “for he did not know it.” Perhaps it is best to omit the final vav as dittographic (note the vav at the beginning of the next verb form) and read simply, “for he did not know.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.
[4:40] 117 tn Heb “and they poured out [the stew].” The plural subject is probably indefinite.
[4:41] 119 tn Or “and let them eat.”
[4:42] 121 tn Heb “man of God.”
[4:42] 122 tn On the meaning of the word צִקְלוֹן (tsiqlon), “ear of grain,” see HALOT 148 s.v. בָּצֵק and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.
[4:42] 123 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:43] 123 tn Heb “How can I set this before a hundred men?”
[4:43] 124 tn The verb forms are infinitives absolute (Heb “eating and leaving over”) and have to be translated in light of the context.
