2 Kings 13:18

Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Elisha instructs the king of Israel to take arrows and strike the ground during a prophetic ritual concerning military victory over Aram. The king complies by striking the ground three times before stopping.

The words — The command הַךְ־ (hakh) literally means "strike" or "smite," directing physical action to enact a divine promise. Elisha also uses קַח (kach), "take," to initiate the symbolic use of the arrows.

The thread — This motif of physical gestures determining spiritual or military outcomes echoes Moses raising his hands in Exodus 17:11 and the incremental filling of jars in 2 Kings 4:6. The limited number of strikes directly connects to Elisha’s subsequent rebuke in 2 Kings 13:19.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that partial obedience limits the scope of a promised outcome. A reader must see how decisive action, rather than hesitant compliance, aligns with the full measure of divine provision.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֛אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said קַ֥חkachtake הַחִצִּ֖יםha./chi.Tzimthe/ arrows וַיִּקָּ֑חva/i.yi.Kachand/ he took [them]וַיֹּ֤אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said לְמֶֽלֶךְ־le./Me.lekh-to/ [the] king of יִשְׂרָאֵל֙Yis.ra.'ElIsrael הַךְ־hakh-strike אַ֔רְצָה'Ar.tza/h[the] ground/ towards וַיַּ֥ךְva/i.Yakhand/ he struck שָֽׁלֹשׁ־sha.losh-three פְּעָמִ֖יםpe.'a.Mimtimes וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽד׃Va/i.ya.'a.Modand/ he stopped

King James Version

And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

Cross-references

2 Kings 4:6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another.” But he replied, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
Exodus 17:11 As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered them, Amalek prevailed.
Isaiah 20:2 the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.
Ezekiel 4:1 “Now you, son of man, take a brick, place it before you, and draw on it the city of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel 5:1 “As for you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it as a barber’s razor, and shave your head and beard. Then take a set of scales and divide the hair.
Ezekiel 12:1 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,