2 Kings 3:10

“Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!”

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The king of Israel speaks aloud to his allied monarchs and attendants after seven days of marching without water. His declaration occurs immediately before Jehoshaphat requests a prophet to inquire of the LORD.

The words — אֲהָ֕הּ ('a.Hah) translates literally as "alas!" and marks immediate distress. קָרָ֣א (ka.Ra') means "he has summoned" or "called," attributing the impending military disaster to divine agency rather than human failure.

The thread — This lament parallels Cain’s despair in Genesis 4:13 and the king’s reaction to Elisha’s messenger in 2 Kings 6:33, while Psalms 78:34 provides a contrasting pattern of seeking God after judgment.

Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that military alliances cannot override Yahweh’s declared purpose. It requires a reader to abandon reliance on human strategy and confront the reality of divine sovereignty.

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

וַיֹּ֖אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king of יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsrael אֲהָ֕הּ'a.Hahalas!כִּֽי־ki-for קָרָ֣אka.Ra'he has summoned יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahweh לִשְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙li/sh.Lo.shet<to>/ [the] three הַמְּלָכִ֣יםha./me.la.Khimthe/ kings הָאֵ֔לֶּהha./'E.leh<the>/ these לָתֵ֥תla./Tetto/ give אוֹתָ֖ם'o.Ta/m<obj.>/ them בְּיַד־be./yad-in/ [the] hand of מוֹאָֽב׃mo.'AvMoab

King James Version

And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the Lord hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!

Cross-references

Genesis 4:13 But Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
2 Kings 6:33 While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
Psalms 78:34 When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God.
Proverbs 19:3 A man’s own folly subverts his way, yet his heart rages against the LORD.
Isaiah 8:21 They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.
Isaiah 51:20 Your sons have fainted; they lie at the head of every street, like an antelope in a net. They are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God.