Bible Strands
2 Kings 3:15
But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Elisha addresses King Jehoram immediately after delivering a sharp rebuke in the presence of Jehoshaphat. He issues the command during a tense political consultation before delivering a prophetic message.
The words — קְחוּ (ke.chu) translates literally as "fetch" or "bring," and מְנַגֵּן (me.na.gen) means "a musician" or "harpist." The text commands the immediate procurement of a harpist to play.
The thread — The text in 1 Samuel 10:5 and 16:23 records the Spirit's arrival coinciding with musical performance, while Ephesians 5:18 commands believers to be filled with the Spirit rather than intoxicated. This pattern establishes a biblical motif linking human preparation to divine empowerment.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to recognize that divine communication often follows human preparation and obedience. It demands immediate compliance with prophetic instruction before expecting supernatural intervention.
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
King James Version
But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 16:23 And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play. Then Saul would find relief and feel better, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.
- Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- 1 Samuel 10:5 After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.
- Ezekiel 1:3 the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.
- 1 Kings 18:46 And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
- Ezekiel 8:1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me.
- 1 Chronicles 25:1 Additionally, David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy with the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. The following is the list of the men who performed this service:
- 1 Samuel 18:10 The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,
- Ezekiel 3:14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
- Ezekiel 3:22 And there the hand of the LORD was upon me, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak with you.”