Bible Strands
2 Kings 6:20
When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elisha addresses the LORD immediately after the Aramean commanders and their army enter Samaria, having just led them there.
The words — פְּקַ֥ח (pe.Kach) = open [H6491] and יְהוָ֕ה (Yah.weh) = O Yahweh [H3068] anchor Elisha’s direct appeal for supernatural perception.
The thread — The motif of divinely granted sight appears when Elisha prays for his servant’s vision in 2 Kings 6:17, and recurs in Luke 16:23 where a man in Hades looks up to see Abraham.
Why it lands — The narrative demands recognition that human blindness yields only to direct divine intervention, not to military force or strategic deception.
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
And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
- Judges 20:40 But when the column of smoke began to go up from the city, the Benjamites looked behind them and saw the whole city going up in smoke.
- Luke 16:23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
- Luke 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus—and He disappeared from their sight.