Bible Strands
2 Kings 6:4
So Elisha went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they began to cut down some trees.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elisha accompanies a group of prophetic students to the Jordan River after they request his presence to assist with a wood-cutting project. This occurs immediately following their invitation and precedes the accidental loss of a borrowed iron axe head.
The words — The verb וַ/יִּגְזְר֖וּ (va/i.yig.ze.Ru) literally renders "and they cut down," describing the initiation of the timber-harvesting activity. The noun הָ/עֵצִֽים (ha./'e.Tzim) specifies "the trees," indicating the exact material being felled at the riverbank.
The thread — The act of cutting timber near a water source echoes the accidental axe-head loss described in Deuteronomy 19:5 and the logistical labor of foreign woodcutters noted in Deuteronomy 29:11. These passages frame the Jordan expedition within broader biblical themes of communal work and material risk.
Why it lands — The verse records a straightforward logistical step in a prophetic work project, requiring the reader to recognize the practical dimensions of biblical ministry. It establishes the physical setting necessary for the subsequent miracle without offering theological commentary on the labor itself.
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
So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 19:5 If he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber and swings his axe to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes and kills his neighbor, he may flee to one of these cities to save his life.
- Deuteronomy 29:11 your children and wives, and the foreigners in your camps who cut your wood and draw your water—