Bible Strands
2 Kings 6:5
As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head fell into the water. “Oh, my master,” he cried out, “it was borrowed!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A prophet’s companion addresses Elisha while a group of men cuts timber along the Jordan. The moment occurs mid-task when a borrowed iron axe head drops into the river.
The words — The Hebrew נָפַ֣ל (na.Fal) literally means “it fell,” marking the sudden loss of the tool. The phrase הַ/בַּרְזֶ֖ל (ha./bar.Zel) specifies the material as iron, highlighting the axe’s weight and replaceability.
The thread — The text’s mention of borrowed property echoes Psalms 37:21, which contrasts the wicked who borrow without repaying with the righteous who give generously. The narrative continues in 2 Kings 6:6, where Elisha locates the submerged axe and restores it through a physical sign.
Why it lands — The text reports a man’s distress over a lost borrowed tool during communal labor. Interpreters apply this to the practical necessity of accountability and prompt restitution when shared or borrowed resources are compromised through negligence.
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 as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
Cross-references
- 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!”
- 2 Kings 6:15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, behold, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”
- Psalms 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are gracious and giving.
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.
- Revelation 18:10 In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
- 2 Kings 4:7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder.”
- Revelation 18:16 saying: “Woe, woe to the great city, clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls!
- Revelation 18:19 Then they will throw dust on their heads as they weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, where all who had ships on the sea were enriched by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been destroyed.”
- Exodus 22:14 If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and it is injured or dies while its owner is not present, he must make full restitution.
- Isaiah 10:34 He will clear the forest thickets with an axe, and Lebanon will fall before the Mighty One.