2 Kings 13:15 kjv
And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows.
2 Kings 13:15 nkjv
And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and some arrows." So he took himself a bow and some arrows.
2 Kings 13:15 niv
Elisha said, "Get a bow and some arrows," and he did so.
2 Kings 13:15 esv
And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows.
2 Kings 13:15 nlt
Elisha told him, "Get a bow and some arrows." And the king did as he was told.
2 Kings 13 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 2:12 | "...My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" | Joash's exclamation echoes Elisha's earlier one, recognizing the prophet's vital spiritual defense. |
| 2 Kgs 13:14 | "...My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" | King Joash's initial desperate cry acknowledging Elisha as Israel's true strength. |
| 2 Kgs 13:17 | "Then Elisha said, 'Open the east window...'” | The next command in this sequence of prophetic acts. |
| 2 Kgs 13:18-19 | "...and he struck the ground three times..." | King Joash's later failure of limited zeal, contrasting with his immediate obedience here. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "...to obey is better than sacrifice..." | Emphasizes the supreme importance of obedience to God's direct word. |
| Deut 11:26-28 | "See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse..." | Outcomes dependent on obedience or disobedience to divine commands. |
| Jer 7:23 | "...obey my voice, and I will be your God..." | Call to direct obedience to God's instruction for relationship and blessing. |
| Lk 11:28 | "...blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." | New Testament affirmation of blessedness found in hearing and obeying God's word. |
| Heb 10:7 | "Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come...to do Your will, O God.’" | Christ as the ultimate example of obedience to God's will. |
| Jas 2:17 | "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." | Connects the initial act of faith (obedience) with tangible works. |
| Heb 11:6 | "And without faith it is impossible to please him..." | The underlying necessity of faith for any action to be pleasing to God. |
| Isa 20:2-6 | "At that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loose..." | Example of a prophet performing a symbolic sign act. |
| Jer 13:1-11 | "Thus the LORD said to me, “Go and buy a linen waistband...” | Another instance of God commanding a prophet to perform a physical sign act. |
| Ezek 4:1-17 | "You, son of man, take a brick and place it before you..." | Detailed account of a prophet's elaborate symbolic actions representing future events. |
| Ezek 5:1-12 | "And you, son of man, take a sharp sword..." | Symbolic act involving hair to depict judgment on Jerusalem. |
| Acts 21:11 | "...took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands..." | New Testament prophetic act demonstrating a future event. |
| Zech 9:13 | "...I will bend Judah as my bow; I will fill it with Ephraim..." | God symbolically using the bow to represent His people as instruments in battle. |
| Ps 144:6 | "Flash forth lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows..." | God depicted as directly using arrows to defeat enemies. |
| Ps 7:12 | "If a man does not turn, God will whet his sword; he has bent his bow..." | God preparing for judgment, the bow as a divine weapon. |
| Deut 20:4 | "...for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight..." | God's direct involvement in empowering Israel in battle. |
| Judg 7:7 | "...I will save you by the three hundred men..." | God delivering Israel through a small army, emphasizing His power. |
| 1 Sam 17:47 | "...the battle is the LORD's..." | God is the one who ultimately wins the battles for His people. |
| 2 Kgs 6:15-17 | "...those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” | Elisha's vision revealing unseen divine protection and forces. |
| Eph 6:10-18 | "...put on the whole armor of God..." | New Testament concept of spiritual warfare and God-given equipment. |
| 2 Chr 16:9 | "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." | Connects divine strength with the level of human commitment. |
| Rom 1:5 | "...for the obedience of faith..." | Highlights the foundational link between faith and obedience. |
2 Kings 13 verses
2 Kings 13 15 Meaning
2 Kings 13:15 describes the dying prophet Elisha's direct instruction to King Joash of Israel to take a bow and arrows, and the king's immediate and compliant action. This brief interaction initiates a prophetic sign-act intended to symbolize the Lord's intention to grant Israel victory over their oppressive enemy, Aram, and highlights the crucial role of human action in response to divine command.
2 Kings 13 15 Context
This verse is pivotal within the dying moments of the prophet Elisha's life and his final significant interaction with King Joash of Israel. Elisha is on his deathbed, a highly revered figure who served as Israel's spiritual defense, echoed in Joash's lament in verse 14, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Israel under Joash's reign was largely evil in God's eyes, yet Joash sought Elisha's help due to severe oppression by Aram (Syria) under Hazael and his son Ben-hadad III. This instruction from Elisha in verse 15 initiates a sequence of symbolic actions designed to represent God's willingness to grant Israel victory over Aram. The immediate obedience by Joash here stands in stark contrast to his subsequent lack of zeal in striking the ground, which results in a limited victory. Historically, this period reflects Israel's spiritual decline and ongoing struggles with powerful regional enemies, emphasizing the prophetic message that their true strength lay not in military might alone, but in their obedient relationship with Yahweh, revealed through His prophet.
2 Kings 13 15 Word analysis
- And Elisha (וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלִישָׁע -
vayyō’mer ’Ĕlîšā‘):- Elisha (
אֱלִישָׁע,Eliysha): Meaning "My God is salvation." As Elijah's successor, Elisha embodied God's redemptive power and active involvement in Israel's affairs. His instructions here carry divine authority.
- Elisha (
- said to him (
אֵלָיו-’ēlāyw): A standard narrative connective indicating a direct command from a superior (prophet) to an inferior (king). - “Take (
קַח-qach): This is an imperative verb, a direct command from Elisha. It demands immediate action and indicates a preparatory step for what is to follow. It implies a conscious, physical act of acquiring. - bow (
קֶשֶׁת-qesheth):- A primary weapon of war in ancient Israel.
- Symbolically, the
qeshethcan represent military strength, a covenant (Gen 9:13), or divine power/judgment (Ps 7:12; Zech 9:13). Here, it is an instrument to be wielded in a divinely ordained action.
- and arrows” (
וְחִצִּים-vəḥiṣṣîm):- The projectiles for the bow. The plural emphasizes completeness – not just the instrument, but also its means of function. These are specific tools for the coming prophetic act of symbolic warfare.
- So he took (וַיִּקַּח -
vayyiqqaḥ):- This is the same root word as "Take" (
לקח,laqach) used in the imperative form by Elisha, now in the narrative imperfect tense (or waw-conversive perfect) describing Joash's action. The immediate repetition shows prompt, obedient compliance with Elisha's instruction. There is no hesitation or question.
- This is the same root word as "Take" (
- bow and arrows. (
קֶשֶׁת וְחִצִּים-qesheth v'chitsim): The king precisely fulfills the command. - “Take bow and arrows.” So he took bow and arrows. This phrase-by-phrase repetition underscores the direct, specific nature of Elisha's command and King Joash's precise and immediate execution of it. This highlights an initial act of positive obedience by Joash, which sets the stage for the prophetic instruction that follows, contrasting sharply with his later failure in the same encounter. This immediate compliance suggests Joash's acknowledgment of Elisha's authority and perhaps a measure of faith, though not fully consistent zeal, in God's prophetic word.
2 Kings 13 15 Bonus section
- This specific instruction to "take bow and arrows" is a call to prepare for a "sign act," a common prophetic device in the Old Testament (e.g., Jeremiah, Ezekiel) where physical actions symbolize spiritual truths or future events. It transforms an ordinary object into an instrument of divine revelation and participation.
- The immediate, exact fulfillment of Elisha's command by King Joash ("So he took bow and arrows") implies a degree of reverence and obedience to Elisha as God's prophet at this specific juncture, indicating an initial receptive heart in Joash that unfortunately does not fully persist in the subsequent actions.
- The scene emphasizes that God often uses ordinary human means and instruments to achieve extraordinary divine ends, but it is the faith and obedience accompanying the action that makes it efficacious, rather than the intrinsic power of the object itself.
2 Kings 13 15 Commentary
2 Kings 13:15 provides a concise, pivotal moment within the larger narrative of Elisha's death and his final prophetic acts. It highlights the principle that divine enablement for victory often requires human participation and obedient action. Elisha, God's spokesperson, issues a direct and specific command to King Joash: to arm himself for a symbolic war act. Joash's immediate response – taking the bow and arrows without question or delay – signifies a crucial moment of initial obedience and trust in the prophet's instruction. This act is not about literal military preparation at this very moment but is a preparatory step for a divine object lesson. It foreshadows the subsequent symbolic shooting of arrows and striking the ground, illustrating that even in dire national circumstances, God provides a path to victory if His people respond with faith and zealous obedience. The prophet, even on his deathbed, remained Israel's "chariots and horsemen," meaning God's divine provision for Israel's defense resided in the prophet and the word of the Lord delivered through him, not merely in their own military might.