2 Kings 3:22 kjv
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
2 Kings 3:22 nkjv
Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.
2 Kings 3:22 niv
When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites across the way, the water looked red?like blood.
2 Kings 3:22 esv
And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
2 Kings 3:22 nlt
But when they got up the next morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it appear red to the Moabites ? like blood.
2 Kings 3 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 14:24-25 | "And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian army and threw the Egyptian army into confusion..." | God's active intervention and confusion of enemies. |
| Josh 10:10 | "And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow..." | God causes panic and disarray among enemies. |
| Judg 7:22 | "When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his comrade..." | Divine deception causing enemies to fight each other. |
| 1 Sam 14:20 | "Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow..." | Internal chaos among the enemy, God's doing. |
| 2 Kgs 6:18-19 | "And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, 'Please strike this people with blindness.' So he struck them with blindness..." | God causes confusion or alters perception of enemies. |
| Psa 74:15 | "You split open springs and torrents; you dried up ever-flowing streams." | God's power over water and nature for His purposes. |
| Isa 41:17-18 | "When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue is parched...I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys..." | God provides water miraculously in the desert for His people. |
| Isa 43:20 | "The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and ostrich, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert..." | God's miraculous water provision in unexpected places. |
| Jer 48:7 | "For because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be captured..." | Judgment on Moab for their trust in might, foreshadowing their defeat. |
| Job 5:12 | "He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success." | God thwarts the plans of the wicked. |
| Psa 18:26 | "With the purified you show yourself pure; and with the devious you make yourself shrewd." | God deals with the wicked according to their own deceitful nature. |
| Psa 144:6 | "Flash forth lightning and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them." | God uses natural phenomena in warfare against enemies. |
| Exod 7:19-21 | "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt...that they may become blood...'" | Water turned to literal blood by divine power as a plague. |
| Joel 2:30-31 | "And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood..." | Prophetic vision of natural signs associated with divine judgment. |
| Rev 6:12 | "when he opened the sixth seal...the full moon became like blood..." | Blood-like appearances in apocalyptic judgment. |
| Psa 25:9 | "He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way." | Humility (Israel's) contrasts with Moab's pride and misjudgment. |
| Prov 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Moab's pride leading to their miscalculation and downfall. |
| Prov 21:30-31 | "No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord...but victory belongs to the Lord." | Human strategy (Moab's) is useless against God's plan. |
| 2 Cor 4:4 | "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light..." | Spiritual blindness to divine truth parallels Moab's visual deception. |
| Matt 13:13 | "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." | A pattern of perception without understanding leading to misjudgment. |
2 Kings 3 verses
2 Kings 3 22 Meaning
2 Kings 3:22 describes a pivotal moment in the battle against Moab. After the armies of Israel, Judah, and Edom were provided with water in the wilderness through a miraculous act of God, the rising sun illuminated this water, causing it to appear crimson, like blood. This visual phenomenon led the Moabites to mistakenly believe that the allied kings had slaughtered each other, providing them an opportune moment to plunder the deserted camp.
2 Kings 3 22 Context
This verse is set during the reign of Jehoram, son of Ahab, king of Israel. Moab had rebelled against Israel after Ahab's death (2 Kgs 1:1, 3:4-5). Jehoram allied with Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the king of Edom, to suppress the Moabite revolt. Their army marched seven days through the wilderness of Edom and faced a severe water shortage. In their desperation, they sought out the prophet Elisha, who, despite his reluctance to assist Jehoram due to his idolatry, agreed to help for Jehoshaphat's sake. Elisha prophesied that God would provide water without wind or rain and would also deliver Moab into their hands. The very next morning, water miraculously flowed into the valley, filling the wadis and delivering the armies from thirst (2 Kgs 3:16-20). Verse 22 describes the Moabites' misinterpretation of this miraculous water as "blood," leading them to an erroneous and ultimately fatal conclusion. This misunderstanding served as a divine strategic move to bring about Moab's defeat as promised by Elisha.
2 Kings 3 22 Word analysis
- and when they rose early:
vayyashkîmû(וַיַּשְׁכִּימ֛וּ), from the rootshakam(שָׁכַם), meaning "to rise early," "to get up early in the morning." This emphasizes the dawn of a new day, marking the critical time when the miracle's appearance would be seen by the Moabites, setting the stage for their fatal error. It implies an anticipation of events by the allied forces and their subsequent observation by the Moabites. - in the morning:
babbōqēr(בַּבֹּ֖קֶר). The specific time, early dawn, crucial for the light effect. The vulnerability and activity of the armies often occurred during this period. - and the sun shone:
wǝhaššēmeš zārḥâ(וְהַשֶּׁ֥מֶשׁ זָֽרְחָ֖ה), literally "and the sun rose/shone."shemesh(שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ) is "sun," andzarah(זָרַח) means "to rise," "to appear," or "to shine forth." The act of the sun rising upon the newly provided water is key. It's not a general shining, but the initial, low-angle light of dawn. - upon the water:
‘al-hammāyim(עַל־הַמָּ֑יִם). Refers to the miraculous water that filled the valley. The phrase indicates the specific interaction of the sunlight with this miraculously supplied water. - and the Moabites saw:
wayyir’û Mô’āḇ(וַיִּרְא֥וּ מוֹאָ֖ב).ra'ah(רָאָה) means "to see," "to perceive." This highlights the visual perception of the Moabites, which contrasts sharply with the spiritual discernment of the prophets. Their seeing leads to a severe misinterpretation. - the water:
’eṯ-hammāyim(אֶת־הַמָּ֑יִם). Again, specifically refers to the supernaturally provided liquid. - on the other side:
minneḡed(מִנֶּ֥גֶד). Literally "from opposite" or "from a distance." This geographical detail implies the Moabites observed the phenomenon from their encampment, across the valley from the allied camp, without approaching close enough to confirm their suspicions. This distance facilitated their misjudgment. - as red as blood:
’ădummı̂m kaddām(אֲדֻמִּ֣ים כַּדָּם׃), "red like blood."adom(אָדֹם) is the verb "to be red," anddam(דָּם) is "blood." This simile is the crux of the Moabite deception. The specific color—a crimson or deep red—would strongly evoke the idea of widespread slaughter, particularly due to the desert environment. This visual illusion, likely caused by the reflection of the sunrise off the water combined with the reddish desert earth beneath/around it, played directly into the Moabites' fears and hopes. - [And the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood]: This entire phrase reveals the interplay between divine miracle, natural phenomenon, and human misinterpretation. The miraculous water was God's provision for His people. The sunlight effect was a natural phenomenon but divinely orchestrated to become a tool of deception. The Moabites' interpretation was their fatal error, born of a lack of spiritual insight and an immediate conclusion based on fear and greed, believing the allied forces had self-destructed. This serves as a polemic against reliance on mere sight or superficial understanding, and a demonstration of God's ability to manipulate perceptions to bring about His judgment against His enemies.
2 Kings 3 22 Bonus section
The incident in 2 Kings 3:22 has echoes of previous divine judgments involving water and blood, notably the first plague in Egypt where the Nile was turned to literal blood (Exod 7:19-21). While the Moabite instance is a visual illusion, the association with blood still signifies divine judgment and death, albeit through their own misperception rather than literal transformation. This serves as a reminder of God's creative use of both natural and supernatural means to achieve His will. The Moabites, despite witnessing a 'miraculous' sight, lacked the spiritual insight to discern its true origin and purpose, leading them to their destruction. This prefigures the New Testament concept of spiritual blindness, where those outside of Christ "seeing they do not see" the truth of God (Matt 13:13, 2 Cor 4:4).
2 Kings 3 22 Commentary
2 Kings 3:22 vividly illustrates God's sovereign control over creation and His enemies. The seemingly natural effect of sunrise on water, particularly in a red desert landscape, became a supernaturally orchestrated sign. For the allied armies, it was clear evidence of God's provision and a signal of impending victory. For the Moabites, it was a deadly optical illusion, fulfilling the pattern of divine confusion and self-deception that often precedes the downfall of those opposing God's plans. They saw what they wanted to see – the slaughter of their enemies – without considering a divine intervention. Their arrogance and desire for plunder led them to rush into a trap, illustrating that God can use the very elements of nature to orchestrate the demise of the proud and rebellious. It showcases God's perfect strategy: provide for His people while setting a trap for His adversaries.