2 Kings 3:26 kjv
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too sore for him, he took with him seven hundred men that drew swords, to break through even unto the king of Edom: but they could not.
2 Kings 3:26 nkjv
And when the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not.
2 Kings 3:26 niv
When the king of Moab saw that the battle had gone against him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they failed.
2 Kings 3:26 esv
When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not.
2 Kings 3:26 nlt
When the king of Moab saw that he was losing the battle, he led 700 of his swordsmen in a desperate attempt to break through the enemy lines near the king of Edom, but they failed.
2 Kings 3 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Ki 3:18 | "This is a trivial thing in the sight of the LORD; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand." | God delivers victory in battle. |
| 2 Ki 3:24 | "And they went forward and attacked the Moabites, and they fled before them." | Divine enabling of Israel's forces. |
| Dt 20:4 | "For the LORD your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you." | God's presence ensures victory. |
| Jos 10:14 | "And there has been no day like it, before or after, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel." | God fighting for His people. |
| Jdg 7:7 | "The LORD said to Gideon, 'By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you and will give the Midianites into your hand...'" | God brings victory despite odds. |
| 1 Sam 17:47 | "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear..." | Salvation from God, not human might. |
| 2 Chr 14:11 | "And Asa cried to the LORD his God, 'LORD, there is none like You to help between the mighty and the weak...'" | God empowers the weak against the strong. |
| 2 Chr 20:15 | "...Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s." | The Lord fights His people's battles. |
| Ps 33:16-17 | "The king is not saved by his great army; a mighty warrior is not delivered by great strength... The war horse is a false hope for deliverance." | Futility of human strength in battle. |
| Ps 76:5 | "The stouthearted have been plundered; They have slept their sleep..." | Enemies cannot withstand God's judgment. |
| Ps 127:1 | "Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." | Futility without divine blessing. |
| Prov 21:30-31 | "There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD... The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD." | Divine sovereignty over outcomes. |
| Isa 31:1 | "Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help... and do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!" | Reliance on human strength is folly. |
| Jer 17:5 | "Thus says the LORD: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength...'" | Futility of trusting in human strength. |
| Ez 25:8 | "Thus says the Lord GOD: 'Because Moab and Seir say, "Look! The house of Judah is like all the nations,"'" | Moab's animosity and pride against God's people. |
| Lam 2:16 | "All your enemies Have opened their mouths against you; They hiss and gnash their teeth..." | Moab's hatred and contempt (seen later). |
| Rom 9:15-16 | "...'I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy'... So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy." | God's sovereign will determines outcomes. |
| 1 Cor 1:25 | "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." | God's wisdom and strength overpower man's. |
| Heb 11:34 | "...quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens." | Faith enables divine power in battle. |
| Rev 19:19 | "And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army." | Failed opposition to God's chosen leader. |
| Joel 2:20 | "But I will remove far from you the northern army... His stench will come up..." | Divine routing of formidable armies. |
| Zeph 2:8 | "I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the people of Ammon..." | God remembers Moab's insults to Israel. |
2 Kings 3 verses
2 Kings 3 26 Meaning
This verse describes a critical moment during the siege of Kir Hareseth, the Moabite capital, by the combined forces of Israel, Judah, and Edom. Faced with an overwhelming and fierce battle where his kingdom's survival was at stake, King Mesha of Moab, seeing his military defeat as inevitable, made a desperate attempt to break through the weakest part of the besieging lines—those of his former ally, the King of Edom. Despite assembling a formidable contingent of seven hundred elite swordsmen for this desperate breakout, their effort utterly failed, demonstrating the futility of his military might against the determined coalition and the implicit divine will supporting it.
2 Kings 3 26 Context
The narrative of 2 Kings chapter 3 details a punitive campaign by the united forces of Israel's King Jehoram, Judah's King Jehoshaphat, and the King of Edom against Mesha, King of Moab, who had rebelled against Israel's suzerainty following King Ahab's death. The campaign, which initially suffered from a severe water shortage in the desert, saw the miraculous intervention of Yahweh through the prophet Elisha, who promised abundant water and victory. Elisha prophesied that the Moabites would be supernaturally confused and utterly defeated. The fulfillment of this prophecy begins in the preceding verses, as the Moabite army, deceived by the morning sun making the miraculously provided water appear as blood, charged into the Israelite camp expecting plunder, only to be slaughtered. The allied armies then thoroughly devastated Moab, tearing down cities, choking springs, and covering fields with stones, pressing their siege against Kir Hareseth, Moab's last stronghold. Verse 26 captures King Mesha's final, desperate military gambit just before his horrifying act of human sacrifice described in the subsequent verse, highlighting the extreme duress and overwhelming pressure under which he was operating. This serves to demonstrate the complete victory delivered by God to the allied forces, reducing a powerful king to desperate measures.
2 Kings 3 26 Word analysis
- When the king of Moab (מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב - Melek Mo'av) Word: "King of Moab" specifically refers to Mesha, who is a significant figure outside of the biblical text as well, known from the Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone). This stone inscription corroborates much of the biblical account from Moab's perspective, though obviously with a different interpretation of the final events and a different deity receiving credit for Moabite survival. His actions here reflect the desperation of a sovereign fighting for his kingdom's existence.
- saw (וַיַּרְא - vayyar) Word: "Saw" implies a clear understanding or perception. Mesha saw the reality of his situation – the relentless assault, the overwhelming defeat of his armies outside the capital, and the inevitability of the city's fall. This was not a quick glance, but a full grasp of the dire military context.
- that the battle (כִּי־חָזְקָה הַמִּלְחָמָה - ki-chazqah hammilchamah) Words: The phrase "the battle was strong" or "was too fierce" uses the Hebrew verb חָזַק (chazaq), meaning "to be strong, firm, severe." Here, it vividly conveys the overwhelming and unrelenting intensity of the siege. It emphasizes the superior strength and relentless pressure exerted by the allied armies, which was divinely enabled.
- was too fierce for him (מִמֶּנּוּ - mimmennu) Word: This idiomatic use of mimmennu ("from him") implies being too strong or intense beyond his capacity to endure or overcome. It underscores Mesha's total strategic and military disadvantage; the fight had moved beyond mere human struggle to an overwhelming force that he could not withstand.
- he took (וַיִּקַּח - vayyiqqach) Word: "He took" indicates a deliberate and calculated action. Despite his desperate situation, Mesha was still attempting to wield his remaining power in a final, concentrated effort.
- with him seven hundred swordsmen (אֵלָיו שְׁבַע מֵאוֹת אִישׁ שׁוֹלֵף חֶרֶב - elav shəva me'ot ish sholef cherev) Words: "Seven hundred swordsmen" refers to skilled, trained, and likely elite warriors. The phrase "שׁוֹלֵף חֶרֶב" (sholef cherev) literally means "drawing sword," emphasizing their readiness for immediate, close-quarters combat. This was not a mere skirmish force, but a substantial contingent of highly capable fighters, highlighting the desperation and the significance Mesha placed on this last-ditch effort.
- to break through (לְהַבְקִיעַ - lehavqia) Word: This verb, הַבְקִיעַ (havqia), means "to break open, break forth, break through." It signifies a violent, determined push to cleave through the enemy lines, implying a desperate sally or frontal assault designed to shatter a blockade or escape capture. It suggests an aim for survival, not counter-attack.
- to the king of Edom (אֶל־מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם - el-melek Edom) Words: Edom had historically been subservient to Judah (under David), then rebelled, but here appears allied with Judah/Israel. Mesha likely targeted the Edomite flank for a strategic reason: either Edom's forces were perceived as the weakest link in the siege, or there was a hope of sowing discord among the allied armies by striking at one of their components, particularly a kingdom with a less stable historical relationship with Israel/Judah than Judah had with Israel at this point. It reveals Mesha's last-gasp strategic calculation.
- but they could not (וְלֹא יָכְלוּ - vəlo yakhlu) * Words: "And not they were able." This phrase emphatically states the utter failure of the breakout attempt. Despite the large number of elite warriors and the desperation driving their attack, they were utterly incapable of achieving their objective. This concise declaration highlights the futility of human effort against a divinely ordained victory, leading directly to Mesha's horrific act in the next verse, as it demonstrated the sealing off of all military escape routes.
2 Kings 3 26 Bonus section
The targeting of the Edomite king is an interesting detail. While Edom was allied with Israel and Judah, the relationship was historically complex, often shifting from vassalage to rebellion. Mesha might have gambled on potential historical animosity or perceived weakness in their resolve, believing the Edomite line might break more easily than the Judahite or Israelite flanks, which were likely reinforced by strong, centralized command and greater conviction in the divine cause. The complete failure of this desperate charge against a relatively "junior" partner in the alliance further solidifies the overwhelming, comprehensive nature of the allied victory, strongly implying that divine power was consistently present and actively blocking all Moabite efforts, no matter how desperate or strategically targeted. The event serves as a stark example of a ruler driven to the very limits of despair and futility before resorting to extreme measures.
2 Kings 3 26 Commentary
This verse dramatically illustrates King Mesha's recognition of a hopeless military situation and his last desperate attempt to salvage his kingdom's fate through military might. The phrase "battle was too fierce for him" vividly conveys the overwhelming pressure of the combined Israelite, Judahite, and Edomite siege, a pressure augmented by the divine hand that secured the miraculous supply of water and instilled panic in the Moabite army earlier. Mesha's decision to deploy seven hundred elite swordsmen against the Edomite front was a calculated but extreme gamble—either an attempt to escape with a contingent of his forces or to break the allied cohesion by assaulting a specific flank. Their ultimate failure, concisely stated by "but they could not," is significant. It underscores the complete closure of all military options for Moab, emphasizing that God's plan for victory over Moab was absolute, irrespective of Mesha's strategic maneuvers or the bravery of his soldiers. This sealed Mesha's military fate, leaving him with no earthly recourse, which then propels the narrative toward the extreme ritualistic act of sacrificing his own son on the city wall. The divine enablement of the allied forces rendered all of Moab's efforts futile, showcasing Yahweh's sovereignty in warfare against those who oppose His people.