2 Kings 6:13 kjv
And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
2 Kings 6:13 nkjv
So he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him." And it was told him, saying, "Surely he is in Dothan."
2 Kings 6:13 niv
"Go, find out where he is," the king ordered, "so I can send men and capture him." The report came back: "He is in Dothan."
2 Kings 6:13 esv
And he said, "Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him." It was told him, "Behold, he is in Dothan."
2 Kings 6:13 nlt
"Go and find out where he is," the king commanded, "so I can send troops to seize him." And the report came back: "Elisha is at Dothan."
2 Kings 6 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 37:17 | So he went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. | Dothan, a known biblical location. |
| Num 22:20 | And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise and go with them...". | God revealing things in the night. |
| 1 Sam 23:23 | So be sure to know and see all the lurking places where he hides... | Seeking to capture God’s chosen one. |
| Psa 33:10 | The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations... | God thwarts enemy plans. |
| Psa 34:7 | The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. | Divine protection for God’s servants. |
| Psa 91:11 | For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. | Angels providing protection. |
| Psa 139:7 | Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? | God's omnipresence; futile to hide. |
| Psa 139:12 | even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day... | God sees all, even in secret. |
| Pro 21:30 | No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. | Worldly wisdom cannot defeat God. |
| Isa 43:13 | Even from eternity I am He, and there is no one who can rescue from My hand... | God’s power to deliver and rescue. |
| Jer 23:24 | "Can a man hide himself in secret places So that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD... | God's omniscience, nothing hidden from Him. |
| Jer 38:4 | And the officials said to the king, "Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands... | Opposition to prophets. |
| Amo 3:7 | For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. | God revealing secrets to His prophets. |
| Matt 2:4 | And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. | King seeking location to capture/kill. |
| Matt 10:29 | Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. | God’s meticulous knowledge of all things. |
| Luke 19:10 | For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. | Purposeful seeking of an individual. |
| Acts 5:39 | but if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them... | Futility of fighting against God. |
| Acts 9:4 | And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" | Opposition to God’s servants is against Him. |
| Heb 1:14 | Are not all angels ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? | Angels serving for believers' protection. |
| Rev 2:18-20 | And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire... who laid down my life and am alive forevermore... | God's all-seeing knowledge; futile to hide. |
2 Kings 6 verses
2 Kings 6 13 Meaning
This verse describes the King of Aram’s reaction to learning about Elisha, the prophet of Israel. He commands his servants to locate Elisha, intending to capture him. Subsequently, his scouts report back, informing him that Elisha is currently in the city of Dothan. This marks the beginning of the Aramaean king’s direct attempt to seize Elisha, demonstrating his worldly perspective on a situation involving divine intervention.
2 Kings 6 13 Context
The King of Aram, frustrated by his military campaigns against Israel being repeatedly thwarted, discovered that the prophet Elisha was supernaturally revealing his ambush plans to the king of Israel (2 Kgs 6:8-12). Convinced Elisha was the source of this intelligence, the Aramaean king immediately seeks to neutralize this perceived threat. This verse, 2 Kings 6:13, details the swift action taken by the Aramaean monarch to locate Elisha, setting the stage for the dramatic confrontation between the world’s might and God’s power and protection, specifically as it pertains to His chosen prophet. Historically, Dothan was a strategic city located north of Shechem and west of the Jordan, a common stop on trade routes, making it an accessible and well-known place.
2 Kings 6 13 Word analysis
- And he said: The pronoun "he" refers to the King of Aram, understood from the preceding verses. The immediate nature of his command highlights his intense frustration and determination to remove Elisha.
- Go and see: An imperative command lĕḵū ur'û (לְכוּ וּרְאוּ), meaning "go (plural) and see/perceive." This indicates a specific mission to ascertain Elisha's precise location. It suggests dispatching scouts or spies to gather intelligence, a common military strategy.
- where he is: ’êphôh hû’ (אֵיפֹה הוּא), a direct inquiry to determine the prophet's whereabouts. The Aramaean king understands Elisha's intelligence comes from an extraordinary source but seeks to stop him with ordinary military means.
- that I may send and fetch him: The purpose clause w'eshlah ve'eghchenu (וְאֶשְׁלְחָה וְאֶקָּחֵהוּ) clearly states the king’s objective: to "send" troops and "take" or "capture" Elisha. The Aramaean king views Elisha as an individual agent of intelligence, not fully grasping the divine backing and omnipotence behind Elisha's prophecies. This highlights a fundamental clash between a human king’s worldly perception and divine reality.
- And it was told him: wayyuggad lo (וַיֻּגַּד־לוֹ), a passive construction in Hebrew, implying that messengers or intelligence agents reported back. The swiftness of the report suggests efficiency and eagerness to carry out the king's command.
- saying, Behold: lē’mōr hinnēh (לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה). lē’mōr is a standard biblical introductory phrase for direct speech. hinnēh ("behold," "lo") serves to emphasize the following statement, signaling something important has been discovered and is now being revealed.
- he is in Dothan: baḍōṯān hû’ (בְדֹתָן הוּא). Dothan (דֹּתָן, Doṯān or Dōṯayīn) was a well-known city, located south of the Plain of Jezreel. Its mention implies a precise and reliable intelligence report. This also ties into a larger narrative where a previous attempt to find one of God's chosen, Joseph, also occurred in Dothan (Gen 37:17). The dramatic irony here is that Dothan became the location for another divine intervention against an oppressor, demonstrating God’s continued providence in seemingly ordinary places.
2 Kings 6 13 Bonus section
- The narrative here highlights a recurring biblical theme: the perceived omnipotence of an earthly king clashing with the actual omnipotence of the unseen God.
- The King of Aram’s detailed command "Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him" reveals a typical military mind focused on intelligence gathering and immediate action to neutralize a threat, failing to comprehend the spiritual dimensions at play.
- Dothan's historical significance, recalling Joseph's sale there (Gen 37), adds a subtle layer of divine purpose and echoes a similar theme of divine intervention in the affairs of humans. Both instances at Dothan involve an individual uniquely positioned by God facing an adverse human scheme, but with God’s hidden plan unfolding.
- This verse sets up a dramatic contrast with the following verses where the spiritual reality of God's unseen forces is made visible to Elisha's servant, directly confronting the physical forces arrayed by the Aramaean king.
2 Kings 6 13 Commentary
2 Kings 6:13 is a pivotal moment revealing the escalating conflict between human worldly power and divine omniscience. The King of Aram, frustrated by God's supernatural insights provided through Elisha, plans to neutralize the prophet as if he were an ordinary spy. This verse showcases the rapid military response of the Aramaean king, dispatching agents to pinpoint Elisha's location. The immediate and accurate report that Elisha is in Dothan underscores God's allowance of events to unfold, not out of ignorance but within His sovereign plan. The King’s decision to pursue Elisha to Dothan leads directly to a powerful demonstration of God's protective hand over His servant and a visible display of divine power over physical armies. It illustrates the folly of confronting God’s chosen instruments, who are often unaware of the formidable divine armies that protect them. This sequence serves as a lesson that human strategic efforts, however meticulous, are ultimately futile when pitted against the plans and protection of the Almighty.