2 Kings 6 14

2 Kings 6:14 kjv

Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

2 Kings 6:14 nkjv

Therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

2 Kings 6:14 niv

Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

2 Kings 6:14 esv

So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

2 Kings 6:14 nlt

So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

2 Kings 6 verses

2 Kings 6 14 Meaning

This verse describes the King of Aram's immediate military response upon discovering that the prophet Elisha was the one revealing his war plans to the King of Israel. He dispatched a large and formidable army, equipped with cavalry and chariots, to Dothan where Elisha was located. This overwhelming force arrived under the cover of night, stealthily surrounding the city with the intention of capturing or eliminating the prophet. The verse highlights the reliance on human military might to counter what was perceived as a divine or supernaturally informed threat.

2 Kings 6 14 Context

This verse occurs within the narrative of Elisha's ministry in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, specifically focusing on the escalating conflict with Aram. Earlier in the chapter (2 Kgs 6:8-12), Elisha, through divine revelation, repeatedly warned the King of Israel about the Aramaeans' ambush locations, foiling their attacks. This pattern continued until the Aramaean king, baffled and suspicious of a spy, interrogated his servants. They revealed that "Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom" (2 Kgs 6:12). Outraged and frustrated by this prophetic intervention, the King of Aram decided to eliminate the source of Israel's supernatural intelligence. Verse 14 describes his determined military action to accomplish this, leading directly to the pivotal encounter in the following verses where the spiritual reality behind Elisha's protection is dramatically unveiled. Historically, Israel and Aram (Syria) were often engaged in conflicts, and prophetic figures like Elisha played significant roles, influencing national security through their divinely bestowed insights and miraculous powers.

2 Kings 6 14 Word analysis

• Therefore (וַיִּשְׁלַח - ו): The prefixed conjunction 'waw' indicates a sequential or resultant action, directly linking this military deployment to the preceding revelation about Elisha's location and role. It signifies a decisive and immediate reaction by the Aramaean king.
• sent he (וַיִּשְׁלַח - vayyishlach): From the Hebrew root shalach, meaning "to send forth, extend, dispatch." This emphasizes the King of Aram's authority and resolve in personally directing a major military operation.
• thither (שָׁמָּה - shammah): A locative adverb meaning "to there" or "thither," referring specifically to Dothan, the city where Elisha was residing (2 Kgs 6:13). It shows the precision of the intelligence gathered by the Aramaean king regarding Elisha's whereabouts.
• horses (סוּסִים - susim): Referring to cavalry units. In ancient warfare, horses represented speed, mobility, and were crucial for reconnaissance, skirmishes, and swift engagements.
• and chariots (רֶכֶב - rekeb): While literally "chariot," in this context, it often denotes "chariotry" or a "chariot force"—the most potent and elite division of an ancient army. Chariots were fast, heavily armed platforms, capable of breaking enemy lines and striking terror. Their presence indicates a substantial and serious military engagement.
• and a great host (וְחַיִל גָּדוֹל - wechayil gadol): Chayil denotes "strength, army, military force," and gadol means "great, large, mighty." This phrase collectively emphasizes the overwhelming size, strength, and formidable nature of the Aramaean contingent. The king brought not just a patrol, but a full-scale, massive force, illustrating his profound anger and the strategic importance he placed on neutralizing Elisha. From a human perspective, it seemed insurmountable.
• and they came by night (וַיָּבֹאוּ לַיְלָה - vayyavo'u laylah): The action of arrival occurred during the night. Night operations provided the advantage of stealth, surprise, and concealment for troop movements. It suggests a carefully planned ambush, designed to catch Elisha and the city off guard and prevent any escape or warning. Biblically, darkness can also symbolize evil or danger.
• and compassed the city about (וַיַּקִּפוּ אֶת־הָעִיר - vayyaqqipu 'et-ha'ir): Yaqqif means "to surround, to go around." This describes a classic military encirclement strategy, sealing off the city and trapping those inside. It ensured Elisha had no route of escape and underscored the total human dominance the Aramaean forces sought to establish over the situation.

• "Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host": This phrase details the comprehensive and massive nature of the Aramaean king's military deployment. It illustrates a disproportionate, yet humanly rational, response to a threat that operated beyond conventional military means. The assembly of such a significant force indicates the king's determination and frustration, perceiving Elisha as a highly valuable strategic asset for Israel that needed immediate neutralization. It contrasts the world's reliance on visible might against the unseen power of God.
• "and they came by night, and compassed the city about": This group of words describes the precise, tactical execution of the mission. The choice of night underscores the desire for surprise and minimizes Elisha's opportunity to use his prophetic gifts to escape. Surrounding the city ensured absolute containment and presented an immediate visual image of insurmountable odds from a human perspective, setting the stage for the dramatic display of divine intervention that follows.

2 Kings 6 14 Bonus Section

The Aramaean king's sending of "horses, and chariots, and a great host" to capture a single man (Elisha) demonstrates the profound strategic threat he perceived Elisha to be, not in physical terms, but due to his unparalleled intelligence network—God Himself. This immense military expenditure on one prophet underscores the irony: earthly power is brought to bear against spiritual revelation. Furthermore, the selection of Dothan, a strategic location due to its position on a major trade route and its elevated setting, indicates that Elisha was not living in obscurity. The entire military operation was executed with a strategic precision designed to achieve complete surprise and ensure Elisha's capture, but this very strategy inadvertently served to maximize the dramatic impact of God's subsequent display of protection and the revealing of His unseen army.

2 Kings 6 14 Commentary

This verse encapsulates the culmination of earthly frustration encountering divine omniscience. The Aramaean king, exasperated by Elisha's supernatural intelligence that continuously foiled his military campaigns, unleashed the full might of his army—a display of conventional power to counteract an unconventional threat. The deployment of a "great host" with chariots and horses, executed stealthily under the cloak of night to completely encircle Dothan, highlights the perceived gravity of Elisha's interference and the king's desperation for a decisive victory. It dramatically sets the stage, painting a picture of overwhelming human force confronting a lone prophet, thereby emphasizing the divine power that would soon reveal itself to be infinitely greater than any earthly military might, creating a vivid contrast between worldly might and heavenly protection.