2 Kings 13:18

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Then Elisha said, 'Take the arrows.' So he took them. Elisha told the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground.' He struck the ground three times and stopped.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֛אמֶר קַ֥ח הַחִצִּ֖ים וַיִּקָּ֑ח וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לְמֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ הַךְ־אַ֔רְצָה וַיַּ֥ךְ שָֽׁלֹשׁ־פְּעָמִ֖ים וַֽיַּעֲמֹֽד׃

Transliteration

wə-yō'mer take haḥiṣṣîm wə-yiqqāḥ wə-yō'mer to melek-Yiśrā'ēl strike-'arṣâ wə-yak three-pə'āmîm wə-ya'ămōd.

Grammar Details

• *wə*: conjunction - and
• *yō'mer*: qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - he said
• *haḥiṣṣîm*: definite article + masculine plural noun - the arrows
• *yiqqāḥ*: qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - he took
• *melek*: masculine singular construct - king of
• *Yiśrā'ēl*: proper name - Israel
• *'arṣâ*: feminine singular noun + directive he - to the ground
• *yak*: hiphil imperfect 3rd masculine singular - he struck
• *pə'āmîm*: feminine plural noun - times
• *ya'ămōd*: qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - he stood/stopped

Word Meanings

• *'arṣâ*: to the ground/earthward
• *ya'ămōd*: stopped/ceased/stood still

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  He said, "Take the arrows." And he took them. He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground." And he struck three times and stopped.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said,{H559} Take{H3947} the arrows;{H2671} and he took{H3947} them. And he said{H559} unto the king{H4428} of Israel,{H3478} Smite{H5221} upon the ground;{H776} and he smote{H5221} thrice,{H7969} and stayed.{H5975}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And he said{H559}{(H8799)}, Take{H3947}{(H8798)} the arrows{H2671}. And he took{H3947}{(H8799)} them. And he said{H559}{(H8799)} unto the king{H4428} of Israel{H3478}, Smite{H5221}{(H8685)} upon the ground{H776}. And he smote{H5221}{(H8686)} thrice{H7969}{H6471}, and stayed{H5975}{(H8799)}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  And he sayde: Take ye arowes. And wha he had taken them, he sayde vnto the kynge of Israel: Smyte the earth. And he smote thre tymes and stode still.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Againe he said, Take the arrowes; he tooke them; he sayde vnto the King of Israel, Smite the ground; he smote thrise, and ceased.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And he saide: Take the arrowes. And he toke them: And he said vnto the king of Israel, Smyte the grounde. And he smote thrise, and ceassed.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And he said, Take the arrows. And he took [them]. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  He said, Take the arrows; and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, Smite on the ground; and he struck thrice, and stayed.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And he saith, `Take the arrows,' and he taketh; and he saith to the king of Israel, `Smite to the earth;' and he smiteth three times, and stayeth.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said, Take the arrows; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground; and he smote thrice, and stayed.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And he said, Take the arrows; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground; and he smote thrice, and stayed.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And he said, Take the arrows: and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Send them down into the earth; and he did so three times and no more.

• World English Bible (2000)

  He said, "Take the arrows;" and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground;" and he struck three times, and stopped.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Then Elisha said,“Take the arrows,” and he did so. He told the king of Israel,“Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped.

Referenced Verses

• Exod 17:11 : 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed.
• 2 Kgs 4:6 : 6 When all the vessels were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." But he replied, "There are no more vessels." Then the oil stopped flowing.
• Isa 20:2-4 : 2 at that time, the LORD spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, 'Go, untie the sackcloth from around your waist and remove the sandals from your feet.' And he did so, walking around naked and barefoot. 3 Then the LORD said, 'Just as my servant Isaiah has walked around naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a warning against Egypt and Cush,' 4 'so will the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush—young and old—naked and barefoot, with their buttocks exposed, bringing shame to Egypt.'
• Ezek 4:1-9 : 1 Now, you, son of man, take a brick and set it before you; then inscribe on it the city of Jerusalem. 2 Build siege works against it, construct a ramp, set up camps around it, and place battering rams against it all around. 3 Then take an iron plate and place it as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Set your face against it, besiege it, and let it be under siege. This will be a sign for the house of Israel. 4 Lie on your left side and put the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. You will bear their iniquity for the number of days you lie on that side. 5 I assign you the years of their iniquity as the number of days—three hundred ninety days—during which you will bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. 6 When you have completed these, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the iniquity of the house of Judah for forty days, a day for each year. I have assigned you this period. 7 Direct your face toward the siege of Jerusalem, with your arm bared, and prophesy against it. 8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have completed the days of your siege. 9 Take wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, put them in one container, and make bread for yourself. For the number of days that you lie on your side—three hundred ninety days—you will eat it. 10 The amount you eat each day will be twenty shekels by weight, and you will eat it at set times each day.
• Ezek 5:1-4 : 1 And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, use it like a razor for barbers, and pass it over your head and your beard. Then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 A third of it you shall burn in the fire within the city when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take another third and strike it with the sword all around the city. And the final third you shall scatter to the wind, and I will unsheathe a sword to chase after them. 3 Take some small amount of the hair and bind it in the edges of your garment. 4 Then take some of these again, throw them into the fire, and burn them. From it, a fire will spread to all the house of Israel.
• Ezek 12:1-7 : 1 The word of the LORD came to me, saying: 2 Son of man, you are living among a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. 3 Therefore, son of man, pack your belongings as if for exile and go into exile in their sight—by day, in their sight—so that they may see. Move from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. 4 Bring out your belongings as if for exile during the day, in their sight. Then, in the evening, leave in their sight, as if you were departing into exile. 5 In their sight, dig through the wall and carry your belongings through it. 6 Carry your things on your shoulder in their sight, at dusk. Cover your face so that you cannot see the land, for I have made you a sign to the house of Israel. 7 So I did as I was commanded. By day, I brought out my belongings as if for exile. In the evening, I dug through the wall with my hands. I brought them out at dusk, carrying them on my shoulder in their sight.