2 Kings 2:8

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּקַּח֩ אֵלִיָּ֨הוּ אֶת־אַדַּרְתּ֤וֹ וַיִּגְלֹם֙ וַיַּכֶּ֣ה אֶת־הַמַּ֔יִם וַיֵּחָצ֖וּ הֵ֣נָּה וָהֵ֑נָה וַיַּעַבְר֥וּ שְׁנֵיהֶ֖ם בֶּחָרָבָֽה׃

Transliteration

And wayyiqqaḥ 'ēlîyāhû 'et-'addartô and wayyiglōm and wayyakkeh 'et-the-mayim, and wayyēḥāṣû hēnnâ and-hēnnâ; and wayya'abrû šənêhem in-ḥārābâ.

Grammar Details

• *wayyiqqaḥ*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular of *lāqaḥ* - and he took
• *'addartô*: feminine singular noun + 3rd masculine singular suffix - his mantle/cloak
• *wayyiglōm*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular of *gālam* - and he rolled/folded it up
• *wayyakkeh*: waw-consecutive + hiphil imperfect 3rd masculine singular of *nākâ* - and he struck
• *mayim*: masculine plural noun - waters
• *wayyēḥāṣû*: waw-consecutive + niphal imperfect 3rd masculine plural of *ḥāṣâ* - and they were divided
• *hēnnâ*: adverb - here/to this side
• *wayya'abrû*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural of *'ābar* - and they crossed over
• *šənêhem*: numeral + 3rd masculine plural suffix - both of them/the two of them
• *ḥārābâ*: feminine singular noun - dry ground/dry land

Word Meanings

• *'addartô*: his mantle/cloak/robe
• *wayyiglōm*: he rolled/folded/wrapped it up
• *hēnnâ wāhēnnâ*: here and there/to this side and that side
• *šənêhem*: both of them/the two of them
• *ḥārābâ*: dry ground/dry land

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Elijah{H452} took{H3947} his mantle,{H155} and wrapped it together,{H1563} and smote{H5221} the waters,{H4325} and they were divided{H2673} hither and thither, so that they two{H8147} went over{H5674} on dry{H2724} ground.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And Elijah{H452} took{H3947}{(H8799)} his mantle{H155}, and wrapped it together{H1563}{(H8799)}, and smote{H5221}{(H8686)} the waters{H4325}, and they were divided{H2673}{(H8735)} hither and thither, so that they two{H8147} went over{H5674}{(H8799)} on dry{H2724} ground.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Then toke Elias his cloke, and wrapped it together, and smote the water, which deuyded it selfe on both the sydes, so that they wete dry shod thorow it.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Then Eliiah tooke his cloke, and wrapt it together, and smote the waters, and they were deuided hither and thither, and they twaine went ouer on the dry lande.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And Elias toke his mantell, & wrapt it together, and smote the waters, and they were deuided parte the one way, and part the other, so that they two went ouer through the drye lande.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped [it] together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And Elijah taketh his robe, and wrappeth `it' together, and smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and they pass over both of them on dry land.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Then Elijah took off his robe, and, rolling it up, gave the water a blow with it, and the waters were parted, flowing back this way and that, so that they went over on dry land.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Referenced Verses

• 1 Kgs 19:19 : 19 Elijah left from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen, and he was with the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak over him.
• 2 Kgs 2:14 : 14 He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. 'Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?' he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.
• Exod 14:21-22 : 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind all night and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided. 22 The Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
• 1 Kgs 19:13 : 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then a voice came to him, saying, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'
• Josh 3:14-17 : 14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now as the priests who carried the ark came to the Jordan, and their feet touched the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the harvest season), 16 the water flowing down from upstream stood still. It rose up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam near Zarethan. Meanwhile, the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
• Ps 114:5-7 : 5 What is it, sea, that you flee? Jordan, that you turn back? 6 Mountains, why do you leap like rams, and hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
• Isa 11:15 : 15 The LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt. With a scorching wind, He will wave His hand over the River and divide it into seven streams, allowing people to cross in sandals.
• Heb 11:29 : 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
• Rev 16:12 : 12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the east.