2 Kings 3:13

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Elisha said to the king of Israel,“Why are you here? Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him,“No, for the LORD is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.”

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֜ע אֶל־מֶ֤לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מַה־לִּ֣י וָלָ֔ךְ לֵ֚ךְ אֶל־נְבִיאֵ֣י אָבִ֔יךָ וְאֶל־נְבִיאֵ֖י אִמֶּ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַ֗ל כִּֽי־קָרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ לִשְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙ הַמְּלָכִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה לָתֵ֥ת אוֹתָ֖ם בְּיַד־מוֹאָֽב׃

Transliteration

wa-yōʾmer ʾĔlîšāʿ to-king-of-Yiśrāʾēl, what-to-me and-to-you? go to-prophets-of your-father and-to-prophets-of your-mother. wa-yōʾmer to-him king-of-Yiśrāʾēl, ʾal, for-qārāʾ YHWH for-three ha-mĕlākîm ha-ʾēlleh to-give ʾôtām into-hand-of-Môʾāb.

Grammar Details

• *wa-yōʾmer*: conjunction + qal imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - and he said
• *ʾĔlîšāʿ*: proper name - Elisha
• *Yiśrāʾēl*: proper name - Israel
• *mah-lî wā-lāk*: interrogative + preposition + 1st singular suffix + conjunction + preposition + 2nd masculine singular suffix - what to me and to you?
• *lēk*: qal imperative, masculine singular - go
• *nĕbîʾê*: masculine plural construct - prophets of
• *ʾal*: negative particle - do not/no
• *qārāʾ*: qal perfect, 3rd masculine singular - he has called
• *YHWH*: divine name - LORD/Yahweh
• *šĕlōšet*: cardinal number, construct - three of
• *ha-mĕlākîm*: definite article + masculine plural noun - the kings
• *ha-ʾēlleh*: definite article + demonstrative pronoun - these
• *lātēt*: preposition + qal infinitive construct - to give
• *ʾôtām*: direct object marker + 3rd masculine plural suffix - them
• *Môʾāb*: proper name - Moab

Word Meanings

• *mah-lî wā-lāk*: what have I to do with you?/why are you coming to me?
• *lēk*: go/depart
• *ʾal*: no/do not [say that]
• *qārāʾ*: called/summoned/brought together

Referenced Verses

• 1 Kgs 18:19 : 19 Now send out messengers and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports.”
• 1 Kgs 22:6 : 6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them,“Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said,“Attack! The Sovereign One will hand it over to the king.”
• 1 Kgs 22:10-11 : 10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying before them. 11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said,“This is what the LORD has said,‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’”
• 1 Kgs 22:22-25 : 22 The LORD asked him,‘How?’ He replied,‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The LORD said,‘Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 23 So now, look, the LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, but the LORD has decreed disaster for you.” 24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said,“Which way did the LORD’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 25 Micaiah replied,“Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.”
• 2 Kgs 3:10 : 10 The king of Israel said,“Oh no! Certainly the LORD has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!”
• Prov 1:28 : 28 Then they will call to me, but I will not answer; they will diligently seek me, but they will not find me.
• Jer 2:27-28 : 27 They say to a wooden idol,‘You are my father.’ They say to a stone image,‘You gave birth to me.’ Yes, they have turned away from me instead of turning to me. Yet when they are in trouble, they say,‘Come and save us!’ 28 But where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them save you when you are in trouble. The sad fact is that you have as many gods as you have towns, Judah.
• Ezek 14:3-5 : 3 “Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed the obstacle leading to their iniquity right before their faces. Should I really allow them to seek me? 4 Therefore speak to them and say to them,‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When anyone from the house of Israel erects his idols in his heart and sets the obstacle leading to his iniquity before his face, and then consults a prophet, I the LORD am determined to answer him personally according to the enormity of his idolatry. 5 I will do this in order to capture the hearts of the house of Israel, who have alienated themselves from me on account of all their idols.’
• Hos 6:1 : 1 Superficial Repentance Breeds False Assurance of God’s Forgiveness“Come on! Let’s return to the LORD! He himself has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us! He has injured us, but he will bandage our wounds!
• Matt 8:29 : 29 They cried out,“Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
• John 2:4 : 4 Jesus replied,“Woman, why are you saying this to me? My time has not yet come.”
• 2 Cor 5:16 : 16 So then from now on we acknowledge no one from an outward human point of view. Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view, now we do not know him in that way any longer.
• 2 Cor 6:15 : 15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?
• Deut 32:37-39 : 37 He will say,“Where are their gods, the rock in whom they sought security, 38 who ate the best of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise and help you; let them be your refuge! 39 The Vindication of the Lord“See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the LORD,“and there is no other god besides me. I kill and give life, I smash and I heal, and none can resist my power.
• Judg 10:14 : 14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!”
• Ruth 1:15 : 15 So Naomi said,“Look, your sister-in-law is returning to her people and to her god. Follow your sister-in-law back home!”