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2 Kings 13:18

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Kings 13:18 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
2 Kings 13:18 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Kings 13

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
15And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows; and he took unto him bow and arrows.
16And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow; and he put his hand [upon it]. And Elisha laid his hands upon the king`s hands.
17And he said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Jehovah`s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.
18And 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.
19And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times: then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it, whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.
20And Elisha died, and they buried him. Now the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.
21And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he said, take the arrows, and he took them, etc.] The rest of them: and he said unto the king of Israel, smite upon the ground; the floor of the room in which the prophet lay: and he smote thrice, and stayed; made a stop, ceased smiting; he might think this action trifling, and beneath him, only was willing to please the prophet, but did not do it with a good will, and therefore smote no more; though this was an emblem of his smiting the Syrians, which he might not understand.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Smite upon the ground - Some prefer to render - “Shoot to the ground;” i. e. “Shoot arrows from the window into the ground outside, as if thou wert shooting against an enemy.” return to 'Top of Page'”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Smite - The former sign portended victory, this was to declare the number of the victories. 4 Kings (2 Kings) 13:20”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“13:18-19 Jehoash failed to act on his knowledge that the arrows signified victory over Aram (13:17). By striking the ground only three times, he unwittingly limited his own success against the Arameans; final victory came only later in the days of his son Jeroboam II (14:25-28).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Smite: Isa 20:2-4; Eze 4:1-10, Eze 5:1-4, Eze 12:1-7 he smote thrice: Kg2 4:6; Exo 17:11 4 Kings (2 Kings) 13:19”
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Related study paths

Read 2 Kings 13 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification