2 Kings 2:18 (DRB)

Passage

And they came back to him: for he abode at Jericho, and he said to them: Did I not say to you? Do not send.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:16 And they said to him: Behold, there are with thy servants, fifty strong men, that can go, and seek thy master, lest, perhaps, the spirit of the Lord, hath taken him up and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said: Do not send.

2 Kings 2:17 But they pressed him, till he consented, and said: Send. And they sent fifty men: and they sought three days, but found him not.

2 Kings 2:18 And they came back to him: for he abode at Jericho, and he said to them: Did I not say to you? Do not send.

2 Kings 2:19 And the men of the city, said to Eliseus . Behold the situation of this city is very good, as thou, my lord, seest: but the waters are very bad, and the ground barren.

2 Kings 2:20 And he said: Bring me a new vessel, and put salt into it. And when they had brought it,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "back", "abode", "jericho", "said", and "send". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "back", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "But they pressed him till he consented..." into verse 19's "And the men of the city said...", so "came" and "back" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "came" and "back" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.