2 Kings 6:18 (LSB)

Passage

And they came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, “Strike this people with blindness, I pray.” So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 6:16 So he said, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

2 Kings 6:17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Yahweh, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:18 And they came down to him, and Elisha prayed to Yahweh and said, “Strike this people with blindness, I pray.” So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

2 Kings 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city; walk after me and I will walk you over to the man whom you seek.” And he walked them over to Samaria.

2 Kings 6:20 Now it happened that when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So Yahweh opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "down", "elisha", "prayed", "yahweh", "said", "strike", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "down", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Then Elisha prayed and said O Yahweh..." into verse 19's "Then Elisha said to them This is...", so "came" and "down" 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 "down" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.