Passage
He answered, “Don’t be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
2 Kings 6:16 (WEB)
Nearby Context
2 Kings 6:14 Therefore he sent horses, chariots, and a great army there. They came by night, and surrounded the city.
2 Kings 6:15 When the servant of the man of God had risen early, and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. His servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
2 Kings 6:16 He answered, “Don’t be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
2 Kings 6:17 Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the young man’s eyes; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” He struck them with blindness according to Elishah’s word.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "answered", "afraid", and "than". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "afraid", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 15's "When the servant of the man of..." into verse 17's "Elisha prayed and said Yahweh please open...", so "answered" and "afraid" 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 "answered" and "afraid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.