2 Kings 6:21 (WEB)

Passage

The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?”

Nearby Context

2 Kings 6:19 Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” He led them to Samaria.

2 Kings 6:20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “Yahweh, open these men’s eyes, that they may see.” Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the middle of Samaria.

2 Kings 6:21 The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?”

2 Kings 6:22 He answered, “You shall not strike them. Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.”

2 Kings 6:23 He prepared a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria stopped raiding the land of Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "israel", "said", "elisha", "father", "shall", and "strike". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "When they had come into Samaria Elisha..." into verse 22's "He answered You shall not strike them...", so "king" and "israel" 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 "king" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.