2 Kings 6:32 (WEB)

Passage

But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

Nearby Context

2 Kings 6:30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. Now he was passing by on the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body.

2 Kings 6:31 Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”

2 Kings 6:32 But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

2 Kings 6:33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “Behold, this evil is from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elisha", "sitting", "house", "elders", "king", "sent", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elisha" and "sitting", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 31's "Then he said God do so to..." into verse 33's "While he was still talking with them...", so "elisha" and "sitting" 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 "elisha" and "sitting" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.