2 Kings 6:30

2 Kings 6:30 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
• New International Version (NIV)When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and they saw that, under his robes, he had sackcloth on his body.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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 beneath on his body—
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.

Context of 2 Kings 6:30

28And the king said to her, “What is the matter with you?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son so we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ 29So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give your son so that we may eat him’; but she had hidden her son.” When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes—now he was still walking along on the wall—and the people looked [at him], and he had on sackcloth underneath [his royal robe] next to his skin. 31Then he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!” 32Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man ahead of him [to behead Elisha]; but before the messenger arrived, Elisha told the elders, “Do you see how this son of [Jezebel] a murderer has sent [a man] to remove my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it securely against him. Is not the sound of his master’s feet [just] behind him?”

2 Kings 6:30 word by word

וַיְהִי֩ כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֤י הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ וַיִּקְרַ֣ע אֶת־בְּגָדָ֔יו וְה֖וּא עֹבֵ֣ר עַל־הַחֹמָ֑ה וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה הַשַּׂ֛ק עַל־בְּשָׂר֖וֹ מִבָּֽיִת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass, when the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
• that he rentקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
• his clothesבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
• and he passed byעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
• upon the wallחוֹמָהchômâh · wallH2346
• and the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• lookedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
• withinבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: insideH1004
• upon his fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320

Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:30

• 2 Kings 5:7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes [in shock and outrage at the request] and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me [a request] to heal a man of his leprosy? Just consider [what he is asking] and see how he is seeking an opportunity [for a battle] with me.”
• 2 Kings 19:1When king Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and he covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house (temple) of the Lord.
• 1 Kings 21:27Now when Ahab heard these words [of Elijah], he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly (mourning).
• Isaiah 58:5Is a fast such as this what I have chosen, a day for a man to humble himself [with sorrow in his soul]? Is it only to bow down his head like a reed And to make sackcloth and ashes as a bed [pretending to have a repentant heart]? Do you call this a fast and a day pleasing to the Lord?

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6:30

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 30He had sackcloth within upon his flesh - The king was in deep mourning for the distresses of the people.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 30Sackcloth - Jehoram hoped perhaps to avert Yahweh‘s anger, as his father had done 1 Kings 21:29. But there was no spirit of self-humiliation, or of true pentitence in his heart 2 Kings 5:7. See the next verse.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-33Verses 24-33 Learn to value plenty, and to be thankful for it; see how contemptible money is, when in time of famine it is so freely parted with for any thing that is eatable! The language of Jehoram to the woman may be the language of despair. See the word of God fulfilled; among the threatenings of God's judgments upon Israel for their sins, this was one, that they should eat the flesh of their own children, De 28:53-57. The truth and the awful justice…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30When Joram heard about cannibalism in the city, he tore his clothes in despair. He wore burlap under his robe against his skin as a sign of mourning.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3030. had sackcloth within upon his flesh--The horrid recital of this domestic tragedy led the king soon after to rend his garment, in consequence of which it was discovered that he wore a penitential shirt of haircloth. It is more than doubtful, however, if he was truly humbled on account of his own and the nation's sins; otherwise he would not have vowed vengeance on the prophet's life. The true explanation seems to be, that Elisha having counselled him…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 6:30

• Armies
• Israel
• Mourning
• Rending
• Samaria

In the dictionaries

• Band
• Dress
• Elisha
• Jehoram
• Send
• Benhadad
• Jehoahaz
• Jehoram; Joram
• Kings, Books of
• Sackcloth

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings