2 Kings 6:31

2 Kings 6:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
• New International Version (NIV)He said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)and he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said, “God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!”

Context of 2 Kings 6:31

29So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, so that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.” 30When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes--and he was passing by on the wall--and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body. Then he said, “May God do so to me and more so, 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 from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent a man to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him. Is the sound of his master’s feet not behind him?” 33While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “Behold, this evil is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

2 Kings 6:31 word by word

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כֹּֽה־יַעֲשֶׂה־לִּ֥י אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֑ף אִֽם־יַעֲמֹ֞ד רֹ֣אשׁ אֱלִישָׁ֧ע בֶּן־שָׁפָ֛ט עָלָ֖יו הַיּֽוֹם׃Read the interlinear

• Then he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• soכֹּהkôh · thusH3541
• to me and moreיָסַףyâsaph · to addH3254
• ifאִם'im · ifH518
• the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• of Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Shaphatשָׁפָטshâphâţ · ShaphatH8202
• remainsעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• on him todayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117

Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:31

• Ruth 1:17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates me from you.”
• 1 Samuel 3:17He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do the same to you, and more so, if you hide a single word from me of all the words that He spoke to you!”
• 1 Samuel 14:44And Saul said, “May God do the same to me and more also, for you shall certainly die, Jonathan!”
• 1 Samuel 25:22May God do so to the enemies of David, and more so, if by morning I leave alive as much as one male of any who belong to him.”
• 2 Samuel 3:9May God do so to me, and more so, if as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him:
• 2 Samuel 19:13And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and more so, if you will not be commander of the army for me continually, in place of Joab.’”
• 1 Kings 2:23Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “May God do so to me and more so, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life!
• 1 Kings 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is this you, the cause of disaster to Israel?”
• 1 Kings 19:2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”
• 1 Kings 22:8And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy anything good regarding me, but only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so.”
• Jeremiah 37:15Then the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they beat him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made it into the prison.
• Jeremiah 38:4Then the officials said to the king, “Please have this man put to death, since he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking words like these to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm.”
• John 11:50nor are you taking into account that it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.”
• Acts 23:12When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and put themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31If the head of Elisha - shall stand on him - Either he attributed these calamities to the prophet, or else he thought he could remove them, and yet would not. The miserable king was driven to desperation.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31God do so … - Jehoram uses almost the very words of his wicked mother, when she sought the life of Elijah (marginal reference). The head of Elisha - Beheading was not an ordinary Jewish punishment. The Law did not sanction it. But in Assyria, Babylonia, and generally through the East, it was the most conmon form of capital punishment. It is not quite clear why Elisha was to be punished. Perhaps Jehoram argued from his other miracles that he could give…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. 31the head of Elisha … on his shoulders: Decapitating enemies was common (2 Kings 10:6–8; 1 Samuel 17:51; 31:9; 2 Samuel 4:7–8, 12; 20:22; Matthew 14:11) in the ancient Near East. Joram thought the problem arose because Elisha had spared Ben-hadad’s troops earlier (2 Kings 6:22–23). Ben-hadad had also been pursuing Elisha (2 Kings 6:13), putting the entire city at risk.Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 6:31

• Armies
• Elisha
• Israel
• Malice
• Oath
• Persecution
• Samaria
• Shaphat

In the dictionaries

• Elisha
• God
• Band
• Jehoram
• Send
• Benhadad
• Jehoahaz
• Kings, Books of
• Oath
• Shaphat

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