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 boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Hand over your son and we’ll eat him.’ But she hid her son!” 30When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. Then he said, “May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!” 32Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. The king sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the leaders, “Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?” Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him.” 33He was still talking to them when the messenger approached and said, “Look, the Lord is responsible for this disaster! Why should I continue to wait for the Lord to help?”

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• so and moreיָסַףyâsaph · to addH3254
• also to me, if the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• of Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
• the sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of Shaphatשָׁפָטshâphâţ · ShaphatH8202
• shall standעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• on him this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117

Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:31

• Ruth 1:17Wherever you die, I will die – and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to separate me from you!”
• 1 Samuel 3:17Eli said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”
• 1 Samuel 14:44Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!”
• 1 Samuel 25:22God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!”
• 2 Samuel 3:9God will severely judge Abner if I do not do for David exactly what the Lord has promised him,
• 2 Samuel 19:13Say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my flesh and blood? God will punish me severely, if from this time on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
• 1 Kings 2:23King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely, if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life!
• 1 Kings 18:17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on Israel?”
• 1 Kings 19:2Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, “May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!”
• 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.”
• Jeremiah 37:15The officials were very angry at Jeremiah. They had him flogged and put in prison in the house of Jonathan, the royal secretary, which they had converted into a place for confining prisoners.
• Jeremiah 38:4So these officials said to the king, “This man must be put to death. For he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in the city as well as all the other people there by these things he is saying. This man is not seeking to help these people but is trying to harm them.”
• John 11:50You do not realize that it is more to your advantage to have one man die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”
• Acts 23:12When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything 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
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Band
• Jehoram
• Send
• Benhadad
• Jehoahaz
• Jehoram; Joram
• Kings, Books of

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