New Living Translation
2 Kings 6:18
18As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
2 Kings 6:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
- New International Version (NIV)As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, and said, “Strike this people, I pray, with blindness.” And He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
Context of 2 Kings 6:18
16“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked. 19Then Elisha went out and told them, “You have come the wrong way! This isn’t the right city! Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to the city of Samaria. 20As soon as they had entered Samaria, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, now open their eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes, and they discovered that they were in the middle of Samaria.
Read all of 2 Kings 62 Kings 6:18 word by word
וַיֵּרְדוּ֮ אֵלָיו֒ וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֱלִישָׁ֤ע אֶל־יְהוָה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר הַךְ־נָ֥א אֶת־הַגּוֹי־הַזֶּ֖ה בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֑ים וַיַּכֵּ֥ם בַּסַּנְוֵרִ֖ים כִּדְבַ֥ר אֱלִישָֽׁע׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And when they came downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- to him, Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
- prayedפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- this peopleגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- I pray thee, with blindnessסַנְוֵרִיםsanvêr · blindnessH5575
- according to the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:18
- Genesis 19:11Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
- Deuteronomy 28:28The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic.
- Job 5:14They find it is dark in the daytime, and they grope at noon as if it were night.
- Zechariah 12:4“On that day,” says the Lord, “I will cause every horse to panic and every rider to lose his nerve. I will watch over the people of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of their enemies.
- John 9:39Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”
- John 12:40“The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts— so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them.”
- Acts 13:11Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him.
- Romans 11:7So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 6:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Smite this people - with blindness - Confound their sight so that they may not know what they see, and so mistake one place for another.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18They came down to him - The Syrians, who had been encamped on rising ground opposite the hill of Dothan, now descended and drew near to the city. The blindness with which they were smitten was not real - blindness actual loss of sight - but a state of illusion in which a man sees things otherwise than as they are (compare 2 Kings 6:20).Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-23Verses 13-23 What Elisha said to his servant is spoken to all the faithful servants of God, when without are fightings, and within are fears. Fear not, with that fear which has torment and amazement; for they that are with us, to protect us, are more than they that are against us, to destroy us. The eyes of his body were open, and with them he saw the danger. Lord, open the eyes of our faith, that with them we may see thy protecting hand. The clearer…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness--not a total and material blindness, for then they could not have followed him, but a mental hallucination (see Ge 19:11) so that they did not perceive or recognize him to be the object of their search.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 6:18
In the dictionaries
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
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