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. The next day I told her: ‘Give your son that we may eat him’—but she hid her son.” 30Now it came to pass when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes—as he was passing by on the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath upon his flesh. Then he said, “May God do so to me and even more, 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. The king had sent a messenger ahead, yet even before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see, this son of a murderer was sent to take away my head! Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door fast against him. Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?” 33While he was yet talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. So the king said, “Look! This evil is from Adonai—why should I wait for Adonai 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

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 1:17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Adonai deal with me, and worse, if anything but death comes between me and you!”
• 1 Samuel 3:17“What is the word that He has spoken to you?” he said. “Please don’t hide it from me. May God do so to you and even more if you hide anything at all from me that He spoke to you.”
• 1 Samuel 14:44“May God do so to me and even more,” Saul said. “You must surely die, Jonathan.”
• 1 Samuel 25:22May God do so and even more to David’s enemies if by the morning I leave even one male of all who belong to him!”
• 2 Samuel 3:9May God do so to Abner and even more if, as Adonai has sworn to David, I don’t accomplish this for him—
• 2 Samuel 19:13‘You are my kinsmen, my bone and my flesh! Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’
• 1 Kings 2:23Then King Solomon swore by Adonai saying: “May God do so to me and even more, if Adonijah does not pay with his own life for this request!
• 1 Kings 18:17Now when Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, the one who causes trouble for Israel?”
• 1 Kings 19:2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, “So let the gods do to me and worse if by this time tomorrow I don’t make your life like the life of one of them.”
• 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Yes, there is still one by whom we may inquire of Adonai—Micaiah son of Imlah—but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, only evil.” But Jehoshaphat said, “May the king not say so!”
• Jeremiah 37:15The officials were angry with Jeremiah, had him beaten, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.
• Jeremiah 38:4Then the officials said to the king: “This man should now be put to death, since he demoralizes the men of war remaining in this city as well as all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the shalom of this people, but calamity.”
• John 11:50You don’t take into account that it is better for you that one man die for the people rather than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
• Acts 23:12When it was day, the Judean leaders formed a conspiracy. They bound themselves by an oath not to eat or 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