2 Kings 13:17

The NET Bible®

Elisha said, "Open the east window," and he did so. Elisha said, "Shoot!" and he did so. Elisha said, "This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria. You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Elisha said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. Then Elisha said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, yes, the arrow of victory over Aram. You are to strike down the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.”

Hebrew Names Version
He said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. He said, the LORD's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you shall strike the Aram in Afek, until you have consumed them.

King James Version
And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the Lord 's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

English Standard Version
And he said, "Open the window eastward," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. And he said, "The Lord 's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them."

New Century Version
Elisha said, "Open the east window." So Jehoash opened the window. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and Jehoash shot. Elisha said, "The Lord 's arrow of victory over Aram! You will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you destroy them."

Amplified Bible
And he said, "Open the window to the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And Elisha said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram (Syria); for you will strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have destroyed them."

New American Standard Bible
And he said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" So he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, and the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have put an end to them."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And saide, Open the windowe Eastward. And when he had opened it, Elisha said, Shoote. And he shot. And he sayd, Beholde the arrowe of the Lordes deliuerance and the arrowe of deliuerance against Aram: for thou shalt smite the Aramites in Aphek, till thou hast consumed them.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "Yahweh's arrow of salvation, even the arrow of salvation over Aram; for you will strike the Arameans at Aphek until you have consumed them."

Contemporary English Version
and said, "Open the window facing east." When it was open, Elisha shouted, "Now shoot!" Jehoash shot an arrow and Elisha said, "That arrow is a sign that the Lord will help you completely defeat the Syrian army at Aphek."

Complete Jewish Bible
and said, "Open the east window." He opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. He said, " Adonai 's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory against Aram! You will defeat Aram completely at Afek!"

Darby Translation
and said, Open the window eastward. And he opened [it]. And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, An arrow of Jehovah's deliverance, even an arrow of deliverance from the Syrians; and thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou hast consumed [them].

Easy-to-Read Version
Elisha said, "Open the east window." Jehoash opened the window. Then Elisha said, "Shoot." Jehoash shot. Then Elisha said, "This is the Lord 's arrow of victory over Aram! You will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you destroy them."

George Lamsa Translation
And he said, Open the window to the east. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORDS deliverance and the arrow of the deliverance from Aram; for you shall smite the Arameans in Aphek till you have consumed them.

Good News Translation
Then, following the prophet's instructions, the king opened the window that faced toward Syria. "Shoot the arrow!" Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, "You are the Lord 's arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them."

Lexham English Bible
Then he said, "Open the window to the east," so he opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. Then he said, "An arrow of victory for Yahweh, and an arrow of victory against Aram; you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until finishing them."

Literal Translation
and said, Open the window eastward. And he opened. And Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of deliverance of Jehovah, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians in Aphek, until it is finished.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde: Open that wyndowe towarde the East. And he opened it. And Eliseus saide: Shute. And he shot. He sayde: one arowe of the saluacion of the LORDE, one arowe of saluacio agaynst the Syrians: and thou shalt smyte the Syrians at Aphek, tyll they be brought to naughte.

American Standard Version
And he said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Jehovah's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

Bible in Basic English
Then he said; Let the window be open to the east: and he got it open. Then Elisha said, Let the arrow go; and he let it go. And he said, The Lord's arrow of salvation, of salvation over Aram; for you will overcome the Aramaeans in Aphek and put an end to them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And said: Open a windowe eastward. And when he had opened it, Elisa sayd: shoote. And he shot: And he saide, The arrowe of health of the Lorde, and the arrowe of health against Syria: For thou shalt smyte Syria in Aphec, till thou haue made an ende of them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'Open the window eastward'; and he opened it. Then Elisha said: 'Shoot'; and he shot. And he said: 'The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory against Aram; for thou shalt smite the Arameans in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.'

King James Version (1611)
And he sayd, Open the window Eastward. And hee opened it. Then Elisha sayd, Shoote. And he shot. And he said; The arrowe of the Lords deliuerance, and the arrowe of deliuerance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou haue consumed them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. And Elisaie said, Shoot. And he shot. And Elisaie said, The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; and thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphec until thou have consumed them.

English Revised Version
And he said, Open the window eastward: and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot: and he shot. And he said, The LORD’S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.

Berean Standard Bible
"Open the east window," said Elisha. So he opened it and Elisha said, "Shoot!" So he shot. Then Elisha declared, "This is the LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
kyng, and seide, Opene thou the eest wyndow. And whanne he hadde openyd, Elisee seide, Schete thou an arewe; and he schete. And Elisee seide, It is an arewe of helthe of the Lord, and an arowe of helthe ayens Sirie; and thou schalt smyte Sirie in Affeth, til thou waste it.

Young's Literal Translation
and saith, `Open the window eastward;' and he openeth, and Elisha saith, `Shoot,' and he shooteth; and he saith, `An arrow of salvation to Jehovah, and an arrow of salvation against Aram, and thou hast smitten Aram, in Aphek, till consuming.'

Update Bible Version
And he said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Yahweh's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for you shall smite the Syrians in Aphek, until you have consumed them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened [it]. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou hast consumed [them].

World English Bible
He said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. He said, Yahweh's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for you shall strike the Syrians in Aphek, until you have consumed them.

New King James Version
And he said, "Open the east window"; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The arrow of the LORD's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them."

New Living Translation
Then he commanded, "Open that eastern window," and he opened it. Then he said, "Shoot!" So he shot an arrow. Elisha proclaimed, "This is the Lord 's arrow, an arrow of victory over Aram, for you will completely conquer the Arameans at Aphek."

New Life Bible
And he said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. Elisha said, "The Lord's arrow of winning the battle! The arrow of winning the battle against Syria! For you will fight the Syrians at Aphek until you have destroyed them.

New Revised Standard
Then he said, "Open the window eastward"; and he opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. Then he said, "The Lord 's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram! For you shall fight the Arameans in Aphek until you have made an end of them."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and said - Open the lattice eastward. And he opened it. Then said Elisha - Shoot! And he shot. Then he said, - The arrow of victory by Yahweh, yea the arrow of victory over Syria, therefore shalt thou smite Syria in Aphek, till it be consumed.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And said: Open the window to the east. And when he had opened it, Eliseus said: Shoot an arrow. And he shot. And Eliseus said: The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance, and the arrow of the deliverance from Syria: and thou shalt strike the Syrians in Aphec, till thou consume them.

Revised Standard Version
And he said, "Open the window eastward"; and he opened it. Then Eli'sha said, "Shoot"; and he shot. And he said, "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them."

THE MESSAGE
Elisha said, "Now open the east window." He opened it. Then he said, "Shoot!" And he shot. "The arrow of God 's salvation!" exclaimed Elisha. "The arrow of deliverance from Aram! You will do battle against Aram until there's nothing left of it."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them."

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ In the thirty-seventh year of King Joash's reign over Judah, Jehoahaz's son Jehoash became king over Israel. He reigned in Samaria for sixteen years. ¹¹ He did evil in the sight of the Lord . He did not repudiate the sinful ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat who encouraged Israel to sin; he continued in those sins. ¹² The rest of the events of Joash's reign, including all his accomplishments and his successful war with King Amaziah of Judah, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. ¹³ Joash passed away and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel. ¹⁴ Now Elisha had a terminal illness. King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. He wept before him and said, "My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!" ¹⁵ Elisha told him, "Take a bow and some arrows," and he did so. ¹⁶ Then Elisha told the king of Israel, "Aim the bow." He did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands. ¹⁷ Elisha said, "Open the east window," and he did so. Elisha said, "Shoot!" and he did so. Elisha said, "This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria. You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!" ¹⁸ Then Elisha said, "Take the arrows," and he did so. He told the king of Israel, "Strike the ground!" He struck the ground three times and stopped. ¹⁹ The prophet got angry at him and said, "If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria! But now, you will defeat Syria only three times."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Open: 2 Kings 5:10-14, John 2:5-8, John 11:39-41

The arrow: This was a symbolical action, indicative of the deliverance of Israel from Syria. It was an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear into a country before the commencement of hostilities. Exodus 4:2, Exodus 4:17, Judges 7:9-20, 2 Samuel 5:24, 1 Corinthians 1:18

Aphek: 1 Samuel 4:1, 1 Kings 20:26

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 3:19 - And ye Amos 5:9 - strengtheneth

Cross-References

Genesis 13:15
I will give all the land that you see to you and your descendants forever.

Genesis 13:17
Get up and walk throughout the land, for I will give it to you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, open the window eastward,.... Syria lying east of the land of Israel, as the Jewish commentators in general observe, and for which they quote Isaiah 9:12, but it lay northeast, or rather more to the north; wherefore this may respect the eastward part of the land of Israel, which the Syrians had got possession of, and should be recovered, as this sign showed, see 2 Kings 10:33,

and he opened it: then Elisha said, shoot, and he shot; the arrow, out of the window, being opened:

and he said, the arrow of the Lord's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; meaning, that that arrow was a sign of the Lord's deliverance of Israel from the Syrians, by whom they had been sadly oppressed, and reduced very low:

for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek till thou hast consumed them; not the whole nation, but that army they should bring thither; which was a city in the land of Israel, where the Syrians were routed in Ahab's time; 100,000 were slain near it on one day, and 27,000 by the fall of the wall of it, 1 Kings 20:26 hence some read the words here, "as in Aphek."

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Eastward - Syria of Damascus lay partly east, but still more north, of the holy land. The arrow was to be shot, eastward, not so much against Syria itself as against the scene of the recent Syrian successes, Gilead 2 Kings 10:33, which was also to be the scene of Joash’s victories over them. Aphek is almost due east from Shunem, where it is not unlikely that Elisha now was.

The arrow ... - literally, “An arrow of deliverance from the Lord, and an arrow of deliverance against Syria; and thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, even to consuming.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 13:17. Open the window eastward — This was towards the country beyond Jordan, which Hazael had taken from the Israelites.

The arrow of - deliverance from Syria — That is, As surely as that arrow is shot towards the lands conquered from Israel by the Syrians, so surely shall those lands be reconquered and restored to Israel.

It was an ancient custom to shoot an arrow or cast a spear into the country which an army intended to invade. Justin says that, as soon as Alexander the Great had arrived on the coasts of Iona, he threw a dart into the country of the Persians. "Cum delati in continentem essent, primus Alexander jaculum velut in hostilem terram jacit." - Just. lib. ii.

The dart, spear, or arrow thrown, was an emblem of the commencement of hostilities. Virgil (AEn. lib. ix., ver. 51) represents Turnus as giving the signal of attack by throwing a spear: -

Ecquis erit mecum, O Juvenes, qui primus in hostem?

En, ait: et jaculum intorquens emittit in auras,

Principium pugnae; et campo sese arduus infert.

"Who, first," he cried, "with me the foe will dare?"

Then hurled a dart, the signal of the war.

PITT.

Servius, in his note upon this place, shows that it was a custom to proclaim war in this stay: the pater patratus, or chief of the Feciales, a sort of heralds, went to the confines of the enemy's country, and, after some solemnities, said with a loud voice, I wage war with you, for such and such reasons; and then threw in a spear. It was then the business of the parties thus defied or warned to take the subject into consideration; and if they did not, within thirty days, come to some accommodation, the war was begun.

Thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek — This was a city of Syria, and probably the place of the first battle; and there, it appears, they had a total overthrow. They were, in the language of the text, consumed or exterminated.