2 Kings 13:18

18 And he said , Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice *, and stayed .

2 Kings 13:18 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 13:18

And he said, take the arrows, and he took them
The rest of them:

and he said unto the king of Israel,
smite upon the ground; the floor of the room in which the prophet lay:

and he smote thrice, and stayed;
made a stop, ceased smiting; he might think this action trifling, and beneath him, only was willing to please the prophet, but did not do it with a good will, and therefore smote no more; though this was an emblem of his smiting the Syrians, which he might not understand.

2 Kings 13:18 In-Context

16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.

17 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.

18 And he said , Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice , and stayed .

19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said , Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice .

20 And Elisha died , and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year.