The Meaning of 2 Kings 3:13 Explained

2 Kings 3:13

KJV: And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

YLT: And Elisha saith unto the king of Israel, 'What -- to me and to thee? go unto the prophets of thy father, and unto the prophets of thy mother;' and the king of Israel saith to him, 'Nay, for Jehovah hath called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.'

Darby: And Elisha said to the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? go to the prophets of thy father and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said to him, Not so, for Jehovah has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.

ASV: And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee? get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy mother. And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay; for Jehovah hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Elisha  said  unto the king  of Israel,  What have I to do with thee? get  thee to the prophets  of thy father,  and to the prophets  of thy mother.  And the king  of Israel  said  unto him, Nay: for the LORD  hath called  these three  kings  together,  to deliver  them into the hand  of Moab. 

What does 2 Kings 3:13 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 3:13-27 - Mesha's Defeat And Desperate Sacrifice
Jehoshaphat, though erring, was still God's child, and deliverance came to him. The heights of our senseless folly and the depths of our waywardness will not succeed in severing us from God's love. Elisha used the very words of Elijah, 2 Kings 3:14 and 1 Kings 17:1. Notice how men of different mold and mission, the Elijahs and the Elishas, derive their inspiration and strength in the same way. As a great Christian general put it, "Every morning I stand at attention before my Maker." Note the effect of music in soothing the soul! 2 Kings 3:15.
In all God's gifts there is need for our cooperation. He alone can send the water, but we must trench the ground. Our expectant faith creates the capacity to receive God's gifts; but when we have gone to our limit and the valley is filled with ditches, He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond. The answer came at the hour of morning prayer, and probably at the prophet's intercession, 1 Kings 8:44. God's answers are often too deep and inward to give outward sign. There is sound of neither wind nor rain; but our prayers are answered to the full. Many of the points in this narrative-notably 2 Kings 3:27 -have been corroborated by the recent explorations in Moab. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 3

1  Jehoram's reign
4  Mesha rebels
6  Jehoram, with Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, being distressed for want of water,
13  by Elisha obtains water, and promise of victory
21  The Moabites, deceived by the colour of the water, coming to spoil, are overcome
26  The king of Moab sacrifices his son, and raises the siege

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 3:13 mean?

And said Elisha to the king of Israel what have to do I and with you go the prophets of your father and of your mother But said to him of Israel No for has called [together] Yahweh three kings these to deliver them into the hand of Moab
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֜ע אֶל־ מֶ֤לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מַה־ לִּ֣י וָלָ֔ךְ לֵ֚ךְ נְבִיאֵ֣י אָבִ֔יךָ וְאֶל־ אִמֶּ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַ֗ל כִּֽי־ קָרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ לִשְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙ הַמְּלָכִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה לָתֵ֥ת אוֹתָ֖ם בְּיַד־ מוֹאָֽב

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֱלִישָׁ֜ע  Elisha 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱלִישָׁע  
Sense: the great prophet who succeeded Elijah.
מֶ֤לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
מַה־  what  have  to  do 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
וָלָ֔ךְ  and  with  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition, second person feminine singular
לֵ֚ךְ  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
נְבִיאֵ֣י  the  prophets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
אָבִ֔יךָ  of  your  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
אִמֶּ֑ךָ  of  your  mother 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  But  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לוֹ֙  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
אַ֗ל  No 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
קָרָ֤א  has  called  [together] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
לִשְׁלֹ֙שֶׁת֙  three 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
הַמְּלָכִ֣ים  kings 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הָאֵ֔לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
לָתֵ֥ת  to  deliver 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
בְּיַד־  into  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
מוֹאָֽב  of  Moab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.