The Meaning of 2 Kings 6:23 Explained

2 Kings 6:23

KJV: And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

YLT: And he prepareth for them great provision, and they eat and drink, and he sendeth them away, and they go unto their lord: and troops of Aram have not added any more to come in to the land of Israel.

Darby: And he prepared a great repast for them, and they ate and drank; and he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

ASV: And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he prepared  great  provision  for them: and when they had eaten  and drunk,  he sent them away,  and they went  to their master.  So the bands  of Syria  came  no more  into the land  of Israel. 

What does 2 Kings 6:23 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 6:14-23 - Opened Eyes
This is an acted parable of extreme beauty and suggestiveness. First, the stroke of trouble-swift, unlooked for, and apparently insurmountable; then the vivid contrast between the despair of the man of this world and the undaunted faith of him to whom the unseen is as real as the visible, because he possesses the second-sight of faith. Faith visualizes the unseen and eternal. A good man's intercession will still obtain spiritual vision for those who are spiritually blind. For many whom we love we may breathe Elisha's prayer, 2 Kings 6:17. Notice that the last sentence of 2 Kings 6:19 in the r.v. begins with and. The objective of the Syrian army was the king of Israel, and Elisha led them to him.
The lesson of this narrative is the proximity of God's guardian hosts. They are a cordon of protection to His children. The mountain is full of them. Elisha had seen them convoy his master home; he never expected that he would have the honor of their care. We do not need more help than is already within reach, but we do need grace to see the things that are freely given to us of God, John 4:10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 6

1  Elisha, allowing the young prophets to enlarge dwellings, floats an axhead
8  He discloses the king of Syria's counsel
13  The army which was sent to Dothan to apprehend Elisha, is blinded
19  Being brought into Samaria, they are dismissed in peace
24  The famine in Samaria causes women to eat their own children
30  The king sends to slay Elisha

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 6:23 mean?

And he prepared for them a feast great and after they ate and drank and he sent them away and they went to their master So no more again the bands from Syria came into the land of Israel -
וַיִּכְרֶ֨ה לָהֶ֜ם כֵּרָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֗ה וַיֹּֽאכְלוּ֙ וַיִּשְׁתּ֔וּ וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֔ם וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ אֶל־ אֲדֹֽנֵיהֶ֑ם וְלֹֽא־ יָ֤סְפוּ עוֹד֙ גְּדוּדֵ֣י אֲרָ֔ם לָב֖וֹא בְּאֶ֥רֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל פ

וַיִּכְרֶ֨ה  And  he  prepared 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּרָה  
Sense: (Qal) to get by trade, trade, buy, bargain over.
לָהֶ֜ם  for  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
כֵּרָ֣ה  a  feast 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כֵּרָה  
Sense: feast.
גְדוֹלָ֗ה  great 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וַיֹּֽאכְלוּ֙  and  after  they  ate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וַיִּשְׁתּ֔וּ  and  drank 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵ֔ם  and  he  sent  them  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ  and  they  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
אֲדֹֽנֵיהֶ֑ם  their  master 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
וְלֹֽא־  So  no 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָ֤סְפוּ  more 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָסַף 
Sense: to add, increase, do again.
עוֹד֙  again 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
גְּדוּדֵ֣י  the  bands 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: גְּדוּד  
Sense: a band, troop, marauding band.
אֲרָ֔ם  from  Syria 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲרָם 
Sense: Aram or Syria the nation.
לָב֖וֹא  came 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בְּאֶ֥רֶץ  into  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל  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.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation