2 Kings 6:17-21

6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that¹ the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 6:18 As they approached him,² Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people³ with blindness.”⁴ The Lord⁵ struck them with blindness as Elisha requested.⁶ 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” He led them to Samaria.⁷

6:20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.⁸ 6:21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Should I strike them down,⁹ my master?”¹⁰

¹tn Heb “and he saw, and look.”

²tn Heb “and they came down to him.”

³tn Or “this nation,” perhaps emphasizing the strength of the Syrian army.

⁴tn On the basis of the Akkadian etymology of the word, M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 74) translate “blinding light.” HALOT 761 s.v. סַנְוֵרִים suggests the glosses “dazzling, deception.”

⁵tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶tn Heb “according to the word of Elisha.”

⁷map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.

⁸tn Heb “and they saw, and look, [they were] in the middle of Samaria.”

⁹tn Heb “Should I strike them down? I will strike them down.” In the Hebrew text the first person imperfect form is repeated; the first form has the interrogative he prefixed to it; the second does not. It is likely that the second form should be omitted as dittographic or that the first should be emended to an infinitive absolute.

¹⁰tn Heb “my father.” The king addresses the prophet in this way to indicate his respect. See 2 Kgs 2:12.