2 Kings 6:31
“Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Consumed by famine-born desperation, the king of Israel makes a death oath against the prophet Elisha.
Context
Samaria is under siege by the Aramean army; the famine has grown so severe that even human flesh is being consumed. The king, seeing the carnage, blames Elisha and swears to execute him.
What Does 2 Kings 6:31 Mean?
The king has reached the breaking point. Samaria starves under siege, and he blames Elisha for refusing to end the calamity. In ancient courts, a curse sworn by God do so and more also was the most binding oath a ruler could make, a phrase heard elsewhere when kings meant to bind themselves to judgment. The king does not merely wish Elisha dead; he vows it before heaven, staking his own soul on the consequence. It is the language of a man who feels he has exhausted human remedy.
Yet in his rage, the king serves only to fulfill what the prophet has already announced. Elisha has promised not rescue from death but vindication despite the storm. The oath itself becomes a thread in the larger tapestry: the king acts in fury, but his words run precisely where Scripture has already mapped them. What the king swears in anger, God permits to clarify His purposes. Even the king's curse becomes a witness to the prophet's standing before the Lord.
In the Original Language
hishmer (Hebrew), guard or watch -- the imperative form appearing in the next verse, meaning to hold or keep with vigilance, appears as a watchword of protective duty throughout Scripture.
Application
When we feel helpless, we may curse the messenger who speaks truth we do not want to hear. The king's oath reminds us that anger at prophecy, even just anger at injustice, can seduce us into vows we later regret. Our rage does not change reality; it only binds us more tightly to it.