The Meaning of 2 Kings 3:25 Explained

2 Kings 3:25

KJV: And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the wells of water, and felled all the good trees: only in Kirharaseth left they the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

YLT: and the cities they break down, and on every good portion they cast each his stone, and have filled it, and every fountain of water they stop, and every good tree they cause to fall -- till one had left its stones in Kir-Haraseth, and the slingers go round and smite it.

Darby: And they beat down the cities, and on every good piece of land cast every man his stone and filled it, and they stopped every well of water, and felled every good tree, until they left only the stones at Kirhareseth; and the slingers went about it, and smote it.

ASV: And they beat down the cities; and on every good piece of land they cast every man his stone, and filled it; and they stopped all the fountains of water, and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left the stones thereof; howbeit the slingers went about it, and smote it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they beat down  the cities,  and on every good  piece  of land cast  every man  his stone,  and filled  it; and they stopped  all the wells  of water,  and felled  all the good  trees:  only in Kirharaseth  left  they the stones  thereof; howbeit the slingers  went about  [it], and smote  it. 

What does 2 Kings 3:25 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 3:25 mean?

and the cities they destroyed and on every piece of land good threw each man a stone and filled it and all the springs of water they stopped up the trees good cut down but they left [intact] the stones in of Kir Haraseth and However surrounded the slingers and attacked it
וְהֶעָרִ֣ים יַהֲרֹ֡סוּ וְכָל־ חֶלְקָ֣ה ט֠וֹבָה יַשְׁלִ֨יכוּ אִישׁ־ אַבְנ֜וֹ וּמִלְא֗וּהָ וְכָל־ מַעְיַן־ מַ֤יִם יִסְתֹּ֙מוּ֙ עֵֽץ־ ט֣וֹב יַפִּ֔ילוּ עַד־ הִשְׁאִ֧יר אֲבָנֶ֛יהָ בַּקִּ֖יר חֲרָ֑שֶׂת וַיָּסֹ֥בּוּ הַקַּלָּעִ֖ים וַיַּכּֽוּהָ

וְהֶעָרִ֣ים  and  the  cities 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
יַהֲרֹ֡סוּ  they  destroyed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
וְכָל־  and  on  every 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
חֶלְקָ֣ה  piece  of  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֶלְקָה 
Sense: portion, parcel.
ט֠וֹבָה  good 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
יַשְׁלִ֨יכוּ  threw 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁלַךְ  
Sense: to throw, cast, hurl, fling.
אִישׁ־  each  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אַבְנ֜וֹ  a  stone 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
וּמִלְא֗וּהָ  and  filled  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural, third person feminine singular
Root: מָלֵא 
Sense: to fill, be full.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
מַעְיַן־  the  springs 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעְיָן  
Sense: spring.
מַ֤יִם  of  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
יִסְתֹּ֙מוּ֙  they  stopped  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָתַם 
Sense: to stop up, shut up, keep close.
עֵֽץ־  the  trees 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
ט֣וֹב  good 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
יַפִּ֔ילוּ  cut  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
הִשְׁאִ֧יר  they  left  [intact] 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
אֲבָנֶ֛יהָ  the  stones 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone (large or small).
חֲרָ֑שֶׂת  of  Kir  Haraseth 
Parse: Preposition, Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲרֶשֶׂת 
Sense: one of the two chief strongholds of Moab.
וַיָּסֹ֥בּוּ  and  However  surrounded 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
הַקַּלָּעִ֖ים  the  slingers 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: קַלָּע  
Sense: slinger.
וַיַּכּֽוּהָ  and  attacked  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person feminine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.