The Meaning of 2 Kings 6:32 Explained

2 Kings 6:32

KJV: But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?

YLT: And Elisha is sitting in his house, and the elders are sitting with him, and the king sendeth a man from before him; before the messenger doth come unto him, even he himself said unto the elders, 'Have ye seen that this son of the murderer hath sent to turn aside my head? see, at the coming in of the messenger, shut the door, and ye have held him fast at the door, is not the sound of the feet of his lord behind him?'

Darby: And Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him. And the king sent a man before him. Before the messenger came to him, he himself said to the elders, Do ye see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? See, when the messenger comes; shut the door, and keep him off with the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?

ASV: But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him; and the king'sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away my head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold the door fast against him: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But Elisha  sat  in his house,  and the elders  sat  with him; and [the king] sent  a man  from before  him: but ere the messenger  came  to him, he said  to the elders,  See  ye how this son  of a murderer  hath sent  to take away  mine head?  look,  when the messenger  cometh,  shut  the door,  and hold him fast  at the door:  [is] not the sound  of his master's  feet  behind  him? 

What does 2 Kings 6:32 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 6:24-33 - The Dire Straits Of Those Who Forsake God
This siege was the result of Ahab's foolish and misplaced leniency. See 1 Kings 20:42. The children are often called to suffer for the misdeeds and follies of their parents. Let us bear this in mind. "No man liveth to himself." Conduct yourself so that none may be offended through long years after you have passed from earth.
Apparently Elisha had counseled the king not to surrender, with the further assurance of deliverance on condition of his repentance. Jehoram therefore assumed the signs of penitence and contrition without the reality; and when the promised deliverance was not forthcoming, he put the blame of Israel's calamities on the prophet, and vowed vengeance against his life. The elders were gathered with Elisha, perhaps for prayer, when Elisha apprised them of the advent of the king's messenger, with his announcement of the royal determination not to wait for God any longer. The trial of our patience is more precious than of gold, but how few of us can endure it! [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 6:32 mean?

But Elisha was sitting in his house and the elders were sitting with him and [the king] sent a man ahead of him but before came the messenger to him and he said to the elders do you see how has sent someone son of a murderer this to take away - my head Look when comes the messenger shut the door and hold fast him at the door [Is] not the sound of feet of his master behind him
וֶאֱלִישָׁע֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב בְּבֵית֔וֹ וְהַזְּקֵנִ֖ים יֹשְׁבִ֣ים אִתּ֑וֹ וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח אִ֜ישׁ מִלְּפָנָ֗יו בְּטֶ֣רֶם יָבֹא֩ הַמַּלְאָ֨ךְ אֵלָ֜יו וְה֣וּא ׀ אָמַ֣ר אֶל־ הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים הַרְּאִיתֶם֙ כִּֽי־ שָׁלַ֞ח בֶּן־ הַֽמְרַצֵּ֤חַ הַזֶּה֙ לְהָסִ֣יר אֶת־ ؟ רֹאשִׁ֔י רְא֣וּ ׀ כְּבֹ֣א הַמַּלְאָ֗ךְ סִגְר֤וּ הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙ וּלְחַצְתֶּ֤ם אֹתוֹ֙ בַּדֶּ֔לֶת הֲל֗וֹא ק֛וֹל רַגְלֵ֥י אֲדֹנָ֖יו אַחֲרָֽיו

וֶאֱלִישָׁע֙  But  Elisha 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱלִישָׁע  
Sense: the great prophet who succeeded Elijah.
יֹשֵׁ֣ב  was  sitting 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בְּבֵית֔וֹ  in  his  house 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
וְהַזְּקֵנִ֖ים  and  the  elders 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
יֹשְׁבִ֣ים  were  sitting 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
אִתּ֑וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח  and  [the  king]  sent 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אִ֜ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִלְּפָנָ֗יו  ahead  of  him 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בְּטֶ֣רֶם  but  before 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adverb
Root: טֶרֶם  
Sense: before, not yet, before that.
יָבֹא֩  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַמַּלְאָ֨ךְ  the  messenger 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
אֵלָ֜יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וְה֣וּא ׀  and  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
אָמַ֣ר  said 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הַזְּקֵנִ֗ים  the  elders 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
הַרְּאִיתֶם֙  do  you  see 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
כִּֽי־  how 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
שָׁלַ֞ח  has  sent  someone 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַֽמְרַצֵּ֤חַ  of  a  murderer 
Parse: Article, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: רָצַח  
Sense: to murder, slay, kill.
הַזֶּה֙  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
לְהָסִ֣יר  to  take  away 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
؟ רֹאשִׁ֔י  my  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
רְא֣וּ ׀  Look 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
כְּבֹ֣א  when  comes 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הַמַּלְאָ֗ךְ  the  messenger 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
סִגְר֤וּ  shut 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.
הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙  the  door 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
וּלְחַצְתֶּ֤ם  and  hold  fast 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: לָחַץ  
Sense: to squeeze, press, oppress.
בַּדֶּ֔לֶת  at  the  door 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
הֲל֗וֹא  [Is]  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
ק֛וֹל  the  sound 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
רַגְלֵ֥י  of  feet 
Parse: Noun, fdc
Root: רֶגֶל  
Sense: foot.
אֲדֹנָ֖יו  of  his  master 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
אַחֲרָֽיו  behind  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).