Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
Attention!
For 10¢ a day you can enjoy StudyLight.org ads
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

2 Kings 3:22

And early in the morning they got up, when the sun was shining on the water, and they saw the water facing them as red as blood.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Miracles;   Moabites;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jehoshaphat;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blood;   Moabites;   Valleys;   Water;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mesha;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Edom;   Moab;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat;   Kir-Haraseth;   Moabite Stone;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dibon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Brook of Zered;   Elisha;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Kir-Hareseth;   Mesha;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Colours;   Edom, Edomites;   Jehoshaphat;   Medeba;   Mesha;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Joram, Jehoram;   Mesha ;   Moab, Moabites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Kirharaseth;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armor;   Arms;   Jehoshaphat;   Mesha;   Moab;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Eli'sha;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Color;   Shine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood.
Hebrew Names Version
They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Mo`avim saw the water over against them as red as blood:
King James Version
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood:
English Standard Version
And when they rose early in the morning and the sun shone on the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
New Century Version
But when the Moabites got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water. They saw the water across from them, and it looked as red as blood.
New English Translation
When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood.
Amplified Bible
When they got up early the next morning, the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water across from them as red as blood.
New American Standard Bible
Then they got up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they rose earely in the morning, when the sunne arose vpon the water, and the Moabites saw the water ouer against them, as red as blood.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
Contemporary English Version
When they got up that morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it look red. The Moabite troops took one look
Complete Jewish Bible
They rose early in the morning, when the sun was shining on the water. Mo'av, when they saw the water in the distance looking as red as blood,
Darby Translation
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun rose upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side red as blood.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Moabites got up early that morning. The rising sun was shining on the water in the valley, and it looked like blood to the Moabites.
George Lamsa Translation
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood;
Good News Translation
When they got up the following morning, the sun was shining on the water, making it look as red as blood.
Lexham English Bible
When they arose early in the morning, the sun shone on the waters, and Moab saw the waters from the opposite side as red as blood.
Literal Translation
And they rose up early in the morning. And the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the opposite side as red as blood.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan they rose early in ye mornynge, & the Sonne wete vp vpon ye water, the Moabites thoughte the water ouer agaynst the to be eue as reed as bloude,
American Standard Version
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they were vp earlie in the morning, and the sunne shone vpon the water, that the Moabites sawe the water a farre of as red as blood.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water some way off as red as blood;
King James Version (1611)
And they rose vp early in the morning, and the Sunne shone vpon the water, and the Moabites sawe the water on the other side as red as blood.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they rose early in the morning, and the sun rose upon the waters, and Moab saw the waters on the opposite side red as blood.
English Revised Version
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood:
Berean Standard Bible
When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And men of Moab risiden ful eerli, and whanne the sunne was risun thanne euen ayens the watris, thei sien the watris reed as blood euene ayens.
Young's Literal Translation
And they rise early in the morning, and the sun hath shone on the waters, and the Moabites see, from over-against, the waters red as blood,
Update Bible Version
And they rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water across from them as red as blood:
Webster's Bible Translation
And they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, and the Moabites saw the water on the other side [as] red as blood:
World English Bible
They rose up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water over against them as red as blood:
New King James Version
Then they rose up early in the morning, and the sun was shining on the water; and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood.
New Living Translation
But when they got up the next morning, the sun was shining across the water, making it appear red to the Moabites—like blood.
New Life Bible
They got up early in the morning. The sun was shining on the water. And the Moabites saw that the water beside them was as red as blood.
New Revised Standard
When they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when they rose early in the morning, the sun, shone forth upon the waters, - and so the Moabites beheld over against them, the waters, red as blood.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they rose early in the morning, and the sun being now up, and shining upon the waters, the Moabites saw the waters over against them red, like blood,
Revised Standard Version
And when they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone upon the water, the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood.

Contextual Overview

20 Now in the morning, about the time when the offering was made, they saw water flowing from the direction of Edom till the country was full of water. 21 Now all Moab, hearing that the kings had come to make war against them, got together all who were able to take up arms and went forward to the edge of the country. 22 And early in the morning they got up, when the sun was shining on the water, and they saw the water facing them as red as blood. 23 Then they said, This is blood: it is clear that destruction has come on the kings; they have been fighting one another: now come, Moab, let us take their goods. 24 But when they came to the tents of Israel, the Israelites came out and made a violent attack on the Moabites, so that they went in flight before them; and they went forward still attacking them; 25 Pulling down the towns, covering every good field with stones, stopping up all the water-springs, and cutting down all the good trees; they went on driving Moab before them till only in Kir-hareseth were there any Moabites; and the fighting-men went round the town raining stones on it. 26 And when the king of Moab saw that the fight was going against him, he took with him seven hundred men armed with swords, with the idea of forcing a way through to the king of Aram, but they were not able to do so. 27 Then he took his oldest son, who would have been king after him, offering him as a burned offering on the wall. So there was great wrath against Israel; and they went away from him, back to their country.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 7:6 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, like us: and let him have rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every living thing which goes flat on the earth.
Genesis 2:9
And out of the earth the Lord made every tree to come, delighting the eye and good for food; and in the middle of the garden, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3:5
For God sees that on the day when you take of its fruit, your eyes will be open, and you will be as gods, having knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and a delight to the eyes, and to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and gave it to her husband.
Genesis 3:7
And their eyes were open and they were conscious that they had no clothing and they made themselves coats of leaves stitched together.
Genesis 3:12
And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree and I took it.
Genesis 3:13
And the Lord God said to the woman, What have you done? And the woman said, I was tricked by the deceit of the snake and I took it.
Psalms 22:26
The poor will have a feast of good things: those who make search for the Lord will give him praise: your heart will have life for ever.
Proverbs 3:18
She is a tree of life to all who take her in their hands, and happy is everyone who keeps her.
Jeremiah 22:23
O you who are living in Lebanon, making your living-place in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied will you be when pains come on you, as on a woman in childbirth!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they rose up early in the morning,.... To watch the motions of their enemies, and be upon their guard against them:

and the sun shone upon the water; with which the valley was filled:

and the Moabites saw the water on the other side as red as blood; so it appeared through the rays of the sun reflected on it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 3:22. Saw the water on the other side as red as blood — This might have been an optical deception; I have seen the like sight when there was no reason to suspect supernatural agency. The Moabites had never seen that valley full of water, and therefore did not suspect that their eyes deceived them, but took it for the blood of the confederate hosts, who they thought might have fallen into confusion in the darkness of night and destroyed each other, as the Midianites had formerly done, Judges 7:22, and the Philistines lately, 1 Samuel 14:20.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile