Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, December 21st, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

2 Kings 3:22

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.

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.
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:
Bible in Basic English
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.
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 In the morning, at the time for the morning sacrifice, water began flowing from the direction of Edom and filled the valley. 21 The Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So they gathered together all the men old enough to wear armor and waited at the border. 22 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. 23 They said, "Look at the blood! The kings must have fought against each other. They must have destroyed each other. Let's go take the valuable things from the dead bodies!" 24 The Moabites came to the Israelite camp, but the Israelites came out and attacked the Moabite army. The Moabites ran away from the Israelites. The Israelites followed them into Moab to fight them. 25 The Israelites destroyed the cities. They threw their stones at every good field in Moab. They stopped up all the springs of water and cut down all the good trees. The Israelites fought all the way to Kir Hareseth. The soldiers surrounded Kir Hareseth and attacked it too. 26 The king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, so he took 700 men with swords to break through to the king of Edom. But they were not able to do it. 27 Then the king of Moab took his oldest son, who would become the next king after him. On the wall around the city, the king of Moab offered his son as a burnt offering. This upset the Israelites very much. So the Israelites left the king of Moab and went back to their own land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 7:6 - the Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Now let's make humans who will be like us. They will rule over all the fish in the sea and the birds in the air. They will rule over all the large animals and all the little things that crawl on the earth."
Genesis 2:9
Then the Lord God caused all the beautiful trees that were good for food to grow in the garden. In the middle of the garden, he put the tree of life and the tree that gives knowledge about good and evil.
Genesis 3:5
God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree you will learn about good and evil, and then you will be like God!"
Genesis 3:6
The woman could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked. So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes.
Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman you put here with me gave me fruit from that tree. So I ate it."
Genesis 3:13
Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What have you done?" She said, "The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit."
Psalms 22:26
Poor people, come eat and be satisfied. You who have come looking for the Lord , praise him! May your hearts be happy forever.
Proverbs 3:18
Wisdom is like a life-giving tree to those who hold on to her; she is a blessing to those who keep her close.
Jeremiah 22:23
"King, you seem so safe in your palace of cedar. It's as if you live in Lebanon! But when your punishment comes, you will groan. You will be in pain like a woman giving birth!"

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