2 Kings 6:6

Green's Literal Translation

And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he made him see the place. And he cut a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the man of God asked, “Where did it fall?”

Hebrew Names Version
The man of God said, Where fell it? He shown him the place. He cut down a stick, and cast it in there, and made the iron to swim.

King James Version
And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.

English Standard Version
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float.

New Century Version
Elisha asked, "Where did it fall?" The man showed him the place. Then Elisha cut down a stick and threw it into the water, and it made the iron head float.

New English Translation
The prophet asked, "Where did it drop in?" When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float.

Amplified Bible
The man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron [axe head] float.

New American Standard Bible
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the man of God saide, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. Then he cut downe a piece of wood, and cast in thither, and he caused the yron to swimme.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float.

Contemporary English Version
"Where did it fall in?" Elisha asked. The prophet pointed to the place, and Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. The ax head floated to the top of the water.

Complete Jewish Bible
The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" He showed him the place. Then Elisha cut a stick, threw it in there, and the iron axe-head floated to the surface.

Darby Translation
And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim.

Easy-to-Read Version
The man of God said, "Where did it fall?" The man showed Elisha the place where the ax head fell. Then Elisha cut a stick and threw the stick into the water. The stick made the iron ax head float.

George Lamsa Translation
And the prophet of God said to him, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he cut off a stick and thrust it in there; and it stuck in the hole of the axehead.

Good News Translation
"Where did it fall?" Elisha asked. The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the ax head float.

Lexham English Bible
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" So he showed him the place, and then he cut off a stick and threw it there and made the iron ax float.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the man of God sayde: Where fell it in? And whan he had shewed him the place, he cut downe a sticke, and thrust it in there. Then swame the yron.

American Standard Version
And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim.

Bible in Basic English
And the man of God said, Where did it go in? and when he saw the place where it had gone into the water, cutting a stick, he put it into the water, and the iron came up to the top of the water.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the man of God saide: Where fell it? And he shewed him the place: And he cut downe a sticke, and cast it in thyther, and immediatly the iron did swymme.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the man of God said: 'Where fell it?' And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim.

King James Version (1611)
And the man of God said, Where fell it? and hee shewed him the place: and he cut downe a sticke, and cast it in thither, and the yron did swimme.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the man of God said, Where did it fall? and he shewed him the place: and he broke off a stick, and threw it in there, and the iron came to the surface.

English Revised Version
And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither, and made the iron to swim.

Berean Standard Bible
"Where did it fall?" asked the man of God. And when he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli the man of God seide, Where felde it? And he schewide to hym the place. Therfor he kittide doun a tree, and sente thidur; and the yrun fletide.

Young's Literal Translation
And the man of God saith, `Whither hath it fallen?' and he sheweth him the place, and he cutteth a stick, and casteth thither, and causeth the iron to swim,

Update Bible Version
And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in there, and made the iron to swim.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast [it] in thither; and the iron floated.

World English Bible
The man of God said, Where fell it? He shown him the place. He cut down a stick, and cast it in there, and made the iron to swim.

New King James Version
So the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And he showed him the place. So he cut off a stick, and threw it in there; and he made the iron float.

New Living Translation
"Where did it fall?" the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface.

New Life Bible
The man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick and threw it in, and the iron came to the top of the water.

New Revised Standard
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the man of God said - Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a piece of wood and cast it in thither, and the iron did swim.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the man of God said: Where did it fall? and he shewed him the place: Then he cut off a piece of wood, and cast it in thither: and the iron swam.

Revised Standard Version
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float.

THE MESSAGE
The Holy Man said, "Where did it sink?" The man showed him the place. He cut off a branch and tossed it at the spot. The axhead floated up.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the man of God said, "Where did it fall?" And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float.

Contextual Overview

¹ And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, See, now, the place where we are living with you is too narrow for us. ² Please let us go to the Jordan, and we each one shall take a beam from there. And we shall make for ourselves a place there, to live there. And he said, Go. ³ And the one said, Please be willing, and go with your servants. And he said, I will surely go. ⁴ And he went with them. And they came to the Jordan, and cut down trees. ⁵ And it happened that one was felling the log, and the iron fell into the water. And he cried out and said, Alas, my lord! For it was borrowed. ⁶ And the man of God said, Where did it fall? And he made him see the place. And he cut a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. ⁷ And he said, Take it up to you. And he put out his hand and took it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he cut down: This could have no natural tendency to raise the iron and cause it to swim: it was only a sign, or ceremony, which the prophet chose to employ on the occasion. 2 Kings 2:21, 2 Kings 4:41, Exodus 15:25, Mark 7:33, Mark 7:34, Mark 8:23-25, John 9:6, John 9:7

the iron: This was the real miracle; for the gravity of the metal must otherwise still have kept it at the bottom of the river.

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 9:6 - city 2 Kings 8:4 - all the great

Cross-References

Genesis 6:8
And Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah.

Genesis 6:10
And Noah fathered three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 6:17
And behold, I, even I, am bringing a flood of waters on the earth in order to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heavens. Everything which is on the earth shall die.

Genesis 6:18
And I will establish My covenant with you. And you shall come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.

Exodus 32:14
And Jehovah was moved to pity concerning the evil which He had spoken to do to His people.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man that He should lie, or a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? And has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

Deuteronomy 5:29
Would that this heart of theirs would be like this always, to fear Me, and to keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their sons forever.

Deuteronomy 32:29
If they were wise, they would understand this; they would consider their latter end.

Deuteronomy 32:36
For Jehovah will bring His people justice; and He shall have compassion on His servants, for He sees that their power is gone, and only the imprisoned and abandoned remain .

1 Samuel 15:11
I repent that I made Saul reign as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and he has not risen to do My Words. And Samuel was angry, and he cried to Jehovah all night.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the man of God said, where fell it?.... For though endowed with a spirit of prophecy, he did not know all things, and at all times; and if he did know where it fell, he might ask this question to lead on to the performance of the miracle:

and he showed him the place; the exact place in the river into which it fell:

and he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; he did not take the old helve and throw in, but a new stick he cut off of a tree; some think he made of this another helve or handle, of the same size and measure with the other, and that this being cast in was miraculously directed and fixed in the hole of the iron at the bottom of the water, and brought it up with it; but, as Abarbinel observes, there is no need to suppose this; the wood was cast into the precise place where the iron fell, and was sent as it were to call it up to it:

and the iron did swim; it came up and appeared, and was bore on the surface of the waters; or, "and made the iron to swim" e; which some understand of the wood cast in, as if it had some peculiar virtue in it to draw up the iron; but it was not any particular chosen wood, but what first occurred to the prophet f; and the meaning is, that Elisha caused it to float, contrary to the nature of iron.

e יצף "fecit supernatare", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. f Vid. Friese, Dissert. de Ferro Natante, sect. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

No doubt there is something startling in the trivial character of this miracle, and of the few others which resemble it. But, inasmuch as we know very little as to the laws which govern the exercise of miraculous powers, it is possible that they may be so much under their possessor’s control that he can exercise them, or not exercise them, at pleasure. And it may depend on his discretion whether they are exercised in important cases only, or in trivial cases also. Elisha had evidently great kindness of heart. He could not see a grief without wishing to remedy it. And it seems as if he had sometimes used his miraculous power in pure good nature, when no natural way of remedying an evil presented itself.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 6:6. He cut down a stick — This had no natural tendency to raise the iron; it was only a sign or ceremony which the prophet chose to use on the occasion.

The iron did swim. — This was a real miracle; for the gravity of the metal must have for ever kept it at the bottom of the water,