Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: 2 Kings 6 · Commentary
2 Kings 6 contains four distinct scenes: the axe head floats (a minor miracle), the siege of Dothan and the appearance of the heavenly army (spiritual insight), treating enemy soldiers with kindness (overcoming enemies with love), and the extreme famine during the siege of Samaria (a mother boiling her son). From a borrowed axe to a national tragedy, Elisha's ministry spans an astonishing range. The most famous quote from this chapter is: "Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." The servant's eyes were opened, and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha. In the final section, during the extreme famine of the siege of Samaria, King Joram did not repent but instead blamed Elisha, setting the stage for the dramatic turn in chapter 7.
This chapter has four sections:
6:16 "He answered, “Don’t be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”"
2 Kings 6:16（World English Bible）
6:17 "Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the young man’s eyes; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha."
2 Kings 6:17（World English Bible）
Dear brothers and sisters, 2 Kings 6 shows us two distinctly different ways of "seeing."
Elisha's servant saw a city full of enemy soldiers, leading to anxiety, fear, and despair. But Elisha saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire, signifying protection, presence, and victory. On the same morning, in the same city, two people saw completely different realities. The difference was not in a change of circumstances, but in whether one had spiritual eyes opened by God.
What "enemy army" do you face today? Perhaps it's work pressure, relational difficulties, health concerns, or uncertainty about the future. These are all real, and God does not deny their existence. But He wants you to know: those who are with you are more than those who are with them. Heavenly protection is always there, even if your physical eyes cannot see it. Today, you can pray like Elisha: "Lord, open my eyes, that I may see your presence."
One more thing: Elisha defeated an army with a meal. Kindness may seem weak, but it possesses more lasting power than swords. Do you have the courage to respond with love to those who hurt you? The effect of that meal was that "the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel": love is more effective than hatred.
6:1-2 "The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we live and meet with you is too small for us. Please let us go to the Jordan, and each man take a beam from there, and let us make us a place there, where we may live.” He answered, “Go!”"
2 Kings 6:1-2（World English Bible）
The number of the sons of the prophets was increasing. Their current dwelling place was "too small" and needed expansion. This was indirect evidence of the flourishing of Elisha's ministry. The sons of the prophets might have initially gathered in Gilgal (4:38). In Elijah's time, they hid in caves due to persecution (1 Kings 18:4). In Elisha's time, they were able to live openly and continuously expand. The disciples proposed going to the Jordan River to cut timber, with "each man tak[ing] a beam" to build a communal dwelling. This indicates they lived a self-sufficient communal life, supporting themselves through manual labor, not relying on royal patronage. This "prophetic community" lifestyle—living together, eating together (4:38-41), and learning together—provided an Old Testament precedent for the communal life of later monastic orders and the early New Testament church, where "they had all things in common" (Acts 2:44).
6:3-4 "One said, “Please be pleased to go with your servants.” He answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood."
2 Kings 6:3-4（World English Bible）
The disciples asked Elisha to go with them, not merely for his presence to embolden them, but also to show the intimate relationship between master and disciples; they were not afraid to make requests of their master. Elisha's simple and direct answer, "I will go," showed no pretense. He didn't say, "Go yourselves, I have more important things to do," but personally participated in the disciples' daily labor. This servant-leader style contrasted sharply with the aloof and detached posture of the kings of the northern kingdom. The Jordan River holds symbolic significance in the Old Testament as a boundary and a transition: the Israelites crossed the Jordan into Canaan (Joshua 3), and Elijah and Elisha crossed the Jordan to complete the prophetic succession (2 Kings 2:6-8). Now, the sons of the prophets once again went to the Jordan River to build a new communal space, as if hinting that the prophetic movement was entering a new phase.
6:5 "But as one was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.”"
2 Kings 6:5（World English Bible）
The short phrase, "For it was borrowed," reveals the poverty of the sons of the prophets; they couldn't even afford an iron axe head (בַּרְזֶל, barzel, iron) for cutting trees, and had to borrow one. Iron tools were valuable items in ancient Israel (cf. 1 Samuel 13:19-22, where the Philistines monopolized iron manufacturing). Losing a borrowed iron axe meant a heavy debt, echoing the story in 4:1 where a widow almost lost her sons due to debt. The economic situation of the sons of the prophets was not much better than that of ordinary people. The disciple's cry, "Alas," was not an overreaction, but a genuine economic anxiety of a poor person facing an unpayable debt for a borrowed item.
6:6-7 "The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” He showed him the place. He cut down a stick, threw it in there, and made the iron float. He said, “Take it.” So he put out his hand and took it."
2 Kings 6:6-7（World English Bible）
Elisha cut off a stick and threw it into the water, and the iron axe head floated up, which completely defied natural law. The stick itself had no power to make iron float, just as the flour in the previous chapter had no power to neutralize poison (4:41). Material objects are merely vehicles for faith; true power comes from God's supernatural work. The significance of this "small miracle" is no less than that of a great miracle: God cares about a poor disciple losing a borrowed axe, and He doesn't consider the matter too trivial. Jesus later said, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30), which is the same kind of concern. The stick making the iron float also echoes Moses using a tree to sweeten the bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15:25), suggesting that God habitually uses the most ordinary materials to accomplish the most impossible things.
6:8-10 "Now the king of Syria was at war against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” The man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you not pass this place; for the Syrians are coming down there.” The king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once or twice."
2 Kings 6:8-10（World English Bible）
Elisha's role shifted from being a master to the sons of the prophets to becoming a national intelligence source. The chapter's transition from the private prophetic community to the international military stage highlights a characteristic of Elisha's ministry: he cared both about a poor disciple losing an axe and participated in military decisions concerning the nation's survival. Only the core generals knew the king of Syria's military plots, but Elisha was able to inform the king of Israel in advance every time, saving the northern kingdom from ambushes. "Not once nor twice" indicates that this prophetic intelligence had become routine; Elisha had effectively replaced the northern kingdom's military intelligence system. He didn't need a spy network, only the perception of the Holy Spirit. Elisha here was very different from Elijah: Elijah was hunted by Ahab and fled for his life in the wilderness, while Elisha was a trusted security advisor to the king. The relationship between prophet and monarchy took on different forms in different eras.
6:11-12 "The king of Syria’s heart was very troubled about this. He called his servants, and said to them, “Won’t you show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”"
2 Kings 6:11-12（World English Bible）
The king of Syria's first reaction was to suspect an internal traitor; he used secular logic to explain a supernatural event. But one of his servants, who knew Elisha's reputation, told him the truth: it was Elisha, the prophet of Israel, performing supernatural "eavesdropping." The phrase "the words that you speak in your bedroom" is extremely impactful; God allowed Elisha to hear the most secret plans the king of Syria made in his most private space. As Hebrews says, "There is no creature that is not manifest in his sight" (Hebrews 4:13). This Syrian servant who knew Elisha is particularly noteworthy: Elisha's reputation had spread to foreign lands; even officials of an enemy nation knew the power of Yahweh's prophet. This echoes Naaman's confession upon being cleansed, "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel" (2 Kings 5:15). God's power had transcended national borders, and even in the Syrian court, some had to acknowledge it.
6:13-14 "He said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” He was told, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” Therefore he sent horses, chariots, and a great army there. They came by night, and surrounded the city."
2 Kings 6:13-14（World English Bible）
The king of Syria's reaction exposed the essence of spiritual blindness: he had heard that Elisha possessed supernatural perceptive abilities, yet he still thought military force could solve the problem, sending an entire army on a night raid to capture one prophet. Dothan (דֹּתָן, Dothan) is located about sixteen kilometers north of Samaria, guarding the pass from the Jezreel Valley to the Samarian hills, a small city of strategic importance. In Genesis, Jacob's sons sold their brother Joseph to the Ishmaelite caravan precisely in Dothan (Genesis 37:17); now, a great Syrian army besieged God's prophet in the same location. The narrator uses "horses, chariots, and a great army" to describe the scale of this operation, with only one target. This itself is ironic: Elisha alone posed a greater threat to Syria than the entire army of the northern kingdom, because Yahweh of Armies stood behind him. Their arrival "by night" is also a crucial detail; the Syrians chose a night attack to achieve surprise, but the narrator hints that when the sun rose, a greater surprise awaited everyone.
6:15 "When the servant of the man of God had risen early, and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. His servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”"
2 Kings 6:15（World English Bible）
When the servant opened the door early in the morning, his eyes met a sight of Syrian army chariots and cavalry everywhere. His fear was completely understandable: from a physical perspective, it was a desperate situation—a small city surrounded by a large army, with no escape. His question, "What shall we do?" exposed a common faith problem: when visible crises obscure invisible protection, people naturally fall into fear. It is noteworthy that the servant called Elisha "my master" (אֲדֹנִי, adoni), indicating his absolute trust in Elisha. In extreme panic, he immediately turned to his master rather than fleeing in all directions. This reaction pattern provides a crucial contrasting background for Elisha's subsequent declaration of faith and prayer: in the same danger, one person saw only the predicament, while the other saw protection.
6:16 "He answered, “Don’t be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”"
2 Kings 6:16（World English Bible）
This is one of the most powerful declarations of faith in the entire Old Testament. Elisha saw not the enemy army outside the city walls, but a reality of another dimension: the protection of the heavenly army. "More" (רַבִּים, rabbim) is not just a numerical comparison, but an absolute overwhelming superiority in power: no matter how many chariots and horses the Syrians had, they could not compare to God's heavenly army. Elisha's faith was not blind optimism, but based on the spiritual reality he had already "seen." He didn't need to pray to open his own eyes, because the prophet who had walked with Yahweh for many years already lived in that dimension. This statement later echoed in different forms in the New Testament: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) and "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).
6:17 "Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the young man’s eyes; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha."
2 Kings 6:17（World English Bible）
Elisha's prayer was not "destroy the enemies" or "let us escape," but "open his eyes": to let the servant see the reality that already existed. The horses and chariots of fire (רֶכֶב אֵשׁ, rechev esh) did not appear at that moment; they had always been there, but human eyes could not see them. This concept of "opening eyes" is key to the spiritual epistemology of the entire Bible: spiritual realities are no less real than physical realities; they simply require the Holy Spirit to open one's eyes to see them. The imagery of the horses and chariots of fire echoes the horses and chariots of fire at Elijah's ascension (2:11-12), confirming that heavenly armies always surround God's prophet. Paul's prayer in Ephesians, "that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18), is a continuation of this tradition.
6:18-20 "When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” He struck them with blindness according to Elishah’s word. Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” He led them to Samaria. When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “Yahweh, open these men’s eyes, that they may see.” Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the middle of Samaria."
2 Kings 6:18-20（World English Bible）
The two prayers form a perfect symmetry: first, praying to "open" (פְּקַח, peqach) the servant's eyes so he could see the heavenly army, and then praying to "strike with blindness" (סַנְוֵרִים, sanverim) the enemy soldiers' eyes so they would get lost. With the words, "This is not the way, neither is this the city," Elisha led the entire Syrian army into Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom. From a military perspective, this was a brilliant strategy, but from a theological perspective, it was clear evidence of God's sovereignty: He can open people's eyes and close them, allowing them to see or causing them to be lost. The moment the Syrian soldiers' eyes were opened in Samaria, they found themselves in the enemy capital, completely under Israelite control; their shock can well be imagined.
6:21-23 "The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?” He answered, “You shall not strike them. Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” He prepared great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria stopped raiding the land of Israel."
2 Kings 6:21-23（World English Bible）
The king of Israel asked twice, "Shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?" He was so eager he could barely contain himself; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to annihilate the enemy. But Elisha stopped him, not only forbidding their killing but instructing him to "set bread and water before them" for a grand feast, and then send them back. Elisha's reasoning included an important principle of war ethics: "Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow?" Even captives taken in normal warfare should not be arbitrarily executed, much less these men who were delivered into his hands by God's supernatural means, not by his own skill. So the king "prepared a great feast for them," allowing the enemy soldiers to eat and drink their fill before sending them back safely. The result was unexpected: this merciful hospitality proved more effective than any military victory: "So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel." Resolving hatred with love and dismantling hostility with kindness foreshadows the New Testament teaching: "Therefore if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink" (Romans 12:20).
6:24-25 "After this, Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. There was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver."
2 Kings 6:24-25（World English Bible）
"After this" implies a time jump, possibly several years later due to new international developments, contrasting with verse 23, "So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel." The peace brought by that merciful hospitality ultimately did not last, and Benhadad launched a larger, full-scale siege. Samaria fell into severe famine after being besieged. A donkey's head was an unclean food according to the Law (Leviticus 11:3), and now it was sold for the exorbitant price of eighty pieces of silver. In comparison, a slave was worth thirty pieces of silver at that time (Exodus 21:32), meaning the head of an unclean animal was more expensive than a person, illustrating the insane level of prices. "Dove's dung" (חֲרֵי יוֹנִים, charei yonim) might have been a common name for a type of legume, or it could literally be dove's dung (used as fuel or coarse salt); five pieces of silver was also an absurdly high price. These extreme prices indicate that the siege had lasted a long time, normal food supplies had run out, and the people were forced to eat anything they could find, including things explicitly forbidden by the Law. This was a literal fulfillment of the curses of the Law warned by Moses in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 28:53-57).
6:26-29 "As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!” He said, “If Yahweh doesn’t help you, where could I get help for you? From of the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” The king said to her, “What is your problem?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him;’ and she has hidden her son.”"
2 Kings 6:26-29（World English Bible）
This is one of the most chilling passages in the entire Bible. The famine was so severe that mothers boiled their own sons to eat. The reason this woman came to the king to complain was not regret over eating her son, but because another woman had broken their agreement and hidden her own son. Humanity had collapsed to the point where even a "covenant to eat sons" could not be kept. Sin not only destroyed the mother-child relationship but also failed to sustain "cooperation" even in sin. This horrific scene was a precise fulfillment of the curses of the Law in Leviticus 26:29 and Deuteronomy 28:53-57. Moses had prophesied four hundred years earlier that when Israel reached the extreme of breaking the covenant, "you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters." The prophetic narrator recorded this detail to show readers that the ultimate consequence of turning away from Yahweh is not merely political and military failure, but the complete collapse of humanity itself.
6:30-31 "When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. Now he was passing by on the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body. Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”"
2 Kings 6:30-31（World English Bible）
When Joram tore his outer garments, the people then saw that he had sackcloth on his flesh underneath. He had actually been mourning in secret, but without publicly repenting, without calling the nation to confess sin, and without seeking God at the sanctuary (even the golden calf sanctuary at Bethel). However, his reaction to the horrific act of cannibalism was not to repent and confess his sins to Yahweh, but to swear an oath to cut off Elisha's head, blaming the prophet for the national disaster. This was exactly like his father Ahab accusing Elijah, "Is it you, troubler of Israel?" (1 Kings 18:17), and also like the later king of Judah imprisoning Jeremiah during the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 37:15): facing God's judgment, the first reaction of the monarchy, generation after generation, was to blame the messenger rather than reflect on their own sins. Wearing sackcloth underneath without repenting was merely physical suffering, not a turning of the soul, forming a stark contrast with the entire city of Nineveh wearing sackcloth and genuinely repenting (Jonah 3:5-10).
6:32 "But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”"
2 Kings 6:32（World English Bible）
"Son of a murderer" (בֶּן־הַמְרַצֵּחַ, ben-hamratseach) is a direct characterization of Joram; he was the son of Ahab, who murdered Naboth (1 Kings 21), carrying the blood of a murderer, and now he intended to kill the prophet. Elisha once again demonstrated supernatural foresight: while the king's messenger was still on the way, he knew his purpose, and even knew, "Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?"—meaning the king himself was following close behind the messenger. Elisha commanded the elders to "shut the door, and hold him fast at the door," indicating that the relationship between the prophet and the king had reached a point where the door needed to be shut to refuse an audience. The elders gathering at Elisha's house to discuss national affairs shows that the spiritual leaders of the people still respected the prophet. Even though the king had turned against him, the people's loyalty was with the prophet, not the palace.
6:33 "While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “Behold, this evil is from Yahweh. Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?”"
2 Kings 6:33（World English Bible）
"Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?" was Joram's ultimate expression of his hardened heart. He had personally witnessed Elisha's countless miracles (the axe head floating, the heavenly army appearing, the merciful defusing of the enemy army), and experienced God's repeated salvation and provision, yet at the deepest moment of suffering, he chose to abandon hope in God. Experiencing grace does not automatically produce faith; this is a tragic truth repeatedly presented in the book of Kings. "This evil is from Yahweh" indicates that he acknowledged God's sovereignty but rejected God's disciplinary purpose. He was unwilling to ask, "What does God want me to learn?" and only wanted to ask, "Why should I continue to believe?" In Hebrew, "wait for" (יָחַל, yachal) carries the meaning of waiting and hoping. Joram did not disbelieve in God's existence, but decided he would no longer "wait for" God's salvation. This is a more tragic collapse of faith than atheism: knowing God exists, yet concluding that He will not help. This set the stage for the dramatic turn in chapter 7: just as the king declared his surrender, Elisha was about to announce that Samaria's food crisis would be completely resolved by tomorrow, demonstrating that God's grace surpasses human hard-heartedness.
| Point | Verse | Revelation |
|---|---|---|
| God cares about the smallest needs | 6:5-7 | Even a borrowed axe is worthy of a miracle |
| Spiritual reality is more real than material reality | 6:16-17 | "Those who are with us are more": the heavenly army is always present |
| Opening eyes is a gift of grace | 6:17 | Seeing spiritual reality requires the Holy Spirit's enlightenment |
| Mercy is more effective than force | 6:22-23 | Entertaining enemy soldiers → Aram no longer invades |
| The ultimate consequence of breaking the covenant is the collapse of humanity | 6:28-29 | The curses of the law are literally fulfilled |
| Experiencing miracles does not equal conversion | 6:33 | Joram saw countless miracles yet remained hard-hearted |
| Character | Identity | Role in This Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Elisha | Yahweh's prophet | Axe floats, national defense intelligence, vision of heavenly army, mercifully entertains enemies, foresees the king's murderous intent |
| Elisha's servant | Young man | Saw the enemy army in fear, had his eyes opened to see the mountain full of chariots and horses of fire |
| Benhadad, king of Aram | King of Aram | Military plots foiled by Elisha, sent army to capture the prophet, later besieged Samaria |
| Joram | King of the Northern Kingdom (son of Ahab) | Wore sackcloth inwardly but did not repent, blamed Elisha, gave up looking to Yahweh |
| Sons of the prophets | Elisha's student group | Lived communally, expanded dwelling, lost borrowed axe, miraculously returned |
| Two women | Besieged citizens | Boiled their son for food: terrifying fulfillment of the law's curse |
| Chinese Term | Hebrew Original | Transliteration | CUV Translation | Theological Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blindness/Dazzling | סַנְוֵרִים | sanverim | Supernatural visual obstruction (appears only here and in Gen 19:11) | |
| Chariots and horses of fire | רֶכֶב אֵשׁ וְסוּסֵי אֵשׁ | rechev esh vesusei esh | War equipment of the heavenly army: symbol of spiritual protection | |
| Son of a murderer | בֶּן־הַמְרַצֵּחַ | ben-hamratseach | Elisha's characterization of Joram: continuation of Ahab's sin | |
| Full of the mountain | מָלֵא הָהָר | male hahar | Heavenly army far outnumbers the enemy: abundance of spiritual reality |
(See the structure diagram in Chapter Guide / Section Structure · Paragraph Structure.)
The imagery of "chariots and horses of fire" is rooted in ancient Near Eastern warfare culture. Chariots were the most powerful military equipment of the time, and a chariot formation could determine the outcome of a battle. Heavenly chariots and horses of fire signify that God possesses military power far greater than any earthly army. This imagery recurs in the Old Testament: the chariots and horses of fire when Elijah ascended to heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12), the heavenly army surrounding Elisha here, and Psalm 68:17 "God's chariots are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands."
The account of cannibalism during the siege of Samaria is not an isolated case in the ancient Near East. Assyrian documents and Babylonian chronicles also record incidents of cannibalism resulting from prolonged sieges. However, the unique aspect of the Bible is that the narrator explicitly connects the cannibalism with the prophetic curses of the Mosaic Law. This is not merely the horror of war, but rather the theological consequence of breaking the covenant.
| 2 Kings 6 | New Testament Echo | Connection Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 6:6-7 Wood makes iron float | Exodus 15:25 Wood makes bitter water sweet | God performs supernatural acts with ordinary materials |
| 6:16 "Those who are with us are more" | Romans 8:31 "If God is for us" | Reality seen by faith transcends physical sight |
| 6:17 Opening the servant's eyes | Ephesians 1:18 "the eyes of your hearts enlightened" | Spiritual understanding requires the Holy Spirit's enlightenment |
| 6:17 Mountain full of chariots and horses of fire | Hebrews 1:14 "Aren't they all ministering spirits" | Angels protect God's people |
| 6:22-23 Feasting and entertaining enemy soldiers | Romans 12:20 "If your enemy is hungry, feed him" | Practical example of overcoming hatred with love |
| 6:28-29 Horror of cannibalism | Luke 23:29 Jesus prophesies the suffering of Jerusalem's siege | Continuation of covenant-breaking consequences |
| 6:33 "Why should I wait for Yahweh any longer?" | Hebrews 3:12 "Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief" | Experiencing grace can still lead to a hard heart |