II Kings 2:19-22 · Bible study
2 Kings 2:19-22 Commentary: Healing the Barren Spring
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the pleasant city of Jericho suffer bad water and barren land? This study explores Elisha’s salt miracle and God’s power to bring life from death.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God heals the source of death and barrenness, restoring life through His prophetic word.
- Key words: meshakelet (causing miscarriage), melach (salt, covenant/purity), rapha (heal, divine restoration), tselochit chadashah (new jar, unused, pure vessel).
- Main debate: The role of salt: whether it is a natural purifier or a purely symbolic act opposing nature to magnify the miracle. Commentators unanimously choose symbolism.
- Theological theme: Yahweh’s sovereignty over creation to reverse curse and bring covenant blessing (Deut 28).
- Best use: Teaching on God’s restorative power, prophetic authority, prayer for physical and spiritual renewal.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
19Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”
20“Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him,
21and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’”
22And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
WEB World English Bible 2000
19The men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, please, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is barren.”
20He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” Then they brought it to him.
21He went out to the spring of the waters, and threw salt into it, and said, “Yahweh says, ‘I have healed these waters. There shall not be from there any more death or barren wasteland.’”
22So the waters were healed to this day, according to Elisha’s word which he spoke.
KJV King James Version 1769
19And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
20And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
19And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, we pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is bad, and the land miscarrieth.
20And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying.
22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
19And the men of the city say unto Elisha, `Lo, we pray thee, the site of the city is good, as my lord seeth, and the waters are bad, and the earth sterile.'
20And he saith, `Bring to me a new dish, and place there salt;' and they bring it unto him,
21and he goeth out unto the source of the waters, and casteth there salt, and saith, `Thus said Jehovah, I have given healing to these waters; there is not thence any more death and sterility.'
22And the waters are healed unto this day, according to the word of Elisha, that he spake.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
19And the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold now, the situation of the city is good, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is barren.
20And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt in it. And they brought it to him.
21And he went forth to the source of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith Jehovah: I have healed these waters: there shall not be from thence any more death or barrenness.
22And the waters were healed to this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spoke.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
19And the men of the city, said to Eliseus . Behold the situation of this city is very good, as thou, my lord, seest: but the waters are very bad, and the ground barren.
20And he said: Bring me a new vessel, and put salt into it. And when they had brought it,
21He went out to the spring of the waters, and cast the salt into it, and said: Thus saith the Lord: I have healed these waters, and there shall be no more in them death or barrenness.
22And the waters were healed unto this day, according to the word of Eliseus, which he spoke.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · II Kings 2:19
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The commentators agree: this passage presents a paradox. Jericho’s location is good and pleasant, yet its water brings death and its land miscarries. The men of the city bring this problem to Elisha, newly endowed with Elijah’s spirit. Clarke, Barnes, and the Cambridge Bible all note that the “new jar” and “salt” are symbolic, the jar represents purity (never used), and salt in Scripture signifies preservation and covenant (Lev 2:13; Eze 43:24). Salt naturally makes water brackish, not drinkable, so the act is a deliberate sign that God, not the means, heals. Gill and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown echo this: the salt works a “miracle within a miracle.” Elisha’s words shift attention from the sign to the Giver: “Yahweh says, ‘I have healed these waters.’” The healing is permanent, ‘unto this day’, proving the prophet’s word was God’s word. All sources see this as a validation of Elisha’s prophetic office and a demonstration of divine mercy over creation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God healed the water through Elisha’s prophetic word, and the healing was permanent, visible still at the time of the text’s composition.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The cause of the bad water and barren land | The water caused death and barrenness; the problem was serious enough to drive the city to the prophet. | Some commentators (Wesley) see it as a direct result of the curse on Hiel’s rebuilding; others (Barnes) describe the spring’s natural brackishness, which the miracle permanently reversed. |
| The meaning of the salt | Salt is a symbolic act, not a natural remedy; it points to the divine power behind the healing. | Barnes and Cambridge emphasise salt as a symbol of purity and covenant (Lev 2:13); Clarke and Gill stress that salt’s natural effect would be harmful, making the miracle more conspicuous. |
| The significance of the new jar | The jar is new and unused, representing purity and a fresh beginning. | Some (Cambridge, Barnes) focus on ritual purity; others (Clarke, Keil) see it simply as avoiding the idea that any residue could have caused the effect. |
| The permanence of the healing | The waters remained healed from that time onward, as confirmed by later witnesses. | All sources accept the historicity. The phrase ‘unto this day’ is seen either as a note from the compiler (Cambridge) or as evidence of ongoing fruitfulness (Gill cites Josephus and Maundrell). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jericho was famous as “the city of palms” (Deut 34:3), lush and well-watered, sitting in the Jordan Valley. Yet the spring that fed it was deadly. Barnes identifies the source as Ain es-Sultan, about a mile from the ancient site; its waters then were brackish and thought to cause miscarriages, both in livestock and people. The verb in verse 19, meshakelet, means “causing abortion”, the ground itself was a place of loss.
The problem had roots deeper than geology. When Hiel rebuilt Jericho centuries earlier (1 Kgs 16:34), he did so under Joshua’s curse, and the city had suffered. Now, in the wake of Elijah’s translation, Elisha stands as Yahweh’s appointed representative. The “sons of the prophets” at Jericho had already acknowledged his authority (v. 15). So the citizens come to him not only with a practical complaint but with an implicit plea for restoration.
This miracle reverses the curse pattern found in Deuteronomy 28. Where disobedience brought “miscarriage and barrenness” (Dt 28:15, 18), Elisha’s word restores life. The spring that caused death becomes a source of health. Edersheim notes that the prophet’s action was symbolic: going to the source, the place of issue, to heal at the root. The new jar and salt echo the purity language of the Tabernacle, pointing to a cleansing that is not merely physical but covenantal. The healing is verified by the narrator’s note, “unto this day.” Josephus and later travelers like Maundrell report the spring still flowing with sweet water, called Elisha’s Spring to this day.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note no significant textual variants for II Kings 2:19, 22. The main translation differences (e.g., “barren land” vs. “miscarrying” or “cause abortion”) arise from the Hebrew verb shakal (H7921), which can mean either “to be barren” or “to cause miscarriage.” The ASV and YLT capture the more literal “miscarrying,” while others summarise as “barren.” These are interpretive differences, not textual variants. The passage is textually stable across all consulted sources.
Reception History
This miracle has been read in multiple ways across church history. Jewish tradition (Rashi, cited by Clarke) marvelled at the “miracle within a miracle” of salt purifying water. Early Christian writers often saw the healing as a type of baptism: the new jar symbolised the clean vessel of the believer, and salt (linked to the covenant of salt) pointed to the preserving grace of Christ. The spring itself became known as “Elisha’s Spring” (Ain es-Sultan), and was reported as sweet and abundant by the historian Josephus (1st century AD) and later by the English traveller Henry Maundrell (17th century). Their witness confirmed the narrator’s claim that the water remained healed “unto this day.” In the Reformation, Matthew Henry read the passage as a demonstration of God’s mercy even to a city built under a curse, and as an encouragement to bring every earthly trouble, even the quality of drinking water, to God in prayer. Modern preachers often use it as a case study in discerning hidden sources of barrenness in personal and communal life.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The paradox of pleasant barrenness. Jericho is a good city with bad water. This mirrors our lives: outward blessing hiding inward death. The men name the problem honestly and bring it to the prophet.
- The unlikely means of healing. A new jar and salt do not purify water. God uses what seems wrong to display His power. The sign points away from itself to the Creator.
- The word that restores. “Yahweh says, I have healed.” The healing is pronounced and permanent. Where there was death and barrenness, life and fruitfulness now flow.
Five-point outline
- The location is pleasant, yet the water is bad. (v. 19)
- The people bring the problem to Elisha, acknowledging his authority.
- Elisha uses a symbolic act: a new jar, salt thrown at the spring. (v. 20)
- He speaks God’s word of healing over the waters. (v. 21)
- The result: permanent restoration, “according to Elisha’s word.” (v. 22)
Illustration hooks
- The beautiful house with bad pipes. Everything looks great, but the water causes illness. You have to go to the source, not just the tap.
- The garden that won’t grow. Rich soil, good sun, but something in the water kills the plants. The problem isn’t visible until you test what flows in.
- A community well gone sour. Everyone drinks but everyone gets sick. No one wants to leave the nice town, but they need the well healed.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God let good-looking situations hide deep problems?
- What “springs” in my life need healing, attitudes, relationships, desires?
- Can God use small, strange signs (like salt) to do real, lasting work?
Leading a Discussion
This passage shows a community that recognises a hidden problem and brings it to God’s prophet. The healing is complete and permanent. In your small group, consider how you might name the “bad water” in your own life, the things that look fine but cause barrenness, and bring them before God honestly.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think the citizens mention that Jericho is “pleasant” before they state the problem? How does that honesty shape their request?
- What does the “new jar” and “salt” symbolise? Why do you think Elisha uses a means that seems naturally counterproductive (salt makes water undrinkable)?
- How does Elisha direct attention away from the salt and toward God (v.21)? What does that teach about prayer and miracles?
- The land was “barren” or “causing miscarriage.” In what ways might our lives, or our church, look pleasant but be unfruitful underneath?
- Why is it significant that the healing is recorded as permanent (“unto this day”)? How does that affect your confidence in God’s restorative power?
- This miracle follows the translation of Elijah. How does it confirm Elisha’s authority and the continued work of God through a new leader?
- How can you “go to the spring” of a problem rather than just addressing surface symptoms? Give a personal example.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 7:19 | Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” |
| Exodus 15:23 | When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. |
| Exodus 23:26 | No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days. |
| Numbers 12:11 | Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, please don’t count this sin against us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned. |
| Deuteronomy 28:2 | All these blessings will come upon you, and overtake you, if you listen to Yahweh your God’s voice. |
| Deuteronomy 28:4 | You shall be blessed in the fruit of your body, the fruit of your ground, the fruit of your animals, the increase of your livestock, and the young of your flock. |
| Deuteronomy 28:11 | Yahweh will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers to give you. |
| Deuteronomy 28:15 | But it shall come to pass, if you will not listen to Yahweh your God’s voice, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come on you and overtake you. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke emphasizes that the miracle was permanent, not temporary. If salt had natural power to purify water, its effect would have been brief and limited. But the waters remained good for all uses afterward, proving this was a true supernatural act, not a natural process.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the episode symbolically: the polluted water represents sin, and the new cruse and salt are deliberate emblems of purity brought to cleanse it. He notes that the actual spring near the town is sweet, but springs from Judah's eastern hills are generally brackish.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that the salt and new vessel were only outward signs, not the means of healing; the cure came directly from God through the prophet's prayer. He also clarifies that the word translated “naught” simply means “bad” in older English, and notes the Hebrew interjection is a simple plea.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that using salt, which normally makes water brackish and barren, was a deliberate choice to highlight the miracle: only God could turn such a means into a healing. Elisha points away from himself, attributing the cure to the Lord. The spring’s continued purity in later centuries confirms the permanent nature of this miracle.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists the salt itself could not have purified the entire spring by any natural property. The pouring was a symbolic act, done alongside the word of the Lord, through which God actually healed the water. The miracle belonged to divine power, not the salt.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch explains that the disciples of the prophets could not conceive of Elijah's bodily translation to heaven. They interpreted the vague revelation of his being "taken" as referring to death, concluding his earthly body must lie somewhere, prompting their urgent search.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the chariot of fire and horses of fire not as a literal vehicle but as a symbolic display of God's protecting and saving power. He insists the text describes a miraculous removal of Elijah by a whirlwind, not an ascent into heaven, and he sharply distinguishes this from Christ
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that Jericho was built in rebellion against God's command and at the cost of the builder's children, yet it became a place where God's prophets lived and where divine mercy was shown. This shows that even places founded in sin can receive God's blessing.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley underscores that the salt Elisha used was a deliberately unsuitable remedy, since salt normally makes water worse and land barren. This proves the healing came entirely from God's power, working against nature. The prophet's new cruse and salt were mere instruments, not the cause.