2 Kings 2:19The 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 miscarries."
The setting
Jericho, Israel, ~850 BC. The newly rebuilt city had a deadly problem - contaminated water sources causing miscarriages and crop failure. City leaders approach the new prophet Elisha...
The emotion here: desperate but respectful - trying to be diplomatic about a deadly crisis
The original word
mashlakah (מַשְׁלֶכֶת) — causing miscarriage, from root 'to cast down'
Why it matters
Jericho had been cursed and destroyed 500 years earlier; this was its first generation of new inhabitants
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 2:19
They said 'the SITUATION is pleasant' - everything looked perfect except the water was killing them
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about bad-tasting water, but 'miscarrying' means the water was causing death - women losing babies, crops dying, livestock failing to reproduce.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 2:19
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 2:19 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 2:19 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to men_of_jericho. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include seeking help, community needs, recognizing problems. Notable phrases: the situation of this city is pleasant; the water is bad. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 2:19 mean to you, today?
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