2 Kings 2:22 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 2:22 mean?

The water at Jericho became wholesome, just as Elisha had said, and remained so when the account was written. The verse records the lasting result of the healing described in the preceding verses.

The key word is “healed” — רָפָא (rapha), which means to heal or restore to soundness. Here the Hebrew describes the waters as having been healed. The townspeople had reported that the water was bad and the land unfruitful; “healed” describes the removal of that harmful condition. Elisha had thrown salt into the spring and announced that the Lord had healed the water.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 2:22

• “waters” — מַיִם (mayim): This is the ordinary Hebrew word for water, although its form is plural. The KJV’s “waters” follows that Hebrew form. In this setting, the word refers to Jericho’s water supply, whose source Elisha had treated.

• “day” — יוֹם (yom): This means “day.” In “unto this day,” the reference point is the narrator’s time. The wording tells readers that the change endured beyond the day Elisha visited the spring; it does not give an exact number of years.

• “saying” — דָּבָר (davar); “spake” — דָּבַר (davar): The noun means “word,” “statement,” or “matter”; the related verb means “speak.” The Hebrew closely links the two: the water was healed according to Elisha’s word, which he spoke. “Saying” here means his specific announcement about the water, rather than a proverb or general teaching.

Why 2 Kings 2:22 matters

• The verse confirms both the result and its duration. “Were healed” reports the changed condition of the water; “unto this day” establishes that the change lasted.

• Elisha’s announcement is confirmed by what happened. “According to the saying of Elisha” points back to verse 21, where Elisha introduced the announcement with “Thus saith the LORD.” The closing verse connects the restored water with that spoken declaration.