But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

2 KINGS 6:5KJV
Know the Bible

2 Kings 6:5 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 6:5 mean?

2 Kings 6:5 describes how, while one of the prophets was cutting wood, the iron head of his borrowed axe fell into the water, causing him to cry out in distress to Elisha because the tool was not his own. The verse highlights the concern and anxiety of losing something borrowed, especially when it cannot easily be replaced.

In this scene, a group of prophets is working by the Jordan River to build a larger meeting place. One of them, using a borrowed axe, accidentally loses the iron head in the river. He immediately calls out to Elisha, the leader and prophet, expressing worry because he is responsible for returning the borrowed tool. The verse sets up the need for a miracle and shows the everyday struggles and honesty of these men.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 6:5

  • "Alas" (אֲהָהּ, 'ahah): This word is an exclamation of distress or alarm. It shows the genuine worry and helplessness the man feels about losing something that does not belong to him.
  • "Borrowed" (שָׁאַל, sha'al): This word means "asked for" or "borrowed." It emphasizes that the axe was not his own, making the loss more serious because he is accountable to someone else.

Why 2 Kings 6:5 matters

  • The verse shows the practical, everyday lives of the prophets, reminding readers that even spiritual leaders face ordinary problems and anxieties.
  • The detail that the axe was borrowed underlines the seriousness of the loss and the prophet's sense of responsibility, making the coming miracle more meaningful.
  • This verse sets the stage for Elisha’s compassionate response, highlighting themes of care, provision, and God’s concern for even small troubles.

Where else these words appear

“beam” Hebrew H6982 · used in 5 verses

  • Genesis 19:8 Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.
  • 2 Kings 6:2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
  • 2 Chronicles 3:7 He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.

“Alas” Hebrew H162 · used in 15 verses

  • Joshua 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
  • 2 Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
  • Ezekiel 4:14 Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth.

“cried” Hebrew H6817 · used in 53 verses

  • Genesis 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
  • Deuteronomy 26:7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
  • 2 Kings 8:5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.

“head” Hebrew H1270 · used in 70 verses

  • Genesis 4:22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
  • 2 Samuel 23:7 But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.
  • Psalms 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.