What Does 2 Kings 3:7 Mean in the King James?
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Hebrew verb for “rebelled” names a rupture in allegiance, and the reply binds another king’s people and war power to a new alliance.
THE MEANING
A pledge of solidarity can extend beyond the speaker to the people and resources named as “mine.” Here, that shared identity is enlisted for battle, so the alliance carries the weight of war, not just friendship.
THE ROOT
פָּשַׁע
pashaʿ
GROWS FROM
פ־ש־ע
p-sh-ʿ
To rebel or break away from allegiance.
“rebelled” in this verse is pashaʿ. This word family names both the breach and the one who makes it. The verse answers that break by binding one king’s people and horses to another’s battle.
ALSO GROWS
peshaʿ: Rebellion; a breach.
פֶּשַׁע
The noun makes the reported revolt a break in allegiance, the rupture that prompts the alliance.
posheaʿ: One who rebels.
פּוֹשֵׁעַ
The same root names the person who breaks away, linking the act in the report to its agent.
שָׁלַח
shalach
GROWS FROM
ש־ל־ח
sh-l-ḥ
To send forth, release, or let go.
“sent” in this verse is shalach. The king’s response begins with a sending before anyone enters battle. This root holds sending and release together: the message goes out to enlist another ruler’s people and horses.
ALSO GROWS
shilluach: A sending away; dismissal.
שִׁלּוּחַ
This branch shows the root can describe sending someone away, adding the sense of release to the king’s act of dispatch.
shaliaḥ: One sent; an emissary.
שָׁלִיחַ
The emissary carries a king’s reach beyond his own borders, as the message here reaches Jehoshaphat.
THE PATTERN
An alliance can turn distinct rulers, peoples, and resources into one force for a shared campaign.
And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.THE THREAD
And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.The exact pledge appears again in another royal invitation to battle. Its repeated structure shows how “I will go with you” expands into shared people and military strength.
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