2 Kings 2:17
New International Version
But they persisted until he was too embarrassed to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him.

New Living Translation
But they kept urging him until they shamed him into agreeing, and he finally said, “All right, send them.” So fifty men searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

English Standard Version
But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him.

Berean Standard Bible
But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

King James Bible
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

New King James Version
But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, “Send them!” Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him.

New American Standard Bible
Yet when they urged him until he was ashamed to refuse, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but did not find him.

NASB 1995
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.

NASB 1977
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days, but did not find him.

Legacy Standard Bible
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.

Amplified Bible
But when they urged him until he was embarrassed [to refuse them], he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

Christian Standard Bible
However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment, so he said, “Send them.” They sent fifty men, who looked for three days but did not find him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment, so he said, “Send them.” They sent 50 men, who looked for three days but did not find him.

American Standard Version
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they contended with him until he was ashamed of them, and he said: “Send!” And they sent fifty men and they looked for him three days, and they did not find him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they pressed him until he was ashamed; and he said, Send. And they sent fifty men, and sought three days, and found him not.

Contemporary English Version
They kept begging until he was embarrassed to say no. He finally agreed, and the prophets sent the men out. They looked three days for Elijah but never found him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But they pressed him, till he consented, and said: Send. And they sent fifty men: and they sought three days but found him not.

English Revised Version
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But the disciples kept urging him [to send the men] until he was embarrassed. So he said, "Send them." They sent 50 men who searched for three days without finding him.

Good News Translation
But they insisted until he gave in and let them go. The fifty of them went and looked high and low for Elijah for three days, but didn't find him.

International Standard Version
But they persisted until he was frustrated, so he said, "Send them out!" So they sent out the 50 men, and they looked around for three days but did not find Elijah.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said: 'Send.' They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

Literal Standard Version
And they press on him, until he is ashamed, and he says, “Send”; and they send fifty men, and they seek three days, and have not found him;

Majority Standard Bible
But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.

New American Bible
But they kept urging him, until he was embarrassed and said, “Send them.” So they sent the fifty men, who searched for three days without finding him.

NET Bible
But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, "Send them out." They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah.

New Revised Standard Version
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men who searched for three days but did not find him.

New Heart English Bible
When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send them." They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched for three days, but did not find him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

World English Bible
When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send them.” Therefore they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but didn’t find him.

Young's Literal Translation
And they press upon him, till he is ashamed, and he saith, 'Send ye;' and they send fifty men, and they seek three days, and have not found him;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
16“Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” “Do not send them,” Elisha replied. 17But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah. 18When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”…

Cross References
2 Kings 2:18
When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"

2 Kings 8:11
Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep.


Treasury of Scripture

And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

they urged

2 Samuel 18:22,23
Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But howsoever, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready? …

Luke 11:8
I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Romans 10:2
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

found him not

Hebrews 11:5
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

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Ashamed Fifty Find Found Kept Persisted Press Refuse Requesting Searched Searching Seek Shamed Sought Three Urged
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Ashamed Fifty Find Found Kept Persisted Press Refuse Requesting Searched Searching Seek Shamed Sought Three Urged
2 Kings 2
1. Elijah, taking his leave of Elisha, with his mantle divides Jordan
9. and, granting Elisha his request, is taken up by a fiery chariot into heaven
12. Elisha, dividing Jordan with Elijah's mantle, is acknowledged his successor
16. The young prophets, hardly obtaining leave to seek Elijah, cannot find him.
19. Elisha with salt heals the unwholesome waters
23. Bears destroy the children that mocked Elisha














(17) Urged him.--Genesis 33:11.

Till he was ashamed.--Literally, unto being ashamed. The pronoun is not expressed in the Hebrew. "They pressed upon him, 'ad b?sh," means "until he was embarrassed, disconcerted, put out of countenance." (Comp. 2Kings 8:11; Judges 3:25.) Thenius prefers "they carried their importunity to a shameless length;" Keil and Bahr, "until he was disappointed in the hope of dissuading them." (Comp. Psalm 22:5.)

Verse 17. - And when they urged him, till he was ashamed, he said, Send; literally, when they urged him until shame; which some expound to mean, "until they were ashamed to press him any more" (Gesenius, Winer, Keil); but others, with more reason, "until he was ashamed to persist in his refusal" (ἑὼς οῦ ἠσχύνετο, LXX.). It is always a hard thing for one man to refuse the repeated and earnest request of a multitude. When Elisha said, "Send," he had not in the least changed his mind; he only meant to say, "Send, then, if you insist upon it, to satisfy yourselves, not me. There is no harm in your sending." They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. The result bore out the advice and anticipations of the prophet. It was simply nil. No trace was found of the aged seer who had been translated from earth to heaven.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But when they pressed
וַיִּפְצְרוּ־ (way·yip̄·ṣə·rū-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6484: To peck at, stun, dull

him
ב֥וֹ (ḇōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

to the point of
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

embarrassment,
בֹּ֖שׁ (bōš)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 954: To pale, to be ashamed, to be disappointed, delayed

he said,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Send [them].”
שְׁלָ֑חוּ (šə·lā·ḥū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

And they sent
וַֽיִּשְׁלְחוּ֙ (way·yiš·lə·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

fifty
חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים (ḥă·miš·šîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 2572: Fifty

men,
אִ֔ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

who searched for
וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּ (way·ḇaq·šū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

three
שְׁלֹשָֽׁה־ (šə·lō·šāh-)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

days
יָמִ֖ים (yā·mîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

but did not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

find [Elijah].
מְצָאֻֽהוּ׃ (mə·ṣā·’u·hū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present


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OT History: 2 Kings 2:17 When they urged him until he was (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 2:16
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