2 Kings 3:23
New International Version
“That’s blood!” they said. “Those kings must have fought and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

New Living Translation
“It’s blood!” the Moabites exclaimed. “The three armies must have attacked and killed each other! Let’s go, men of Moab, and collect the plunder!”

English Standard Version
And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!”

Berean Standard Bible
“This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

King James Bible
And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

New King James Version
And they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!”

New American Standard Bible
So they said, “This is blood; the kings must have fought each other, and they have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoils!”

NASB 1995
Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!”

NASB 1977
Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have struck down one another. So now, Moab, to the spoil!”

Amplified Bible
And they said, “This is blood! Clearly the kings have fought together, and have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil [and the plunder of the dead soldiers]!”

Christian Standard Bible
“This is blood! ” they exclaimed. “The kings have crossed swords and their men have killed one another. So, to the spoil, Moab! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and killed each other. So, to the spoil, Moab!”

American Standard Version
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

Contemporary English Version
and shouted, "Look at that blood! The armies of those kings must have fought and killed each other. Come on, let's go take what's left in their camp."

English Revised Version
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They said, "It's blood! The kings have been fighting one another and have killed each other. Now, Moabites, let's take their goods!"

Good News Translation
"It's blood!" they exclaimed. "The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! Let's go and loot their camp!"

International Standard Version
So they concluded, "This must be blood! The kings must have had one mighty big fight and each man killed the other! So let's go get the battle spoil, Moab!"

Majority Standard Bible
“This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!”

NET Bible
The Moabites said, "It's blood! The kings are totally destroyed! They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!"

New Heart English Bible
They said, "This is blood. The kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each other. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil."

Webster's Bible Translation
And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

World English Bible
They said, “This is blood. The kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each other. Now therefore, Moab, to the plunder!”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and say, “This [is] blood; the kings have been surely destroyed, and they each strike his neighbor; and now for spoil, Moab!”

Young's Literal Translation
and say, 'Blood this is; the kings have been surely destroyed, and they smite each his neighbour; and now for spoil, Moab!'

Smith's Literal Translation
And they will say, This the blood of the sword; the kings were destroyed, and they will strike a man his neighbor: and now to the spoil, Moab.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they said: It is the blood of the sword: the kings have fought among themselves, and they have killed one another: go now, Moab, to the spoils.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they said: “It is the blood of the sword! The kings have fought among themselves, and they have slain one another. Go now, Moab, to the spoils!”

New American Bible
and said, “This is blood! The kings have fought among themselves and killed one another. Quick! To the spoils, Moab!”

New Revised Standard Version
They said, “This is blood; the kings must have fought together, and killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they said. This is blood; the kings are surely slain, and they have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they said: “This is blood! Surely the Kings have been slaughtered, and they have killed each man his neighbor; therefore, to the prey Moab!”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
and they said: 'This is blood: the kings have surely fought together, and they have smitten each man his fellow; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they said, This is the blood of the sword; and the kings have fought, and each man has smitten his neighbour; now then to the spoils, Moab.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joram Overcomes Moab's Rebellion
22When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way. 23“This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!” 24But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites.…

Cross References
Judges 7:22
And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.

1 Samuel 14:20
Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor.

2 Chronicles 20:23
The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had finished off the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

Exodus 14:24-25
At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion. / He caused their chariot wheels to wobble, so that they had difficulty driving. “Let us flee from the Israelites,” said the Egyptians, “for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt!”

Isaiah 19:2
“So I will incite Egyptian against Egyptian; brother will fight against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.

1 Kings 22:20-23
And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. / Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. / And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ ...

2 Kings 7:6-7
For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.” / Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.

Psalm 83:9-10
Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon, / who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.

Isaiah 37:36-38
Then the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! / So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there. / One day, while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer put him to the sword and escaped to the land of Ararat. And his son Esar-haddon reigned in his place.

Ezekiel 38:21
And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother.

Matthew 24:6-7
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. / Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Mark 13:7-8
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. These things must happen, but the end is still to come. / Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Luke 21:9-10
When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be alarmed. These things must happen first, but the end is not imminent.” / Then He told them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

Revelation 16:14
These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

Revelation 19:19-21
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. / But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. / And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.


Treasury of Scripture

And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

This is blood

2 Kings 6:18-20
And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha…

2 Kings 7:6
For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

slain [heb] destroyed

Exodus 15:9
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

Judges 5:30
Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?

2 Chronicles 20:25
And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

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Blood Clear Destroyed Destruction Entirely Fellow Fought Goods Kings Moab Neighbour Slain Slaughtered Smitten Spoil Struck Surely That's Together
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Blood Clear Destroyed Destruction Entirely Fellow Fought Goods Kings Moab Neighbour Slain Slaughtered Smitten Spoil Struck Surely That's Together
2 Kings 3
1. Jehoram's reign
4. Mesha rebels
6. Jehoram, with Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, being distressed for want of water,
13. by Elisha obtains water, and promise of victory
21. The Moabites, deceived by the colour of the water, coming to spoil, are overcome
26. The king of Moab sacrifices his son, and raises the siege














This is blood!
The phrase "This is blood!" is a declaration made by the Moabites upon seeing the water that appeared red like blood. The Hebrew word for blood is "דָּם" (dam), which often symbolizes life, death, and covenant in the Old Testament. In this context, the Moabites misinterpret the sight, thinking it signifies the death of their enemies. This reflects a common ancient belief that omens and signs in nature could predict or explain human events. Theologically, this misinterpretation can be seen as God's providence, using natural phenomena to fulfill His purposes.

The kings have clashed swords
The phrase "The kings have clashed swords" suggests a battle or conflict among the allied kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom. The Hebrew root for "clashed" is "נָגַע" (naga), meaning to touch or strike. Historically, alliances between kingdoms were often fragile, and internal strife was not uncommon. This assumption by the Moabites reveals their expectation of discord among their enemies, which they hoped would lead to their advantage. Spiritually, it serves as a reminder of the destructive potential of disunity and the importance of seeking God's guidance in alliances.

and slaughtered one another
The phrase "and slaughtered one another" indicates a complete and mutual destruction, which the Moabites believed had occurred. The Hebrew word for "slaughtered" is "הִכָּה" (hikah), meaning to strike down or kill. This reflects the Moabites' hope that their enemies had been weakened by internal conflict. In a broader biblical context, it underscores the theme of divine intervention, where God can turn the expectations of the wicked into their downfall, as seen in other biblical narratives where God confuses or defeats enemies through unexpected means.

Now to the plunder, Moab!
The phrase "Now to the plunder, Moab!" is a call to action, urging the Moabites to seize the opportunity to loot and take advantage of what they believed was a victory. The Hebrew word for "plunder" is "שָׁלָל" (shalal), which denotes spoils of war. This reflects the ancient practice of taking goods and wealth from defeated foes, a common motivation for warfare in the ancient Near East. From a spiritual perspective, this moment of anticipated triumph for the Moabites becomes their undoing, illustrating the biblical principle that pride and greed often precede a fall, as God turns their expectations into a trap.

(23) The kings are surely slain.--Have surely fought with (or destroyed) one another. LXX., ??????????. The supposition was not improbable. Confederates of different races not seldom had been known to fall out among themselves (comp. Judges 7:22; 2Chronicles 20:23, and Note), and in this case the old enmity of Edom towards Israel, and the suppressed jealousies between Israel and Judah, made such a result very likely. The Moabites would know also that the wady had been waterless, so that their mistake was natural. When once their instinct for plunder was aroused they did not stop to think, but with a wild cry of "Moab, to the spoil !" they rushed in disorder upon the Israelite camp.

Verse 23. - And they said, This is blood. Even Ewald recognizes here "a historical background for the narrative." The idea of such a mistake could scarcely have occurred to a romancer. The kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another. There were rivalries and jealousies subsisting between Judah, Israel, and Edom, which made it quite possible that at any time open quarrel might break out among them. Edom especially was, it is probable, a reluctant member of the confederacy, forced to take her part in it by her suzerain, Jehoshaphat. The Moabites, moreover, had recently had personal experience how easily the swords of confederates might be turned against each other, since their last expedition against Judah (2 Chronicles 20:1-25) had completely failed through such a sudden disagreement and contention. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil. If their supposition were correct, and the kings had come to blows, and the hosts destroyed each other, Moab would have nothing to do but to fly upon the spoil, to strip the slain, and plunder the camp of the confederates. A disorderly rush took place for this purpose (see Josephus, 'Ant. Jud.,' 9:3. § 2).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“This
זֶ֔ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

is blood!”
דָּ֣ם (dām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed

they exclaimed.
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“The kings
הַמְּלָכִ֔ים (ham·mə·lā·ḵîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4428: A king

have clashed swords
נֶֽחֶרְבוּ֙ (ne·ḥer·ḇū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2717: To parch, to desolate, destroy, kill

and slaughtered
וַיַּכּ֖וּ (way·yak·kū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5221: To strike

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

other.
רֵעֵ֑הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

Now
וְעַתָּ֥ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

to the plunder,
לַשָּׁלָ֖ל (laš·šā·lāl)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7998: A prey, spoil, plunder, booty

Moab!”
מוֹאָֽב׃ (mō·w·’āḇ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4124: Moab -- a son of Lot,also his descendants and the territory where they settled


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OT History: 2 Kings 3:23 And they said This is blood (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 3:22
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