2 Kings 3 · Verse 8

2 Kings 3:8

And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

2 Kings 3:8, King James Version

2 Kings 3:8 in other translations

BSB	Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?” “By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.
WEB	Then he said, “Which way shall we go up?” Jehoram answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”
ASV	And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way of the wilderness of Edom.
YLT	And he saith, ‘Where is this--the way we go up?' and he saith, ‘The way of the wilderness of Edom.'
DARBY	And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he said, By way of the wilderness of Edom.
BBE	And he said, Which way are we to go? And he said in answer, By the waste land of Edom.
Webster	And he said, which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.

What does 2 Kings 3:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 3:8-12

8-12. Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom--This was a long and circuitous route, by the southern bend of the Dead Sea. Jehoshaphat however preferred it, partly because the part of the Moabite territory at which they would arrive, was the most defenseless; and partly because he would thereby enlist, in the expedition, the forces of the king of Edom. But, in penetrating the deep, rocky valley of Ahsy, which forms the boundary between Edom and Moab, the confederate army was reduced, both man and beast, to the greatest extremities for want of water. They were disappointed by finding the wady of this valley, the brook Zered (De 2:13-18) [Robinson], dry. Jehoram was in despair. But the pious mind of Jehoshaphat inquired for a prophet of the Lord; and, on being informed that Elisha was at hand, the three kings "went down to him"; that is, to his tent, which was either in the camp, or close by it. He had been directed thither by the Spirit of God for this special purpose. They went to him, not only as a mark of respect, but to supplicate for his assistance.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8 Through the wilderness of Edom - Because he expected the king of Edom to join them, as we find he did; for, being tributary to Judah, he was obliged to do it.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 3:6-19

The king of Israel laments their distress, and the danger they were in. He called these kings together, yet he charges it upon Providence. Thus the foolishness of man perverteth his way, and then his heart fretteth against the Lord, Pr 19:3. It was well that Jehoshaphat inquired of the Lord now, but it had been much better if he had done it before he engaged in this war. Good men sometimes neglect their duty, till…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 3:6-19 →

2 Kings 3:8 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֕אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559

אֵי\־'ei-where?H335

זֶ֥הzehthisH2088

הַדֶּ֖רֶךְha.De.rekh[is] the wayH1870

נַעֲלֶ֑הna.'a.Leh[which] we will go upH5927

וַיֹּ֕אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559

דֶּ֖רֶךְDe.rekh[the] way ofH1870

מִדְבַּ֥רmid.Bar[the] wilderness ofH4057

אֱדֽוֹם\׃'e.DomEdomH123

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 3:8

Malachi 1:2-3
I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
Numbers 21:4
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

the wilderness of Edom.The wilderness of Edom was probably the same as that of Zin or Kadesh, through which the children of Israel passed; extending southward from the Dead Sea, to the eastern branch of the Red Sea. See Note on Nu 13:21.
Nu 21:4; Mal 1:2,3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

2 Kings 3:7
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.
2 Kings 3:8
And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way through the wilderness of Edom.
2 Kings 3:9
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

Read all of 2 Kings 3

2 Kings 3:8 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y dijo: ¿Por qué camino iremos? Y él respondió: Por el camino del desierto de Idumea.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il dit: Par quel chemin monterons-nous? Et il dit: Par le chemin du désert d’Édom.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er sprach: Auf welchem Wege wollen wir hinaufziehen? Und er sprach: Auf dem Wege der Wüste Edom.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Dixitque: Per quam viam ascendemus? At ille respondit: Per desertum Idumææ.