Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageHe was still speaking when the king himself arrived and said, 'This disaster has come from Yahweh! Why should I hold on to hope in Yahweh any longer?'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GHe was still speaking with them when the messenger came down to him. And he said, 'This evil has come from YHWH — why should I wait for YHWH any longer?'
KJV
King James VersionAnd while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?
BSB
Berean Standard BibleWhile Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
Footnotes
The identity of the speaker is a genuine textual debate. The Hebrew *הַמַּלְאָךְ* (*hammal'ach*) can mean 'the messenger' or simply 'the one sent,' and many commentators — supported by the Septuagint and Syriac versions — understand the king himself to have arrived (the very feet Elisha heard approaching in v.32). FOG renders *hammal'ach* as 'the messenger,' following the Masoretic text literally; FOG Message identifies the speaker as 'the king,' following the broader contextual and versional reading. The words themselves — 'This evil is from YHWH; why should I wait for YHWH any longer?' — are a cry of theological despair rather than apostasy: the speaker acknowledges YHWH's sovereignty over the disaster, but has reached the limit of endurance. The chapter ends without resolution, the question hanging in the air — setting the stage for YHWH's dramatic answer in chapter 7.