God used Elisha to restore the well at Jericho, proving His power and faithfulness in caring for His covenant people.
In the city of Jericho, located in the Jordan River valley about fifteen miles from Jerusalem and roughly 825 feet below sea level, the prophet Elisha performed a miracle to address the city’s life-giving spring. The Bible says, “So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke” (v.22). Immediately before this verse, the people reported that although Jericho’s location was good, its well was causing sickness and crop failure. Elisha threw salt into the spring as a symbol of God’s power and declared that from that point onward, the city’s water would be healed, ensuring fruitfulness and health for its people.
Elisha lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the 9th century BC, possibly between 850 and 800 BC. He served as the prophetic successor of Elijah, who famously departed in a chariot of fire earlier in this chapter (2 Kings 2:9-11). Jericho itself has a rich biblical history, including Israel’s conquest under Joshua centuries earlier (Joshua 6). This miracle of purification demonstrated that, even after Elijah’s departure, God continued working through Elisha to provide for and protect His people.
By healing these waters, God displayed His sovereignty over nature and underscored Elisha’s role as His chosen prophet. The use of salt and the prophetic word conveyed that the LORD is the ultimate source of blessing, transforming an unproductive situation into a place of health and restoration. In the New Testament, similar themes of God’s healing and renewal appear in descriptions of living water that brings spiritual life (John 4:14), though Elisha’s sign here is uniquely tied to the physical land and well-being of Jericho’s residents.
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2 Kings 2:22 meaning
In the city of Jericho, located in the Jordan River valley about fifteen miles from Jerusalem and roughly 825 feet below sea level, the prophet Elisha performed a miracle to address the city’s life-giving spring. The Bible says, “So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke” (v.22). Immediately before this verse, the people reported that although Jericho’s location was good, its well was causing sickness and crop failure. Elisha threw salt into the spring as a symbol of God’s power and declared that from that point onward, the city’s water would be healed, ensuring fruitfulness and health for its people.
Elisha lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the 9th century BC, possibly between 850 and 800 BC. He served as the prophetic successor of Elijah, who famously departed in a chariot of fire earlier in this chapter (2 Kings 2:9-11). Jericho itself has a rich biblical history, including Israel’s conquest under Joshua centuries earlier (Joshua 6). This miracle of purification demonstrated that, even after Elijah’s departure, God continued working through Elisha to provide for and protect His people.
By healing these waters, God displayed His sovereignty over nature and underscored Elisha’s role as His chosen prophet. The use of salt and the prophetic word conveyed that the LORD is the ultimate source of blessing, transforming an unproductive situation into a place of health and restoration. In the New Testament, similar themes of God’s healing and renewal appear in descriptions of living water that brings spiritual life (John 4:14), though Elisha’s sign here is uniquely tied to the physical land and well-being of Jericho’s residents.