KJV ORIGINAL
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
One of the prophets' followers told his neighbor, 'The Lord has told me to ask you this: please strike me.' But the man refused to hit him.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
A prophet's apprentice asked his neighbor to strike him because God had commanded it, but the neighbor refused to do it.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the reign of King Ahab when prophets often used dramatic symbolic actions to deliver God's messages. The 'sons of the prophets' were groups of men who served and learned under established prophets like Elijah and Elisha. This unusual request was part of a larger prophetic demonstration that would ultimately deliver a message to King Ahab about his disobedience to God.
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