But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?
Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders when the king sent a messenger to him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, 'Do you see how this murderer's son has sent someone to cut off my head? Listen, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold it closed against him. Can't you hear his master's footsteps coming behind him?'
Elisha supernaturally knew that the king was sending someone to kill him and warned the elders to block the door when the messenger arrived.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during a severe famine in Samaria while the city was under siege by the Syrian army. King Jehoram of Israel blamed the prophet Elisha for the terrible conditions and decided to have him executed. Elisha's reference to the king as a 'son of a murderer' likely refers to his father Ahab, who had murdered Naboth to steal his vineyard.
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