2 Kings 13 · a question people ask
Why was Elisha angry that the king struck the ground only three times?
The chapter gives Elisha's own words and no more. He had told the king what the first arrow meant: "The LORD’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for you will strike the Syrians in Aphek until you have consumed them" (13:17). Then he said only, "Strike the ground" (13:18), and the king "struck three times, and stopped" (13:18). Elisha's answer ties the strikes to the victories: "You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it, but now you will strike Syria just three times" (13:19). The chapter doesn't say whether the king knew what the strikes stood for, or why he stopped at three. It does say how it turned out: "Joash struck him three times, and recovered the cities of Israel" (13:25).
The verses
“He said, “Open the window eastward;” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he shot. He said, “The LORD’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for you will strike the Syrians in Aphek until you have consumed them.” He said, “Take the arrows;” and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground;” and he struck three times, and stopped. The man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it, but now you will strike Syria just three times.””
“Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Benhadad the son of Hazael the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Joash struck him three times, and recovered the cities of Israel.”