“And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Kings 6:17 Mean?
The Syrian army has surrounded Dothan to capture Elisha. His servant wakes up, sees the army, and panics. Elisha's response: "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them" (verse 16). Then he prays — not for deliverance, but for his servant's eyes to be opened. And the servant sees: the mountain is full of horses and chariots of fire.
The angelic army was already there. It didn't arrive in response to Elisha's prayer. The prayer didn't summon it — it revealed it. The servant's problem wasn't a lack of protection. It was a lack of perception. The danger was real, but the defense was more real.
The chariots of fire echo the chariots that took Elijah to heaven (2 Kings 2:11). Fire is associated with God's presence throughout Scripture — the burning bush, the pillar of fire, the consuming fire on Sinai. The servant wasn't seeing new information. He was seeing the reality that was always there.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What would change in your current situation if you could see the spiritual reality that's already present?
- 2.Is your prayer more often 'rescue me' or 'open my eyes' — and what's the difference?
- 3.How does Elisha's calm confidence before the servant's eyes were opened challenge you to trust what you can't see?
- 4.Where in your life are you focused on the surrounding army while missing the chariots of fire?
Devotional
The army was already there. Before Elisha prayed. Before the servant panicked. Before the Syrians surrounded the city. The mountain was already full of fire.
Elisha didn't pray for rescue. He prayed for sight. That's a fundamentally different prayer — and it might be the one you need. Sometimes your problem isn't that God hasn't shown up. It's that you can't see that He already has.
The servant saw the Syrian army with his natural eyes and the angelic army with opened eyes. Both were real. Both were present. The difference was which one he could perceive. And when his perception shifted, so did his fear.
"They that be with us are more than they that be with them." Elisha said this before the servant could see the chariots. He said it while the servant was still terrified. He didn't need opened eyes to know the truth. He already lived in that reality.
What if the thing you're most afraid of right now is surrounded by something you can't see? What if the mountain is already full of fire, and the only thing missing is your ability to perceive it? Elisha's prayer is available to you: Lord, open my eyes. Let me see what's already there.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Elisha said unto them, this is not the way, neither is this the city,.... Which is an answer to some questions of…
Open his eyes that he may see - Elisha’s servant lacked the faith of his master. Elisha therefore prays that he may be…
Lord - open his eyes - Where is heaven? Is it not above, beneath, around us? And were our eyes open as were those of the…
Here is, 1. The great force which the king of Syria sent to seize Elisha. He found out where he was, at Dothan (Kg2…
open his eyes To the servant there was need of a more manifest vision, and for this Elisha prays, and God vouchsafes to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture