Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Elisha doesn't just fix the water; he pronounces God's judgment on its poisonous nature. The act of throwing salt isn't magic; it's a symbolic proclamation that God's healing power now supersedes whatever caused death and barrenness. This shows that God's restoration isn't just about making things okay, but about actively undoing corruption.
Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Elisha has just miraculously multiplied loaves of bread and grain, feeding a hundred people with just twenty. Now, the people of Jericho complain about the bad water, and Elisha, with a direct word from the Lord, throws salt into the spring, instantly purifying it so it will no longer cause death or barrenness. This act solidifies his prophetic authority and demonstrates God's power to bring life and restoration, even from a corrupted source.
How can a handful of salt completely transform a deadly water source? This isn't magic; it's God stepping in.
Elisha’s action at the spring is a powerful demonstration of God's absolute authority over creation. The water source was toxic, bringing death and barrenness. Elisha, empowered by God, uses a simple, natural element – salt – not as a source of power itself, but as a symbol and conduit for God's command. When he declares, 'I have healed this water,' it's God speaking through him. This highlights that God isn't distant from our world but actively involved, capable of repurposing the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. His healing is definitive and complete.
This seemingly small event at a water source is a profound picture of God's greater work of redemption.
The contaminated spring represents more than just bad water; it symbolizes a broken world affected by sin, where death and destructive forces prevail. Elisha’s healing of the water is a foreshadowing of the ultimate healing God brings through Christ. Just as the salt purified the water, making it life-giving, Jesus’ sacrifice purifies us from sin, making us alive to God. The promise that 'neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it' points to the complete redemption and abundant life God intends for His people, free from the reign of death.
Understand the original words
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YHWH · Hebrew Noun
A primary name for God in the Old Testament, representing His covenantal relationship with His people and His self-existent, eternal nature. It is the name He revealed to Moses at the burning bush.
rapha' · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, healing signifies not just physical restoration, but the removal of a curse, the reversal of decay, or the restoring of a state of wholeness and purity as intended by God.
maveth · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the state of being deceased or the power that causes cessation of life; spiritually, it is often associated with the consequences of sin or separation from God.
This event highlights that even as Elijah, a towering figure, departs, God's work continues through Elisha, showing His immediate concern for the practical well-being and purity of His people and their land.
c. 874-853 BC
Reign of King Ahab
This period saw significant spiritual decline in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, marked by widespread Baal worship under Ahab and Jezebel.
c. 870 BC
Elijah's Ministry Peak
Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, demonstrating God's power and leading to a revival of true worship.
c. 850 BC
Elijah Taken to Heaven
The prophet Elijah is miraculously taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, leaving his mantle to his successor, Elisha.
c. 850 BC— this verse
Elisha Begins His Ministry
Elisha, now the prophet of the Lord, is called to lead the spiritual life of Israel. He is in the region of Jericho.
c. 850 BC
Healing of Jericho's Water
Elisha, at God's command, miraculously purifies a contaminated water source in Jericho, making it safe and life-giving.
c. 848 BC
Elisha's Ministry Continues
Elisha performs numerous other miracles, including raising a child from the dead and multiplying food, throughout his long prophetic career.
This passage describes the Israelites finding bitter water at Marah, and Moses crying out to the Lord, who then shows him a tree to throw into the water, making it sweet. This echoes the theme of God's power to purify and heal a corrupted water source through divine intervention.
Ezekiel 47:8-9The prophet Ezekiel sees a vision of water flowing from the temple, bringing life and healing to the waters of the Salt Sea, where fish and trees flourish. This passage parallels the healing of water in 2 Kings by illustrating a future vision of abundant life and restoration stemming from a purified water source.
Revelation 21:1John sees a new heaven and a new earth, signifying a complete renewal and restoration of God's creation. This ultimate renewal connects to the specific act of healing water in 2 Kings as a foreshadowing of God's complete and final cleansing and healing of all things.
Jeremiah 31:34This prophecy speaks of a future where all people will know the Lord, and He will forgive their iniquity. It highlights God's comprehensive forgiveness and restoration, which is mirrored in the specific act of forgiving the water in 2 Kings 2, bringing health and life.
Elisha doesn't just fix the water; he pronounces God's judgment on its poisonous nature. The act of throwing salt isn't magic; it's a symbolic proclamation that God's healing power now supersedes whatever caused death and barrenness. This shows that God's restoration isn't just about making things okay, but about actively undoing corruption.
Elisha has just miraculously multiplied loaves of bread and grain, feeding a hundred people with just twenty. Now, the people of Jericho complain about the bad water, and Elisha, with a direct word from the Lord, throws salt into the spring, instantly purifying it so it will no longer cause death or barrenness. This act solidifies his prophetic authority and demonstrates God's power to bring life and restoration, even from a corrupted source.
Elisha has just miraculously multiplied loaves of bread and grain, feeding a hundred people with just twenty. Now, the people of Jericho complain about the bad water, and Elisha, with a direct word from the Lord, throws salt into the spring, instantly purifying it so it will no longer cause death or barrenness. This act solidifies his prophetic authority and demonstrates God's power to bring life and restoration, even from a corrupted source.
"Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the LORD, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”" — Elisha doesn't just fix the water; he pronounces God's judgment on its poisonous nature. The act of throwing salt isn't magic; it's a symbolic proclamation that God's healing power now supersedes…
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Last reviewed October 2026