Who is "him" above?

Question

Elisha said, "But now bring me a minstrel." And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.

Q. Who is "him" above?

Isn't "him' 'the mnstrel', not 'Elisha'? If "him" is 'Elisha', is it possible for a pronoun to refer to a noun which is lying remotely as in the above example?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

thanks3Q. Who is "him" above?

the minstrel

thanks3is it possible for a pronoun to refer to a noun which is lying as remotely as in the above example?

Yes, but that's pretty rare. It's not that often that you have to go back to a previous sentence to find the referent. Common sense will tell you from the context which referent is most likely the intended one.

I assume that the minstrel went on to play beautifully, as if inspired by the powers of heaven, but if not, and it turns out that Elisha was inspired in some way (though the set-up so far does not suggest that), then we'll have to review the text and come up with another explanation, in which Elisha is the referent.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

thanks3Q. Who is "him" above?

It's Elisha. The KJV was written in an antique style even in its day. The grammar is slightly alien, and sometimes not so slightly. A modern reader is sure it's the minstrel. In context, though, Elisha is the one who speaks next because the hand of the Lord came upon "him", as it must upon a prophet. The minstrel has a bit part in this play, and the Lord wouldn't have bothered with him.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

thanks3hand of the LORD came upon him.

Elisha is the prophet. Prophets prophesy when they are "filled with the spirit" or "divinely inspired."
The "hand of ***" came upon him. Is a description of ***'s entering his spirit, so the prophet knows what to say. Music can assist in this process.

The musician, harpist or minstrel is not the prophet. Only the prophet announces what *** told him.

Here are different translations from the Hebrew:

https://www.bible.com/bible/compare/2KI.3.15-18

Now bring me someone who plays the harp. While the harp was being played, the LORD gave Elisha power. Then Elisha said, “The LORD says to dig holes in the valley. The LORD says you won’t see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water. Then you, your cattle, and your other animals can drink. This is easy for the LORD to do; he will also hand Moab over to you.

American Standard Version (ASV)

But now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of Jehovah came upon him. And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches. For thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, and ye shall drink, both ye and your cattle and your beasts. And this is but a light thing in the sight of Jehovah: he will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

New International Version (NIV)

But now bring me a harpist.” While the harpist was playing, the hand of the LORD came on Elisha and he said, “This is what the LORD says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. For this is what the LORD says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the LORD; he will also deliver Moab into your hands.

New King James Version (NKJV)

But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’ For thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’ And this is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.

Amplified Bible (AMP)

But now bring me a musician.” And it came about while the musician played, that the hand (power) of the LORD came upon Elisha. He said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Make this valley (the Arabah) full of trenches.’ For thus says the LORD, ‘You will not see wind or rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, so you and your cattle and your other animals may drink. This is but a simple thing in the sight of the LORD; He will also hand over the Moabites to you.

English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ For thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ This is a light thing in the sight of the LORD. He will also give the Moabites into your hand.

Who is "him" above?

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