What did Elisha tell the kings to do to get water in the wilderness?

Elisha said to make the valley full of ditches. He promised they would see neither wind nor rain, yet the valley would be filled with water for the people and animals. The water came in the morning, by the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water (2 Kings 3:16–20).

Passage context

In 2 Kings 3:16–20 Elisha speaks a command and a promise from Yahweh to an army in need: they must dig many trenches in a dry valley. Yahweh promises water will fill the valley even though there will be no obvious weather signs. The water will supply people and animals. This scene sits in the larger story of Israel’s king joining Judah’s king and Edom’s king to fight Moab after Moab’s rebellion (earlier in the chapter). The coalition’s chosen route leaves them without water, creating a crisis that drives them to seek prophetic guidance.

Why it matters

Elisha’s words are presented as Yahweh’s direct instruction and promise in a real crisis: an army has no water, and the solution begins with preparation (“make this valley full of trenches”) before any visible change (verses 16–17).

Read carefully

A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.

Keep reading

Start with 2 Kings 3:16-20, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.