מלכים ב, פרק י״ג, פסוק ט״ו

Filled with mercy and compassion for the king of Israel, the prophet Elisha decides to provide prophetic assistance for the upcoming war. To do this, he instructs the king to gather a bow and arrows [אברבנאל].

Rather than simply offering a verbal blessing to guarantee victory over Aram, Elisha requires a physical action. This specific choice stems from a deeper reason. In the past, Hazael, the king of Aram, gained his power through a prophetic declaration made by Elisha himself. Because a mere spoken word cannot undo a previous spoken word, a tangible, physical act is necessary to accompany the new prophecy. This action gives the new decree the power to override and cancel the original one [מלבי״ם].

Following the prophet's instruction, the king obeys immediately and brings the requested weapons [ביאור שטיינזלץ].