# Elisha answered

Elisha was replying to the king of Israel's question.

# Would you kill those whom you had taken captive with your sword and bow?

Elisha uses this rhetorical question to rebuke the king and tell him not to kill these men. The words "sword and bow" are a metonym for war in which soldiers use swords and bows and arrows. This can be written as a statement. AT: "You would not kill men whom you had captured in war, so you should not kill these men." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# Put bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink

Here "bread" refers to food in general. AT: "Give them food to eat and water to drink," (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])

# go to their master

This refers to the king of Aram.

# So the king prepared much food for them

The king ordered his servants to prepare the food. He did not prepare the food himself. AT: "Then the king ordered his servants to prepare a lot of food for them" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# Those bands

"Those groups"

# did not return for a long time into the land of Israel

This means that they did not attack Israel for a long time. AT: "stopped attacking the land of Israel for a long time" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/captive]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/sword]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/bowweapon]]