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2 Kings 6:4 (ANIV)
4 And he [Elisha] went with them [the company of the prophets]. They went to the Jordan [and began to cut down trees].

DRAWING NOTES:

TIME OF DAY:
Unspecified in Bible, I have set this scene in the mid afternoon.

LIGHTING NOTES:
The sun is in the west (left hand of scene), casting shadows to the right of figures & objects.

CHARACTERS PRESENT:
A column of men from the company of the prophets is walking towards the river Jordan. The 5th figure from the left is Elisha, followed by Gehazi, & 4 other members of the company.

RESEARCH/ADDITIONAL NOTES:
This scene shows Elisha, his servant Gehazi, & members of the company of the prophets walking towards the Jordan river. They have walked from Jericho, a few miles to the west. Notice that the men are carrying long handled axes.

Here is the scene without the figures in the foreground.

Background of 2 Kings 06 – Axe-head floats – Scene 02 – To the Jordan

Click on the colour bar below to view/buy this Background:
Background of 2 Kings 06 – Axe-head floats – Scene 02 – To the Jordan

In the middle of the river bank is a small Phoenix dactylifera (aka date or date palm), which is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Incidentally, the city of Jericho was known by the name “city of palms”.

Notice that Gehazi has a white tinge to his skin, which is the leprosy he was infected with, when he tried to lie & hide silver & clothing given to him through deception from Naaman, the Aramean army commandeer (see 2 Kings chp 5).

Along the left hand side river bank is a tall grass with a light, flower head, which is Arundo donax (aka Giant cane, Spanish cane, wild cane, giant reed, Cyprus cane). Although this plant prefers Humid habitats, it is apparently found in The Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Deserts & extreme desert climates of Israel (specifically Golan, Hermon, Gallilee, Mediterranean coast, Upper Jordan valley, Northern valleys, Gilboa, Carmel, Samarian mountains, Samarian desert, Judean mountains, Judean desert and Dead Sea valley, Sharon, Shefela, Northern Negev, Negev hills and Eilat, Jordan Valley). This grass grows up to 29.5 feet (9 metres), tall. The pale green to purple flower head forms in July & lasts right through to December. This plant was used to manufacture walking-sticks, fishing-rods, musical pipes & measuring-rods. Among the instruments used for measuring small units of length, the Bible mentions the “measuring reed”. It was used quite frequently as an instrument used to measure the temple (Ezek. 40:3.; 42:16; Zech. 2:1: Rev. 11:1).

Ezekiel 40:3 (NLT)
3 As he brought me nearer, I saw a man whose face shone like bronze standing beside a gateway entrance. He was holding in his hand a measuring tape and a measuring rod [reed].

Ezekiel 42:16 (ANIV)
16 He measured the east side with the measuring rod [reed]; it was five hundred cubits [Hebrew, rods/reeds].

Revelation 11:1 (ANIV)
1 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshippers there.

Here is the initial rough pencil sketch for this scene.

2 Kings 06 – Axe-head floats – Scene 02 – To the Jordan – Greyscale