What is the significance of Elisha causing the axe-head to float?

The prophet Elisha, successor to Elijah, ministered for about 60 years throughout the reigns of kings Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash. During this time, Elisha supervised and gave instruction to a fellowship or guild of prophets called “the sons of the prophets” (see 1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:3; 4:1). In 2 Kings 6:1–7, the Bible records a miraculous episode in which Elisha, while helping these prophets, causes the lost axe-head (or ax head) to float to the surface of the Jordan River.

Under Elisha’s leadership, the band of trainee prophets was experiencing the blessing of the Lord. With their numbers increasing, they had outgrown their meeting and housing accommodations. One day, they sought Elisha’s approval to build a larger facility along the banks of the Jordan River, where logs were plentiful. When their master authorized the work, the young prophets invited Elisha to join the effort: “So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, ‘Oh, my master, it was borrowed!’” (2 Kings 6:4–5, CSB).

Right off, Elisha’s humility, simplicity, and sincerity became apparent. He was not too proud or preoccupied to jump in and work alongside his students. The apprentice prophets likely had little money or possessions, and at least one had to borrow a hand tool for the project. The man cried out in great distress when his axe-head flew off and disappeared into the water. The instrument was not his own. It was borrowed and needed to be returned.

The original Hebrew word translated as “ax head” in this passage literally means “the iron.” The implement was made of heavy iron metal, a costly commodity in ancient times. It had sunk to the bottom of the Jordan. Through Elisha, God demonstrated His personal attention and compassion for this needy man. Elisha asked the young prophet to show him where the ax head had fallen into the water. Then, “Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface” (2 Kings 6:6, NLT). The quaint wording of the KJV is “the iron did swim.” “‘Grab it,’ Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it” (2 Kings 6:7, NLT).

Elisha causing the axe-head to float to the surface was an unmistakable miracle that defied the laws of nature. When he commanded the man to retrieve the ax head from the water, Elisha emphasized the personal nature of the miracle. Though minor to most, the loss of an ax head was significant to the man who had borrowed it. God, like Elisha, cares about our needs, no matter how trivial they seem. He is interested in the big and small issues of our lives. We can give God all our worries and problems because He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7).

Elisha performed many astonishing public miracles in his ministry, but making the ax head float was a private act for one man. While this miracle confirms the divine power bestowed on Elisha as God’s chosen prophet, it reveals an additional, more profound truth. It serves as a testament to God’s compassion and care for the seemingly mundane concerns of the everyday lives of His people (see Matthew 6:25–26). Even the small matters that trouble our hearts are not outside God’s interest and care.