God is in control of victory and defeat. The armies of Israel, Judah and Edom united to attack Moab from the desert for failure to pay tribute. When they ran out of water, they were in desperate condition. Therefore, they asked Elisha (the prophet of God) what to do and he said God would give them water and victory over Moab. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/prophet]])
They described Elisha with the idiom, "who poured water on the hands of Elijah," meaning "who served Elijah." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])