Melachim Bais 7:1

1 Then Elishah said, Hear ye the Devar Hashem; Thus saith Hashem, Machar (tomorrow) about this time shall a se’ah of solet (fine flour) be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of se’orim for a shekel, at the Sha’ar Shomron.

Melachim Bais 7:1 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 7:1

Then Elisha said, hear the word of the Lord
This he said to the king and those that were with him:

thus saith the Lord, tomorrow, about this time;
which very probably was the forenoon:

shall a measure of fine flour [be sold] for a shekel;
"a seah", the measure here spoken of, or "saturn", according to some F18, was a gallon and an half; but Bishop Cumberland F19 makes it two wine gallons and an half; and a shekel, according to his accurate computation, was two shillings and four pence farthing, and near the eighth part of one {t}:

and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria;
where the market was kept; the same sort of measure and of money is here used as before; and we learn from hence that a measure of wheat was equal to two of barley.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Godwin, ut supra. (Moses & Aaron, B. 6. c. 9.)
F19 Of Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 3. p. 86.
F20 lb. c. 4. p. 104, 105.

Melachim Bais 7:1 In-Context

1 Then Elishah said, Hear ye the Devar Hashem; Thus saith Hashem, Machar (tomorrow) about this time shall a se’ah of solet (fine flour) be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of se’orim for a shekel, at the Sha’ar Shomron.
2 Then an officer on whose arm HaMelech leaned answered the Ish HaElohim, and said, Hinei, even if Hashem would make windows in Shomayim, could this thing happen? And he said, Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
3 And there were arba’ah anashim that were metzora’im at the petach haSha’ar (city gate); and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?
4 If we say, We will enter into the Ir, then the ra’av (famine) is in the Ir, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us throw ourselves unto the Machaneh Aram (Syrian Camp); if they spare us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall die.
5 And they rose up at neshef (twilight, dusk) to go unto the Machaneh Aram; and when they were come to the edge of the Machaneh Aram, hinei, there was no ish there.
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