2 Kings 7:2

2 And one of the dukes, on whose hand the king leaned, answered to the man of God, and said, (Yea,) Though the Lord make also the gutters of heaven to be opened, whether that, that thou speakest, may be? And Elisha said, Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. (And one of the leaders, on whose hand the king leaned, answered to the man of God, and said, Even if the Lord shall make the gutters of the heavens to open up, what thou sayest could not be true! And Elisha said, Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat any of it.)

2 Kings 7:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 7:2

Then a lord, on whose hand the king leaned
Not figuratively, in whom the king confided, but literally, on whose hand he rested, and by whom he was supported, being a form and matter of state, while he and Elisha were talking together, or on whom he leaned as he came to him; this was a principal lord, the third to the king, as his title seems to denote; the word by which the Septuagint renders it is by Suidas ^F21 interpreted of such that held three spears in the hand together; and this was an honourable post, for a king to lean on him; such state was used by the king of Syria, ( 2 Kings 5:18 ) and by the kings and queens of Persia; so Gorionides ^F23 says of Esther, that on the third day; she put on her beautiful garments and glorious ornaments, and took two of her maidens with her, and put her right hand on one of them, and leaned upon her in a royal manner, or as was the manner of kings: the same

answered the man of God;
the prophet of the Lord, as the Targum:

and said, behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this
thing be?
it is impossible it should be, if he was to open the windows of heaven as at the flood, and let down showers of wheat and barley, in like manner as he rained manna in the wilderness:

and he said;
the prophet in reply to him:

behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof;
wheat and barley sold at the above price, but should not taste of it, as a punishment of his unbelief.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 In voce (tristatai) .
F23 Heb. Hist. l. 2. c. 4.

2 Kings 7:2 In-Context

1 Forsooth Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; the Lord saith these things, In this time tomorrow (At this time tomorrow), a bushel of [tried] flour shall be sold for a stater, and two bushels of barley for a stater, in the gate of Samaria.

2 And one of the dukes, on whose hand the king leaned, answered to the man of God, and said, (Yea,) Though the Lord make also the gutters of heaven to be opened, whether that, that thou speakest, may be? And Elisha said, Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof. (And one of the leaders, on whose hand the king leaned, answered to the man of God, and said, Even if the Lord shall make the gutters of the heavens to open up, what thou sayest could not be true! And Elisha said, Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not eat any of it.)

3 Therefore four leprous men were beside the entering of the city's gate, which said together, What will we be here, till we die? (And so four lepers were beside the entrance to the city gate, and they said together, Why should we stay here, and just wait until we all die?)

4 Whether we will enter into the city, we shall die for hunger; whether we dwell here (or if we stay here), we shall (also) die. Therefore come ye, and flee we over to the tents of Syria; if they shall spare us, we shall live; soothly if they will slay us, nevertheless we shall (still just) die.

5 Then they rose up in the eventide, to come to the tents of Syria; and when they had come to the beginning of the tents of Syria, they found not any man there.