2 Kings 7:1-7

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.
6 Forsooth the Lord had made a sound of chariots, and of horses, and of a full much host to be heard in the tents of Syria; and they said together, Lo! the king of Israel hath hired by meed against us the kings of Hittites, and of Egyptians; and they came suddenly upon us. (For the Lord had made the sound of chariots, and of horses, and of a very large army to be heard among the tents, or in the camp, of the Syrians; and they had said together, Lo! the king of Israel hath hired for money the kings of the Hittites, and of the Egyptians, to come against us; and they have suddenly come upon us!)
7 Therefore they rose up, and fled in darkness, and left their tents, and their horses, and mules, and asses, in the castles (with the tents); and they fled, coveting to save their lives only. (And so they rose up, and fled away in the darkness, and left their tents, and their horses, and mules, and donkeys, with the tents, or in the camp; and they fled, desiring only to save their own lives.)

2 Kings 7:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 7

This chapter begins with a prophecy of great plenty in Samaria on the morrow, and of the death of an unbelieving lord, 2Ki 7:1,2, relates the case of four lepers, who that night went into the Syrian camp, which was deserted, occasioned by the noise of chariots, horses, and a host, which they fancied they heard, 2Ki 7:3-9, the report which the lepers made to the king's household of this affair, and the method the king's servants took to know the truth of it, 2Ki 7:10-15 which, when confirmed, the people went out and spoiled the tents of the Syrians, whereby the prophecy of plenty was fulfilled, 2Ki 7:16, and the unbelieving lord having post at the gate of the city assigned him, was trod to death, and so the prediction concerning him had its accomplishment also, 2Ki 7:17-20.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.