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2 Kings 7

1

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

2

Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

3

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

4

If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

5

And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

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For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

7

Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

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And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

9

Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

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10

So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

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And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.

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And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.

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And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

14

They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

15

And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

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And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

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And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

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And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:

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And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

20

And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

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2 Kings 7

The account of the sudden lifting of the Aramean siege of Samaria through an unexpected turn of events establishes that YHWH's deliverance sometimes comes through means that human calculation cannot predict and that those considered least worthy may become the instruments through which YHWH accomplishes his purposes. The chapter opens with Elisha's prophecy that YHWH will provide abundance in Samaria. The chapter describes the unexpected discovery of the Aramean camp abandoned: four lepers, sitting at the gate of the city and facing death from starvation, decide to surrender to the Aramean army. When they approach the camp, they discover that the Arameans have fled, leaving behind their food and equipment. The lepers, initially seeking food and plunder for themselves, recognize their obligation to inform the city of the abandoned camp. The subsequent opening of the gates results in the abundance that Elisha had prophesied. The theological significance lies in the demonstration that YHWH's deliverance operates outside the realm of human expectation and that those considered marginal may become the instruments through which YHWH's purposes are accomplished.

2 Kings 7:1

Elisha says: "Hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the LORD, 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.'" — the prophecy announces deliverance through abundance. The specific prices indicate both severity of change and divine precision.

2 Kings 7:2

A captain on whose hand the king leaned answers Elisha: "Behold, if the LORD himself should make windows in the heavens, could this thing be?" — the captain's skepticism challenges the prophet's word. His rhetorical question expresses disbelief in the possibility of such abundance amid siege.

2 Kings 7:3

Elisha says: "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it." — the prophecy's second part pronounces judgment on the doubter. Sight without participation becomes its own curse.

2 Kings 7:4

Four men with leprosy sit at the entrance of the gate of Samaria — their position at the gate marks their liminal status: neither inside the city (which rejects them) nor entirely outside. Leprosy has separated them from the community.

2 Kings 7:5

They say to one another: "Why do we sit here until we die? If we say, 'Let us enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we shall also die. Now then, come, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they spare us, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die." — the lepers' logic is stark: death is certain in any case; only the Aramean camp offers a chance of life. They abandon the dying city for uncertain hope.

2 Kings 7:6

In the evening, they rise and go to the camp of the Arameans, but when they reach the edge of the camp, behold, no one is there — the discovery is shocking. The encampment is abandoned.

2 Kings 7:7

For the LORD had caused the army of the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and of horses and of a great army — the Hebrew phrase

2 Kings 7:8

The Arameans say to one another: "Behold, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the king of Egypt to come against us." — the panicked interpretation invents enemies: the Hittites and Egypt are imagined allies of Israel. Fear multiplies perceived threats.

2 Kings 7:9

They flee at twilight, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys — the Aramean army's flight is total and disorderly. In panic, they leave behind wealth and military equipment.

2 Kings 7:10

The lepers come to the edge of the camp and enter one tent and eat and drink, then carry off silver and gold and clothing — the discovery of abundance is overwhelming. The lepers, having resigned themselves to death, encounter instead infinite provision.

2 Kings 7:11

They say to one another: "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king's household." — the lepers' moral sense awakens: good news must be shared. Silence in the face of deliverance becomes complicit in the city's continued starvation.

2 Kings 7:12

They come and call to the gatekeepers and tell them: "We went to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there is no one there and no sound of anyone — the gatekeepers pass the news to the city, and alarm spreads. The rumor seems impossible yet carries hope.

2 Kings 7:13

The king rises at night and says to his servants: "I will tell you what the Arameans have done. They know that we are hungry, so they have left the camp to hide themselves in the open country, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive and get into the city.'" — the king's paranoid interpretation misreads deliverance as deception. Fear makes him doubt good news.

2 Kings 7:14

So the king sends out horses and riders to scout the Aramean camp, and they report: "All the way was littered with the gear that the Arameans had thrown away in their haste to flee." — the visual evidence confirms the prophetic word. The Aramean flight is undeniable.

2 Kings 7:15

The people go out and plunder the camp of the Arameans, and the prices fall dramatically as prophesied: a measure of fine flour for a shekel, two measures of barley for a shekel — Elisha's word is fulfilled precisely. Abundance replaces scarcity.

2 Kings 7:16

The king posts a captain at the gate to oversee the crowd — the captain is the one who doubted Elisha's word. The narrative turns ironic: the doubter becomes the administrator of abundance.

2 Kings 7:17

The people tread upon him at the gate, and he dies — the captain's death occurs through the crowds' trampling in their rush to reach the abundant provisions. His fate is precisely what Elisha prophesied: he sees the salvation but does not eat of it.

2 Kings 7:18

And so it came to pass as the man of God had spoken — the narrative conclusion affirms the absolute fulfillment of Elisha's word. What seemed impossible is accomplished.

2 Kings 7:19

The captain had answered the man of God: 'Behold, if the LORD himself should make windows in the heavens, could this thing be?' — the text recalls the captain's skepticism, exposing the contradiction between his doubt and the manifest reality.

2 Kings 7:20

And he said, 'You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.' — Elisha's word proves doubly true: the captain witnesses the abundance but dies before tasting it. The prophecy's precision demonstrates God's knowledge and the prophet's reliability.