2 Kings 7

King James Version

Full text for 2 Kings Chapter 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.

2Then 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?

4If 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.

5And 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.

6For 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.

7Wherefore 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.

8And 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].

9Then 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.

10So 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].

11And he called the porters; and they told [it] to the king's house within.

12¶ 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.

13And 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.

14They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

15And 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.

16And 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.

17And 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.

18And 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:

19And 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.

20And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Amidst a severe famine in Samaria, Elisha prophesied that abundant food would be available by the next day. Four desperate lepers, venturing to the besieging Syrian camp, discovered it miraculously deserted. The Lord had caused the Syrians to flee in panic, leading to the city's deliverance and the fulfillment of Elisha's prophecy.

Medium Summary

Samaria faced extreme famine, prompting Elisha to declare that by the next day, food would be plentiful and cheap. A skeptical lord questioned this, and Elisha foretold he would see it but not partake. Meanwhile, four leprous men, facing certain death, decided to surrender to the Syrian camp, only to find it completely abandoned. The Lord had caused the Syrians to hear a terrifying noise of chariots and horses, making them believe Israel had hired foreign kings, leading to their hasty retreat. The lepers plundered the camp and, realizing the significance, reported the good news to the city. The king, initially wary, sent scouts who confirmed the Syrians' flight, allowing the people to plunder the camp. This fulfilled Elisha's prophecy, and the skeptical lord was trampled to death at the gate, seeing the abundance but not partaking.

Long Summary

The chapter commences with the city of Samaria enduring a severe famine under Syrian siege, prompting the prophet Elisha to declare a miraculous end to the scarcity. He prophesied that by the following day, a measure of fine flour and two measures of barley would each be sold for a shekel at the city gate. A high-ranking lord, upon whose hand the king leaned, expressed profound disbelief, questioning how such an event could occur even if the Lord were to open windows in heaven. Elisha responded by foretelling that this lord would indeed witness the abundance with his own eyes but would not partake of it. Simultaneously, four leprous men, isolated outside the city gate and facing imminent death from starvation, deliberated their dire situation. They reasoned that entering the city meant dying of famine, and remaining outside meant the same fate, leading them to decide to surrender to the Syrian army in hopes of survival. As they approached the Syrian camp in the twilight, they were astonished to find it utterly deserted. The Lord had supernaturally caused the Syrian host to hear a terrifying noise of chariots and horses, making them believe the king of Israel had hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack them. Overcome with panic, the Syrians had fled for their lives, abandoning their tents, horses, asses, and all their provisions. The lepers, discovering the vast spoils, first ate and drank, then gathered silver, gold, and raiment, hiding their findings. Recognizing the moral imperative of their discovery, they declared it a day of good tidings and decided to inform the king's household, fearing ill consequences if they delayed. They called to the city porters, who relayed the astonishing news to the king. The king, initially suspicious, believed it was a Syrian ruse to lure the hungry Israelites out of the city and ambush them. However, one of his servants wisely suggested sending scouts on the few remaining horses to verify the report. Two chariot horses were dispatched, and they confirmed the Syrians' panicked flight, finding the entire road to Jordan strewn with discarded garments and vessels. Upon receiving this confirmation, the people of Samaria rushed out and plundered the Syrian camp. This immediate influx of provisions caused the prices of fine flour and barley to plummet, fulfilling Elisha's prophecy precisely. The king then appointed the skeptical lord to oversee the gate, and as the desperate crowd surged out to the abandoned camp, they trampled him to death in the gate. Thus, the lord witnessed the miraculous abundance but did not eat of it, fulfilling Elisha's word concerning his disbelief.

Core Concepts

  • Divine DeliveranceThe Lord directly intervened by causing the Syrian army to hear a terrifying noise, leading them to flee in panic and abandon their camp, thereby delivering Samaria from famine and siege.
  • Prophetic AccuracyElisha's precise prophecy regarding the immediate end of the famine and the specific prices of food was fulfilled within a day, demonstrating the reliability of God's word.
  • Consequences of UnbeliefThe skeptical lord's questioning of God's power and Elisha's word resulted in his death by trampling, as he witnessed the prophecy's fulfillment but could not partake of the abundance.
  • Unexpected Agents of ChangeFour leprous men, marginalized and desperate, became the first to discover the deserted Syrian camp and bring the good news to the city, initiating Samaria's deliverance.
  • Abundance from DesolationThe sudden transformation of a besieged city suffering extreme famine into a place of plenty occurred due to the vast provisions and spoils left behind by the fleeing Syrian army.
  • The Sound of PanicThe Lord supernaturally caused the Syrian forces to hear a perceived noise of chariots and horses, inducing such terror that they fled hastily, leaving everything behind.