2 Kings 7: Good News at the Gate
Elisha promises plenty within a day, and four lepers discover the besieging army has fled, bringing deliverance to starving Samaria.
2 Kings 7 (WEB)
1 Elisha said, “Hear Yahweh’s word. Thus says Yahweh, ‘Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”
2 Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Behold, if Yahweh made windows in heaven, could this thing be?” He said, “Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it.”
3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. They said one to another, “Why do we sit 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. If we sit still here, we also die. Now therefore come, and let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we will live; and if they kill us, we will only die.”
5 They rose up in the twilight, to go to the camp of the Syrians. When they had come to the outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there.
6 For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great army: and they said one to another, Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come on us.
7 Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their donkeys, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
8 When these lepers came to the outermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and ate and drink, and carried there silver, and gold, and clothing, and went and hid it. Then they came back, and entered into another tent, and carried there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said one to another, “We aren’t doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we keep silent. If we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
10 So they came and called to 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 the horses tied, and the donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.”
11 He called the porters; and they told it to the king’s household within.
12 The king arose in the night, and said to his servants, “I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are 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 take them alive, and get into the city.’”
13 One of his servants answered, “Please let some take five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city. Behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel who are left in it. Behold, they are like all the multitude of Israel who are consumed. Let us send and see.”
14 They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the army of the Syrians, saying, “Go and see.”
15 They went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. The messengers returned, and told the king.
16 The people went out, and plundered the camp of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to Yahweh’s word.
17 The king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to be in charge of the gate: and the people trod on him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
18 It happened 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 tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria”;
19 and that captain answered the man of God, and said, “Now, behold, if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be?” and he said, “Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it.”
20 It happened like that to him; for the people trod on him in the gate, and he died.
2 Kings 7 (KJV)
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.
6 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.
8 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.
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.
11 And 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.
13 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 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:
19 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.
2 Kings 7 (ASV)
1 And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: thus saith Jehovah, 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 the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if Jehovah should 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 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance 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 outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no man there.
6 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.
8 And when these lepers came to the outermost 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 they came back, 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, punishment will overtake us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.
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 the horses tied, and the asses tied, and the tents as they were.
11 And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s household within.
12 And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are 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 take them alive, and get into the city.
13 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, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed); and let us send and see.
14 They took therefore two chariots with horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them unto the 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.
16 And the people went out, and plundered the camp 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 Jehovah.
17 And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
18 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;
19 and that captain answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if Jehovah 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 it came to pass even so unto him; for the people trod upon him in the gate, and he died.
Summary
In the depths of Samaria's famine, Elisha announces an astonishing word of the LORD: by this time tomorrow, fine flour and barley will sell cheaply at the city gate. The king's officer, on whose hand the king leans, scoffs that this could not happen even if God opened the windows of heaven, and Elisha tells him he will see it but not eat of it. Meanwhile, four lepers at the gate reason that they will die whether they stay or enter the city, so they surrender to the Syrian camp at dusk—only to find it deserted. For the LORD had made the Syrians hear the sound of a vast army, and they fled in panic, leaving everything behind. The lepers feast and plunder, then convict themselves: this is a day of good news, and they must not keep silent. They report to the city, the king cautiously verifies the empty camp, and the people pour out to plunder, so that food becomes abundant exactly as the LORD had said. The scoffing officer, posted at the gate, is trampled by the rushing crowd and dies, just as the man of God had foretold, having seen the deliverance but tasted none of it.
Main Characters
- Elisha — The prophet who declares God's word of sudden abundance and foretells both the deliverance of Samaria and the doubting officer's fate.
- The king's officer (captain) — The royal aide who mocks the promise of plenty and, as Elisha said, sees it come true but is trampled before he can eat.
- The four lepers — Outcasts at the gate who discover the abandoned Syrian camp and become unlikely messengers of good news to the starving city.
- The king of Israel — The wary ruler who suspects a trap, verifies the empty camp, and then sees the famine broken as Elisha promised.
Key Verse
2 Kings 7:9 (WEB)
Then they said one to another, “We aren’t doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we keep silent. If we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
Lessons Learned
- God can reverse the most hopeless situation overnight, turning famine into feast by his bare word.
- Unbelief that scoffs at God's promise forfeits the blessing it refuses to trust.
- God delights to use the lowly and overlooked as bearers of good news.
- Those who have found good news cannot rightly keep silent while others perish for lack of it.
- God's word turns famine to feast. Elisha promises cheap flour “in the gate of Samaria” (2 Kings 7:1, WEB) within a day, and it comes to pass. No scarcity is beyond the reach of his promise.
- Unbelief forfeits the blessing. The scoffing officer is told, “you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it” (2 Kings 7:2, WEB). Mocking God's word costs us the very mercy offered.
- God uses the lowly as messengers. Four lepers, outcasts at the gate, become the first to carry the good news (2 Kings 7:8-10, WEB). God loves to work through those the world overlooks.
- Good news must be shared. “This day is a day of good news, and we keep silent” (2 Kings 7:9, WEB) convicts them. Those who have tasted deliverance are bound to tell others.
- Why does the king's officer scoff at Elisha's promise, and what does his fate teach about unbelief?
- What reasoning leads the four lepers to approach the Syrian camp, and what do they find?
- How does God actually rout the Syrian army, and what does this show about how he fights for his people?
- Why do the lepers say, “We aren’t doing right” to keep the good news to themselves?
- What good news has God entrusted to you that you are tempted to keep silent about?
- The officer dismisses the promise as impossible even if God opened heaven's windows—pure cynicism toward God's word. He lives to see the abundance but is trampled before tasting it, a sobering picture of how unbelief can forfeit the very blessing it scorns.
- Facing certain death by staying, the lepers decide that surrendering to the enemy is their only chance. They find the camp abandoned and laden with plunder. God's deliverance had already come; their desperate step simply led them into it.
- God made the Syrians hear the noise of a great army, and they fled in terror, leaving everything. He won the battle without Israel lifting a weapon, reminding us that deliverance is the LORD's doing, often accomplished while his people sleep.
- Feasting while the city starves stirs their conscience; hoarding good news in a day of deliverance is wrong. Their words apply directly to the gospel: having received mercy, we cannot rightly stay silent while others perish for want of it.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Invite members to consider the good news of Christ they have received and where fear or apathy keeps them quiet. Encourage them, like the lepers, to go and tell, trusting God with the response.