The big picture
2 Kings 7 opens in verse 1 with “Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD ; Thus saith the LORD , To morrow about…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 10 with “So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came…”, and closes in verse 20 with “And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, king, Syrians, camp, city. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
2 Kings · King James Version · 202 Kings 7:1-7
1–7: Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD ; Thus saith the LORD , To…
2 Kings 7:1–7 opens with “Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD ; Thus saith the LORD , To morrow about this time…” and reaches “Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 7 develops its own movement around LORD, king, Syrians, camp, city, with particular weight carried by LORD, camp, host.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD ; Thus saith the LORD , To morrow about this time shall a measure of…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“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…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
2 Kings 7:1-7
King James Version1Then 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.
3And 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.
2 Kings 7:8-14
8–14: When these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into…
2 Kings 7:8–14 opens with “And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did…” and reaches “They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 7 develops its own movement around LORD, king, Syrians, camp, city, with particular weight carried by city, camp, horses.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“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…” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.” The line’s distinctive content terms include house, king’s, porters. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.
2 Kings 7:8-14
King James Version8And 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.
12And 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.
2 Kings 7:15-20
15–20: They went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of…
2 Kings 7:15–20 opens with “And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels…” and reaches “And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 7 develops its own movement around LORD, king, Syrians, camp, city, with particular weight carried by gate, king, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had…” Naming Jordan and Syrians keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
2 Kings 7:15-20
King James Version15And 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.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
2 Kings 7:1 begins with “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…”
Where the chapter turns
2 Kings 7:9 forms a natural hinge: “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…”
The final note
2 Kings 7:20 leaves the reader with “And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, king, Syrians, camp, city, gate help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What links this event with creation?
Waters overwhelm the inhabited world, reversing the separations that made life possible.
What details show continuity rather than total abandonment?
The named household and preserved kinds of living creatures survive within the ark.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.