2 KINGS CHAPTER 7
Elisha Promises Food
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But Elisha replied, “Hear the word of Yahweh: This is what Yahweh says, ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, 7 quarts of fine flour will sell for a shekel and 14 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel.’” An officer who was the king’s right-hand man said to the man of God, “Look, even if Yahweh were to make windows in heaven, could this happen so quickly?” Elisha answered, “You will see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”
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ESV Study Bible writes, “…The king will have to wait no longer: salvation is imminent, and normal business at the gate of Samaria will be resumed on the following day (the prices are much lower here than in 6:25). The open area inside the city gates served various important social purposes in ancient times. Among other things, agricultural activities took place and business was transacted there…It is impossible for this officer to imagine how such an economic recovery could happen overnight, in the aftermath of such a terrible seige. Will God hand out unexpected material blessings through the windows of his heavenly storehouse (cf Ps 78:23; Mal 3:10)?”
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Outcasts Visit the Enemy Camp
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Now there were 4 men with a skin disease at the entrance to the city gate and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? If we go into the city we’ll die because of the famine there, and if we stay here we’ll die. So, let’s go over to the Syrian camp. If they spare us we’ll live, and if they kill us, we were going to die anyway.” So they set out for the Syrian camp at dusk. But when they arrived at the edge of the Syrian camp, they discovered that there was no one there. Yahweh had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a large army, so that they said to one another, “Look! The king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the Egyptians to attack us!” So they got up and ran away at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They had abandoned the camp intact and run for their lives. When the men with a skin disease came to the edge of the camp, they entered one of the tents, ate and drank, then took the silver, gold, and clothing and went and hid them. Then they went back and looted another tent and went and hid those things too. Then they said to one another, “What we’re doing isn’t right. This is a day of good news and we haven’t told anyone. If we wait until morning, we’ll be punished. Let’s go tell the king’s household.” So they came and called out to the city gatekeepers saying, “We went to the Syrian camp and no one was there to be seen or heard. But the horses and donkeys are still tied up and their tents remain up.” The gatekeepers called out and it was reported to the king’s household.
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NLT Illustrated Study Bible notes, “These four men were outcasts because of their condition and remained outside the city gates (Lev 13:45-46; see Luke 17:11-13).”
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Guzik adds, “Their logic was perfect. They would soon die from the famine if they stayed by the city. If any food became available, they would certainly be the last to receive it. So they decided that their chances were better if they surrendered to the Syrians…Israel was powerless against this besieging army, but God wasn’t powerless. He attacked the Syrian army simply by causing them to hear the noise of an army…Everything was left behind, leaving the unlikely lepers to spoil the camp. As a result, the siege for Samaria was over – even though no one in the city knew it or enjoyed it.”
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Israel Plunders the Camp
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So the king got up in the night and told his servants, “I’ll tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving so they have left the camp to hide in the field thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we’ll take them alive and enter the city.’” One of his servants answered, “Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people- we’re all going to die. Let’s send them out to find out what happened.” So they took two horsemen and the king sent them after the Syrian army saying, “Go and find out what has happened.” So they tracked them as far as the Jordan and saw that the whole way was littered with clothes and equipment the Syrians had discarded in their haste. The men went back and reported this to the king. Then the people went out and plundered the Syrian camp. So 7 quarts of fine flour and 14 quarts of barley sold for a shekel each, in accordance with the word of Yahweh.
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NLT Illustrated Study Bible says, “[The king] suspected that the Arameans had set a trap, perhaps attempting to lure the Israelites into an ambush. Joshua had used a similar battle tactic in taking the city of Ai (Josh 8:3-23). The trail of abandoned articles confirmed the Arameans’ rush to escape, and the Israelites plundered the Aramean camp…”
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Now the king had put the officer who was his right-hand man in charge of the the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him at the city gate. He died just as the man of God had predicted when the king had come down to him. He had told the king, “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, 14 quarts of barley will sell for a shekel and 7 quarts of fine flour will sell for a shekel.” But the officer had replied, “Look, even if Yahweh were to make windows in heaven, could this happen so quickly?” And Elisha had said, “ You will see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.” And so it was because the people trampled him to death at the city gate.
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