2 Kings 7:3

Discouragement and depression Poverty and the vulnerable Courage and strength

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.

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.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die?
KJV: 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?
WEB: Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. They said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?
ASV: 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?
DARBY: And there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate, and they said one to another, Why do we abide here until we die?
BLB: And four leprous men were at the entrance of the gate, and they said one to another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?

ÅB: Foran byporten var det fire spedalske menn; de sa til hverandre: Hvorfor skal vi bli sittende her til vi dør?
OTB: Nå var det fire menn med spedalskhet ved inngangen til porten; og de sa til hverandre, "Hvorfor sitter vi her til vi dør?
B1930: Foran byporten var det fire spedalske menn; de sa til hverandre: Hvorfor skal vi bli sittende her til vi dør?

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Leviticus 13:45–46
And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean.
Read in context
Numbers 5:2–4
Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:
Read in context
2 Kings 7:4
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.
Read in context
Jeremiah 8:14
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
Read in context
2 Kings 8:4
And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
Read in context
Jeremiah 27:13
Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
Read in context
Numbers 12:14
And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.
Read in context
2 Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
Read in context