Darby Bible
2 Kings 7:3
3And 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?
2 Kings 7:3 in other versions
- King James Version (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?
- New International Version (NIV)Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?
Context of 2 Kings 7:3
1And Elisha said, Hear the word of Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah: To-morrow about this time shall the measure of fine flour be at a shekel, and two measures of barley at a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. 2And the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in the heavens, would 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 entrance of the gate, and they said one to another, Why do we abide here until we die? 4If we say, Let us enter into the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we abide here, we shall die. And now come, let us fall away to the camp of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they put us to death, we shall but die. 5And they rose up in the dusk to go to the camp of the Syrians; and they came to the extremity of the camp of the Syrians; and behold, there was no man there.
Read all of 2 Kings 72 Kings 7:3 word by word
וְאַרְבָּעָ֧ה אֲנָשִׁ֛ים הָי֥וּ מְצֹרָעִ֖ים פֶּ֣תַח הַשָּׁ֑עַר וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵ֔הוּ מָ֗ה אֲנַ֛חְנוּ יֹשְׁבִ֥ים פֹּ֖ה עַד־מָֽתְנוּ׃Read the interlinear
- wereהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- fourאַרְבַּע'arba‛ 'arbâ‛âh · fourH702
- leprousצָרַעtsâra‛ · be leprousH6879
- menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- entranceפֶּ֫תַחpethach · entranceH6607
- gateשַׁ֫עַרsha‛ar · gateH8179
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Whyמָהmâh mah mâ ma meh · what?H4100
- hereפֹּהpôh pô' pô · hereH6311
- dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
Cross-references for 2 Kings 7:3
- 2 Kings 5:1And Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man before his master, and honourable, for by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria; and he was a mighty man of valour, [but] a leper.
- 2 Kings 8:4And the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha has done.
- Leviticus 13:46All the days that the sore shall be in him he shall be unclean: he is unclean; he shall dwell apart; outside the camp shall his dwelling be.
- Numbers 5:2Command 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 a dead person:
- Numbers 12:14And Jehovah said to Moses, But had her father anyways spat in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? She shall be shut outside the camp seven days, and afterwards she shall be received in [again].
- 2 Kings 7:4If we say, Let us enter into the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we abide here, we shall die. And now come, let us fall away to the camp of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they put us to death, we shall but die.
- Jeremiah 8:14Why do we sit still? Assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the fenced cities, and let us be silent there: for Jehovah our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against Jehovah.
- Jeremiah 27:13Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as Jehovah hath spoken concerning the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
Commentaries on 2 Kings 7:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3There were four leprous men - The Gemara in Sota, R. Sol. Jarchi, and others, say that these four lepers were Gehazi and his three sons. At the entering in of the gate - They were not permitted to mingle in civil society.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The position of the lepers is in accordance with the Law of Moses (marginal references); and shows that the Law was still observed to some extent in the kingdom of Israel.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 3-11Verses 3-11 God can, when he pleases, make the stoutest heart to tremble; and as for those who will not fear God, he can make them fear at the shaking of a leaf. Providence ordered it, that the lepers came as soon as the Syrians were fled. Their consciences told them that mischief would befall them, if they took care of themselves only. Natural humanity, and fear of punishment, are powerful checks on the selfishness of the ungodly. These feelings tend to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3These four men were outcasts due to their illness and stayed outside the city gates (Leviticus 13:45–46; see Luke 17:11–13).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. there were four leprous men--The account of the sudden raising of the siege and the unexpected supply given to the famishing inhabitants of Samaria, is introduced by a narrative of the visit and discovery, by these poor creatures, of the extraordinary flight of the Syrians. leprous men at the entering in of the gate--living, perhaps, in some lazar house there (Le 13:4-6; Nu 5:3).Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 7:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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