BibleWord.ai› Bible› 2 Kings› Chapter 7› Verse 4

2 Kings 7:4

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Kings 7:4 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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 the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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.
2 Kings 7:4 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Kings 7

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And 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.
2Then 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.
3Now there were four leprous men at the entrance 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 outermost part of the camp of the Syrians, 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 7:32 Kings 7:5 →
← Full Chapter 7 2 Kings Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“If we say we will enter into the city, etc.] Contrary to the law which forbid them: then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; not being able to obtain food to preserve life: and if we sit here, we die also; having nothing to eat to support nature: now therefore let us come, and fall unto the host of the Syrians; put ourselves into their hands, and lie at their mercy: if they save us alive, we shall live; if they do not put us to death, but give us bread to eat, our lives will be preserved: and if they kill us, we shall but die; which we must inevitably do, whether we stay here, or go into the city.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“we will enter: Jer 14:18 let us fall: Ch1 12:19; Jer 37:13, Jer 37:14 if they save us: Est 4:16; Jer 8:14; Jon 3:9; Luk 15:17-19 we shall but die: Sa2 14:14; Heb 9:27 4 Kings (2 Kings) 7:5”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read 2 Kings 7 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification