2 Kings 7 13

2 Kings 7:13 kjv

And 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.

2 Kings 7:13 nkjv

And one of his servants answered and said, "Please, let several men take five of the remaining horses which are left in the city. Look, they may either become like all the multitude of Israel that are left in it; or indeed, I say, they may become like all the multitude of Israel left from those who are consumed; so let us send them and see."

2 Kings 7:13 niv

One of his officers answered, "Have some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their plight will be like that of all the Israelites left here?yes, they will only be like all these Israelites who are doomed. So let us send them to find out what happened."

2 Kings 7:13 esv

And one of his servants said, "Let some men take five of the remaining horses, seeing that those who are left here will fare like the whole multitude of Israel who have already perished. Let us send and see."

2 Kings 7:13 nlt

One of his officers replied, "We had better send out scouts to check into this. Let them take five of the remaining horses. If something happens to them, it will be no worse than if they stay here and die with the rest of us."

2 Kings 7 verses

2 Kings 7 13 Meaning

In 2 Kings 7:13, amidst the devastating famine and siege of Samaria by the Arameans, a servant or officer advises King Jehoram to send out five of the remaining horses with scouts. The reasoning provided is intensely pragmatic and pessimistic: the horses are already in such a dire state, equivalent to the dying or dead populace, that their loss in reconnaissance would be negligible compared to the potential discovery of a divine deliverance or an Aramean ruse. This counsel, rooted in desperation and calculated risk, allows for testing the lepers' incredible report while minimizing perceived loss, thereby creating a pathway for God's miraculous provision to be confirmed.

2 Kings 7 13 Context

The events of 2 Kings chapter 7 unfold against the backdrop of an intense Aramean siege of Samaria, the capital of Israel, during the reign of King Jehoram. This siege has led to extreme famine, with the inhabitants resorting to unimaginable acts like cannibalism (2 Ki 6:29). The king is in despair. Prophet Elisha had prophesied that by "tomorrow" a measure of fine flour would be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria, implying a miraculous end to the famine. A royal officer expresses strong disbelief, stating such a thing would be impossible "even if the Lord should make windows in heaven."

Verse 13 occurs immediately after four lepers, desperate from their hunger and isolated outside the city gate, ventured into the Aramean camp and found it miraculously deserted. The Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, leading them to flee in terror, believing the king of Israel had hired Hittite and Egyptian kings against them. The lepers bring this news back to the city. King Jehoram, initially hearing the report, suspects a trap—that the Arameans have merely feigned flight to draw the starving Israelites out of the city and ambush them. It is at this moment of royal suspicion and deliberation that the servant offers the counsel recorded in 2 Kings 7:13. The king, convinced by this practical, albeit dire, reasoning, decides to follow the advice, leading to the confirmation of God's miraculous deliverance.

2 Kings 7 13 Word analysis

• "So one of his servants answered": The Hebrew term for "servant" is `eved (עֶבֶד). While literally "servant," in a royal context, it often refers to a trusted advisor, officer, or minister. This individual's counsel carries weight and authority, indicating their position close to the king. The act of "answering" implies they were responding to the king's doubts and fears, offering a pragmatic solution to a complex dilemma.
• "and said, Let some of them, I pray thee,": The request "I pray thee" (נָא - na) is a polite but firm urging for the king to consider and act upon the advice. It suggests urgency and sincerity. "Let some of them" refers to the horses from the proposed scouting party.
• "take five of the horses that remain": The number "five" is remarkably small, emphasizing the extreme scarcity of resources within the besieged city. "Horses" (susim, סוּסִים) were vital military assets for scouting and combat. The fact that only "five" are considered for such a crucial reconnaissance mission underscores the depleted state of Samaria's cavalry. The verb "remain" (sha'ar, שָׁאַר) highlights scarcity and survival; these horses are remnants, survivors of the siege and famine.
• "which are left in the city,": Reinforces the idea of extreme scarcity. They are the few, if any, that are still viable enough for such a task after enduring prolonged siege and starvation.
• "(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 Israel that are consumed:)": This is the core of the servant's cynical, yet practical, argument. The phrase "behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it" and its pessimistic counterpart "they are even as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed" utilize strong rhetorical parallelism.
  • "Multitude of Israel" (kol hamon Yisra'el, כָּל הֲמוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל): Refers to the entire populace. The servant paints a bleak picture: the surviving horses are no better off than the starving, emaciated people still alive. They are equally on the brink of death.
  • "consumed" (avad, אָבַד): Means to perish, be destroyed, or lost. The servant equates the fate of these five horses, should they die, with the many Israelites already lost to starvation. The loss of five dying horses is deemed negligible compared to the thousands who have already perished, or will perish, from the famine. This reasoning serves to overcome the king's reluctance to risk even these few precious animals. It’s a cost-benefit analysis where the cost (five almost-dead horses) is minimal compared to the potential gain (confirming deliverance). It subtly underscores the depth of despair, seeing even animals as expendable in the face of widespread death.
• "and let us send and see.": The pragmatic proposal for immediate action. "Send" (shalach, שָׁלַח) to dispatch scouts. "See" (ra'ah, רָאָה) to ascertain the truth of the lepers' report firsthand. This desire for verification by empirical evidence (seeing for themselves) contrasts sharply with Elisha's prophecy, which demanded faith.

Words-group analysis:

• "five of the horses that remain... left in the city": This phrase starkly highlights the kingdom's dire state. The chosen number, five, is almost negligible for a military reconnaissance, indicating a kingdom pushed to its limits, clinging to the bare minimum of resources. It also sets up a contrast with God's lavish provision that is about to unfold.
• "they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it;... they are even as all the multitude of Israel that are consumed": This grim parallelism reveals the servant's utterly pragmatic, despair-laden perspective. He views the horses' lives as equivalent to the suffering and dying population. The underlying idea is: "What difference does it make? Whether they live or die, they're already functionally dead like the rest of us." This dark reasoning makes the risk acceptable. It subtly acts as a foil to the miraculous intervention; while human logic sees only death and minimal returns, divine power prepares to usher in life and abundance. This desperate reasoning is ultimately God's means of getting the king to act.

2 Kings 7 13 Bonus section

• The proposal of using five horses might be symbolic or represent a small, manageable number for a desperate sortie. Some interpretations suggest it allowed for two chariots, a standard scouting unit in ancient warfare, each pulled by two horses, plus one spare or a horse for the scout returning with news.
• The servant's willingness to send "horses that remain" and equate them with the dying populace, suggests a stark acceptance of the siege's devastation, even to the point of treating living animals as already deceased or expendable in a dire calculation.
• This situation contrasts with Abraham's unquestioning faith (Gen 22:3) or David's confidence in God's victory (1 Sam 17:45) when faced with daunting circumstances, showcasing a period where Israel's kings often leaned more on pragmatic solutions than unwavering trust in their covenant God.
• The Arameans' panic, caused by God making them hear sounds of chariots and horses, foreshadows the servant's proposed scouting party who find the deserted camp. This irony highlights God's power to manipulate perceptions and events.
• This verse serves as a crucial bridge between the prophecy of deliverance (Elisha's word in v.1) and its grand fulfillment (v.16). It represents the moment human deliberation intersects with divine providence.

2 Kings 7 13 Commentary

2 Kings 7:13 captures a pivotal moment of human pragmatism, despair, and yet, openness to action, setting the stage for divine intervention. Faced with an unbelievable report from the lepers and the king's profound suspicion of an Aramean ruse, this servant's counsel acts as a practical compromise. His logic is cold, stark, and utterly devoid of faith in miraculous deliverance. He presents a calculus of desolation: "We have nothing left to lose. Our horses are as good as dead, like so many of our people. Let's use them to ascertain the truth before we are all 'consumed.'" This reasoning is effective because it appeals to the king's practical need for verification while assuaging his fear of significant loss.

The verse indirectly highlights the tension between human logic (based on visible resources and despair) and divine promise (often seemingly impossible). While the king and his servant couldn't comprehend how God would provide, their willingness to act, even if for pragmatic reasons, created the opening for the prophecy to be confirmed. This act of sending scouts, born of a mixture of desperation and pragmatic caution, became the human instrument through which God's great work was authenticated, shifting Samaria from starvation to unprecedented plenty. It's a reminder that God can work through imperfect or faithless motives to achieve His sovereign purposes, often meeting human caution with overwhelming divine demonstration.