2 Kings 7:17 kjv
And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
2 Kings 7:17 nkjv
Now the king had appointed the officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. But the people trampled him in the gate, and he died, just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.
2 Kings 7:17 niv
Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house.
2 Kings 7:17 esv
Now the king had appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate. And the people trampled him in the gate, so that he died, as the man of God had said when the king came down to him.
2 Kings 7:17 nlt
The king appointed his officer to control the traffic at the gate, but he was knocked down and trampled to death as the people rushed out. So everything happened exactly as the man of God had predicted when the king came to his house.
2 Kings 7 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 7:2 | Then the officer... said, "Even if the Lord should open windows... will this be?" | The unbelieving officer's original scoff. |
| Num 14:11-12 | "How long will this people spurn Me? ...I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them..." | Divine judgment for rejecting God in unbelief. |
| Deut 18:21-22 | "...if the thing does not happen or come true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken." | Test for a true prophet: fulfillment confirms divine word. |
| 1 Sam 3:19 | And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. | God establishes His prophet by fulfilling His words. |
| 1 Kgs 8:15 | "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to David my father, and has fulfilled it by His hand." | God is faithful to perform what He promises. |
| Ps 78:19-22 | They spoke against God... because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation. | Disbelieving God's power and provision incurs wrath. |
| Isa 28:15-18 | "Because you have said, 'We have made a covenant with death...'" - then it will be swept away. | Judgment upon those who trust in deception and reject warnings. |
| Jer 5:12-14 | They have denied the Lord... 'No harm will come...' - 'I will make My words a fire in your mouth...' | Scoffing at God's word invites divine fiery judgment. |
| Eze 12:25 | "For I will speak a word and perform it," declares the Lord GOD. | God's words are certain to come to pass. |
| Zec 1:6 | "But My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?" | God's words and judgments inevitably reach those targeted. |
| Mt 24:35 | "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." | Christ's (God's) words are eternally enduring and certain. |
| Lk 1:20 | "And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak... because you did not believe my words." | Immediate consequence of unbelief in a divine message. |
| Lk 12:46 | "the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him..." | Sudden judgment for a servant's unfaithfulness. |
| Lk 19:27 | "But as for these enemies of mine... bring them here and slaughter them before me." | Rejection of the king/his rule leads to severe consequence. |
| Jn 13:19 | "...that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He." | Prophecy functions to validate God's identity and power. |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men... | God's judgment revealed against those who suppress truth. |
| Rom 2:8 | "...but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." | Consequences for disobeying divine truth. |
| Heb 3:12-19 | "Beware... lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart... They were not able to enter because of unbelief." | Unbelief is a barrier to experiencing God's promises. |
| Heb 4:11 | "Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, following the same example of disobedience." | A warning to avoid the destructive path of unbelief. |
| Jas 1:6-7 | "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts... must not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord." | Doubting God's capacity limits His blessing. |
| 2 Pet 3:3-4 | "...knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days... saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'" | Warning against scoffing at God's promised future intervention. |
| 1 Jn 5:10 | "Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made Him a liar..." | Rejecting God's testimony effectively calls Him a liar. |
| Isa 46:9-10 | "I am God, and there is no other... declaring the end from the beginning." | God's absolute sovereignty and infallible foreknowledge. |
2 Kings 7 verses
2 Kings 7 17 Meaning
This verse precisely details the fulfillment of Elisha the prophet's pronouncement from 2 Kings 7:2. It recounts how the high-ranking officer, who scorned the Lord's promise of imminent abundance, was appointed by the king to oversee the chaotic rush at the city gate. There, amid the stampede of starving people seeking the newly found provisions, he was trampled to death. His end served as a stark and immediate testament to the certainty of God's prophetic word and the severe consequences of rejecting His truth.
2 Kings 7 17 Context
This verse is the climax of a remarkable narrative during the dire Aramean siege of Samaria. The city was in the throes of an agonizing famine, with desperation driving acts of cannibalism. Amidst this suffering, King Joram nearly put Elisha the prophet to death, viewing him as responsible for the calamity (2 Kgs 6:24-33). It was then that Elisha, the man of God, pronounced a miraculous turnaround: within 24 hours, food prices would plummet drastically, signifying abundant relief (2 Kgs 7:1). A high-ranking officer, an aide to the king, scoffed at this prophecy, questioning how such a thing could be possible even if the Lord "opened windows in heaven." Elisha then prophesied the officer's own fate: he would see the abundance but not partake of it (2 Kgs 7:2). The subsequent discovery of the deserted Aramean camp by four lepers and their report to the city led to an unprecedented rush for provisions. This verse directly recounts how the skeptical officer, tasked with maintaining order at the gate amidst the frenzied multitude, tragically met his end, exactly as the prophet had declared.
2 Kings 7 17 Word analysis
- And the king appointed: The king exercised his royal authority, designating this officer for a crucial task. This human command, however, stood powerless before the unfolding divine decree.
- the captain: Hebrew: שָׁלִישׁ (shalish). This term refers to a high-ranking officer, typically a third-ranking commander, a royal aide-de-camp, or a trusted charioteer. His elevated status underscores the profound nature of his fall.
- on whose hand he leaned: Hebrew: עַל יָדוֹ נִשְׁעָן (al yadow nish'an). This implies a relationship of deep trust and reliance, indicating the captain was a close confidant or personal support for the king, possibly physically assisting him due to infirmity or for honor. This close proximity highlights the personal nature of the prophecy spoken directly to him.
- to have charge of the gate: The "gate" (שַׁעַר - sha'ar) was the primary nexus of a city's life: its entrance, commercial hub, place of justice, and defense point. Being "in charge" meant maintaining order, a task tragically subverted by the chaotic multitude.
- And the people: Hebrew: עָם (‘am). Refers to the collective citizenry. Their desperation and uncontrolled rush illustrate the overwhelming power of human hunger and the chaos it produces, serving as an unwitting instrument of divine justice.
- trod him down: Hebrew: רָמַס (ramas). To trample, crush underfoot. This depicts a violent, ignominious, and utterly undignified death, directly contrasting with the officer's high status. It emphasizes the raw force of the desperate crowd.
- in the gate: Again, sha'ar. The irony is sharp: the place he was supposed to manage and where the abundance (which he scorned) was accessed became the exact spot of his demise.
- and he died: A concise, definitive statement confirming the tragic, predicted end of his life.
- as the man of God had said: "Man of God" (אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים - ish ha'Elohim), refers to Elisha, designated as God's representative. This phrase explicitly confirms the precise fulfillment of Elisha's prophecy, underscoring its divine origin and absolute accuracy.
- when the king came down to him: This links the death directly back to the moment of Elisha's prophecy. It was when the king consulted Elisha in despair that this officer, standing close by, expressed his contempt for God's word, sealing his fate.
Words-group analysis
- "And the king appointed the captain on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate.": This phrase emphasizes the captain's significant royal favor, high authority, and trusted position. He was placed precisely at the bottleneck where the prophecy's fulfillment would bring chaos. This sets a poignant scene where human trust and delegated authority collide with unyielding divine judgment.
- "And the people trod him down in the gate, and he died.": This segment starkly illustrates the violent and undignified fulfillment of the prophecy. The "people," driven by extreme hunger and sudden hope, become the unwitting, uncontrollable instrument of his demise. His death "in the gate" ties his fate directly to the locus of his assigned duty and the site of the miracle he disbelieved.
- "as the man of God had said, when the king came down to him.": This concluding clause unequivocally affirms the precision and certainty of Elisha's prophecy. It validates Elisha as a true "man of God" whose words are truly God's. By specifying "when the king came down to him," it reiterates the exact context of the captain's scoffing unbelief, establishing an inescapable link between his rejection of God's word and his ultimate, fitting end.
2 Kings 7 17 Bonus section
The "captain on whose hand he leaned" signifies not merely a physical act but a metaphorical dependence, marking this officer as someone profoundly trusted and valued by the king. His public and gruesome death serves as an explicit divine object lesson to all who witnessed or heard of it. It reinforces the authority of the prophetic office in Israel and God's absolute commitment to vindicating His servants' words. This account stands as a powerful testament to the fact that while human authority can command, only divine authority ultimately governs and determines outcomes, holding all creation, including the impulses of human crowds, in its hand. The detailed precision of the fulfillment, down to the specific location of the death ("in the gate"), leaves no room for doubt about the prophecy's divine origin.
2 Kings 7 17 Commentary
2 Kings 7:17 is a stark reminder of the unerring certainty of God's word and the severe consequences of unbelief. The once esteemed officer, highly favored by the king, becomes a visible monument to divine judgment. His scoffing rejection of God's ability to provide a miraculous deliverance for Samaria leads to his own gruesome and ironically public death. He witnesses the abundance, but, true to the prophecy, is unable to benefit from it. This incident powerfully demonstrates that no human status, skepticism, or physical barrier can thwart God's declared will, whether for salvation or judgment. It underscores the danger of doubting the promises of the Almighty, particularly when delivered through His faithful prophets. The chaos at the gate also vividly portrays the desperate human rush when immense pressure is suddenly relieved, showing how uncontrolled forces can become tools in divine providence.