2 Kings 7 3

2 Kings 7:3 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?

2 Kings 7:3 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?

2 Kings 7:3 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?

2 Kings 7:3 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?

2 Kings 7:3 nlt

Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. "Why should we sit here waiting to die?" they asked each other.

2 Kings 7 verses

2 Kings 7 3 Meaning

2 Kings 7:3 describes the desperate contemplation of four men afflicted with leprosy, who were ritually excluded from the city of Samaria, during a severe famine caused by an Aramean siege. Faced with certain death if they remained passive, they posed a crucial rhetorical question to themselves, challenging their current inaction and the futility of simply waiting for their demise. This moment signifies a shift from passive despair to an acknowledgment of their dire circumstances and the necessity of proactive steps, however risky, to seek survival.

2 Kings 7 3 Context

This verse is set within the dire historical context of the Aramean siege of Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, led by Ben-Hadad, king of Aram (Syria). The siege had caused a severe famine, driving the city's inhabitants to extreme measures, including cannibalism (2 Kgs 6:24-29). The prophet Elisha had previously pronounced that despite the dire circumstances, food would be plentiful within 24 hours (2 Kgs 7:1). Against this backdrop, four men, afflicted with tsara'ath (often translated as leprosy), are introduced. Due to their ritual uncleanness, they were forced to live outside the city gate, symbolizing their utter ostracization and vulnerability. Their presence at the gate indicates they were close enough to be aware of the famine and despair within, yet entirely cut off from any aid or refuge offered by the city. Their internal dialogue marks a critical turning point in the narrative, preceding a miraculous deliverance by the Lord.

2 Kings 7 3 Word analysis

• Now there were four men:
  • "Four" (אַרְבָּעָה, ʾarbāʿâ): A specific, small number, emphasizing the seemingly insignificant instruments of a mighty deliverance. This highlights God's choice of the "weak" or "despised" (1 Cor 1:27-28) to display His power.
• who were lepers:
  • "Lepers" (מְצֹרָעִים, məṣōrāʿîm): Plural of matsora, a person afflicted with tsara'ath. This term encompasses various severe skin conditions in the Old Testament, not necessarily modern leprosy. Critically, these conditions rendered individuals ritually unclean (Lev 13:45-46) and socially ostracized, forced to live outside settled communities (Num 5:2-4). Their status made them the epitome of destitution and hopelessness, magnifying the surprise of their subsequent action and divine use.
• at the entrance of the gate,
  • "At the entrance of the gate" (פֶּתַח הַשַּׁעַר, petach ha-sha'ar): The "gate" of an ancient city was its most crucial strategic, commercial, and social point (Prov 31:23; Gen 19:1). It was the hub of activity, where public decrees were made and justice administered. Being at the entrance signifies their marginalization – excluded from the safety and community within, yet still at a critical threshold, observing the city's demise. It represents a liminal space of severe vulnerability but also potential access.
• and they said to one another,
  • "Said to one another": Indicates internal deliberation, a joint recognition of their predicament. This isn't an external command but an inward, shared awakening, signifying agency and the stirrings of an idea. It emphasizes their self-initiative in seeking a solution.
• 'Why are we sitting here until we die?'
  • "Why" (לָמָה, lāmāh): A rhetorical question that exposes the utter futility of their present inaction. It’s not a search for an explanation, but a profound challenge to their own passivity.
  • "Are we sitting here" (יֹשְׁבִים אֲנַחְנוּ פֹה, yošbîm ʾanaḥnū pōh): The verb "sitting" implies inactivity, idleness, or passive resignation. It highlights their current state of motionless despair, awaiting an inevitable end.
  • "Until we die" (עַד־מוּתֵנוּ, ʿad-mūtēnū): This phrase reveals the grim reality and certainty of their fate if they maintained their present course. It underscores the severity of the famine and the desperation, forcing them to consider an alternative. This recognition of certain death propels them to action, however risky, as any alternative might offer a slim hope for survival.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Four men who were lepers": This group represents the ultimate outcasts in Israelite society – ritually unclean, socially isolated, and economically destitute. God choosing these men to be the bearers of good news demonstrates His power to use the "unlikely" and the "despised" to shame the strong, subverting human expectations.
• "At the entrance of the gate": This location is strategically significant. It's the point of both exclusion and potential access, highlighting their desperate isolation from safety, yet placing them precisely where they could first observe God's imminent intervention and thus become His unlikely messengers.
• "'Why are we sitting here until we die?'": This rhetorical question embodies a pivotal moment of self-awareness and resolve. It represents a radical shift from resigned fatalism to a desperate search for action, understanding that inaction is a choice for certain death. This rational assessment, born out of despair, surprisingly serves as a catalyst for divine action, echoing the spiritual principle that seeking God often begins with recognizing one's complete inability to save oneself.

2 Kings 7 3 Bonus section

• The lepers' situation embodies utter helplessness, mirroring humanity's spiritual state without God's intervention—dead in sins, awaiting eternal destruction if inactive.
• Their decision to move toward the Aramean camp, while born of despair, served as an act of courageous, desperate "faith." They reasoned that there was no downside worse than their current certainty of death, illustrating the principle that when facing guaranteed failure by inaction, taking a perceived risk becomes the only logical, albeit scary, step.
• This verse subtly highlights God's compassion for the marginalized and outcasts of society, as these ritually unclean men became the first recipients and bearers of the incredible news of Samaria's deliverance.

2 Kings 7 3 Commentary

2 Kings 7:3 paints a poignant picture of human desperation at its nadir. The four lepers, quintessential outcasts, were stuck in a literal and metaphorical dead-end. The famine within Samaria meant returning to the city guaranteed death, while remaining outside guaranteed slow starvation. Their rhetorical question, "Why are we sitting here until we die?", is more than just despair; it is a raw, rational assessment of a zero-option scenario that paradoxically forces a shift from passivity to active, albeit risky, consideration. They realize that any action, even risking confrontation with the enemy Aram, presents a better prospect than merely waiting for inevitable death. This moment underscores a powerful theological truth: God often works through the weakest and most unlikely instruments (1 Cor 1:27), empowering their desperation to become the seed of deliverance. It exemplifies how rock-bottom scenarios can compel individuals to overcome fear and inaction, stepping out in a rudimentary form of faith—a step into the unknown being preferred over the known certainty of destruction.