2 Kings 7 4

2 Kings 7:4 kjv

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 nkjv

If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die."

2 Kings 7:4 niv

If we say, 'We'll go into the city'?the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die."

2 Kings 7:4 esv

If we say, 'Let us enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die."

2 Kings 7:4 nlt

"We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway."

2 Kings 7 verses

2 Kings 7 4 Meaning

Second Kings 7:4 describes the desperate and pragmatic decision of four men afflicted with leprosy who were stationed outside the gate of besieged Samaria. Faced with imminent death by starvation if they remained where they were, and certain death by famine if they entered the city, they resolved to surrender to the besieging Aramean army. Their logic was stark: if the Arameans spared them, they would live; if they killed them, they would only face a quicker end than the lingering death awaiting them otherwise. This moment of sheer human desperation, born of dire circumstances, unexpectedly sets in motion God’s miraculous deliverance for all of Samaria.

2 Kings 7 4 Context

The events of 2 Kings chapter 7 immediately follow a prolonged and severe siege of Samaria by Ben-Hadad, king of Aram (Syria). The city was experiencing a devastating famine, forcing its inhabitants to resort to extreme measures, including cannibalism (2 Ki 6:24-29). The king of Israel (Jehoram, son of Ahab) was filled with despair and blamed Elisha for the crisis (2 Ki 6:30-33). It is into this dire situation that Elisha pronounces a prophetic word of incredible abundance to occur within 24 hours, met with disbelief by a royal officer (2 Ki 7:1-2). Amidst this profound despair and the prophetic promise, four lepers, by ancient law prohibited from living within the city due to their uncleanness (Lev 13:46), are gathered outside the city gate, starving. Their social ostracism and physical disease make their already desperate situation even more hopeless than that of the besieged citizens. The narrative highlights God's sovereignty, showing that He can use the most unlikely and despised of individuals to bring about His miraculous purposes, in contrast to the disbelief and despair of the powerful.

2 Kings 7 4 Word analysis

• If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’

  • "If we say": Implies an internal deliberation, a pragmatic weighing of options. This is a logical choice, not a spiritual one at this point.
  • "enter the city": The most immediate, humanly intuitive course of action for safety or help, but the context reveals its futility.
  • "city": Specifically Samaria, besieged and suffering extreme famine.

• the famine is in the city, and we shall die there.

  • "famine" (Hebrew: ra'av): Denotes extreme hunger, starvation. It's the central problem forcing their hand. This "famine" highlights the hopelessness within the very place intended for safety.
  • "die there": A certainty. Entering offers no escape from death by starvation.

• And if we sit here, we die also.

  • "sit here": Remaining in their current position outside the gate. This refers to inaction, passive waiting, which guarantees death due to their physical condition and the ongoing siege.
  • "die also": Death is inevitable either way through inactivity. This underscores the immediate and unavoidable nature of their demise if they did nothing.

• Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Arameans.

  • "Now therefore, come": A decisive call to action, the conclusion reached from their analysis. It's a "call to reason" from their logical assessment.
  • "let us surrender" (Hebrew: nāphal, literally "fall"): To "fall into the camp" or "fall into the hand of." It implies abandoning resistance, placing oneself at the mercy of another. It's an act of desperation and utter helplessness, not military strategy. Paradoxically, this "falling" into enemy hands becomes the mechanism of deliverance.
  • "army of the Arameans": The very besiegers and enemies of Israel. They are the perceived source of their plight, yet they become the unlikely route to potential life. This is a stark example of God's ways being higher than man's, using the enemy to save His people.

• If they let us live, we live; and if they kill us, we die.

  • "If they let us live, we live": Expresses their slender hope for survival, a chance they would not have otherwise. This acknowledges the complete uncertainty of their fate, yet it is their only possibility of continued existence.
  • "if they kill us, we die": A statement of fatalistic acceptance. This reinforces the "nothing to lose" mentality. It highlights their grim choice: immediate, self-inflicted action against a drawn-out, certain death. Their gamble against human captors ultimately reveals divine intervention.

2 Kings 7 4 Bonus section

• God uses the rejected: The lepers, ceremonially unclean and socially ostracized, are chosen by God to be the unexpected agents of Israel's salvation. This often seen in scripture (e.g., Moses' speech impediment, David's youth, prostitutes in Rahab, humble fishermen apostles) that God chooses the "foolish," "weak," or "despised" things of the world (1 Cor 1:27-29) to confound the wise and mighty.
• The Paradox of Surrender: The very act of surrendering to the enemy, an act typically associated with defeat, becomes the gateway to victory and provision for the nation. This illustrates divine irony and God's ability to turn human weakness or dire circumstances into instruments of His will.
• Human agency within Divine Sovereignty: While the lepers act purely out of self-preservation, their actions align perfectly with God's sovereign plan announced through Elisha. They are unwitting participants in God's miraculous intervention, highlighting how God works through human decisions, whether motivated by faith or mere survival.

2 Kings 7 4 Commentary

2 Kings 7:4 unveils a crucial turning point in the siege of Samaria. Four lepers, outcasts of society, faced with an absolute zero-sum game of death by famine inside or outside the city, make a pragmatic and desperate choice to surrender to the Aramean army. This verse is profound not for its piety, but for its stark human logic born of extreme duress. These men held no spiritual expectation; their decision was solely an act of self-preservation in the face of two paths to certain death. Their decision to act, even without faith in God's specific promise given through Elisha (of which they were likely unaware or indifferent to), aligns perfectly with the divine plan for deliverance. God uses the least expected individuals, those on the absolute fringe of society, to initiate the rescue of an entire city, demonstrating that His power is not limited by human status or understanding. This act of stepping out in desperation ultimately serves as the human trigger for God's grand, miraculous intervention, proving that God's methods often subvert human logic and expectation.