2 Reis 7

ARC · Chapter 7/25

1Então disse Eliseo: Ouvi a palavra do Senhor: assim diz o Senhor: Ámanhã, quasi a este tempo, uma medida de farinha haverá por um siclo, e duas medidas de cevada por um siclo, á porta de Samaria.

2Porém um capitão, em cuja mão o rei se encostava, respondeu ao homem de Deus e disse: Eis que ainda que o Senhor fizesse janellas no céu, poder-se-hia fazer isso? E elle disse: Eis que o verás com os teus olhos, porém d'ahi não comerás.

3E quatro homens leprosos estavam á entrada da porta, os quaes disseram uns aos outros: Para que estaremos nós aqui até morrermos?

4Se dissermos: Entremos na cidade, ha fome na cidade, e morreremos ahi; e se ficarmos aqui, tambem morreremos: vamos nós pois agora, e demos comnosco no arraial dos syros: se nos deixarem viver, viveremos, e se nos matarem, tão sómente morreremos.

5E levantaram-se ao crepusculo, para se irem ao arraial dos syros: e, chegando á entrada do arraial dos syros, eis que não havia ali ninguem.

6Porque o Senhor fizera ouvir no arraial dos syros ruido de carros e ruido de cavallos, como o ruido d'um grande exercito; de maneira que disseram uns aos outros: Eis que o rei d'Israel alugou contra nós os reis dos hetheos e os reis dos egypcios, para virem contra nós.

7Pelo que se levantaram, e fugiram no crepusculo, e deixaram as suas tendas, e os seus cavallos, e os seus jumentos, e o arraial como estava: e fugiram para salvarem a sua vida.

8Chegando pois estes leprosos á entrada do arraial, entraram n'uma tenda, e comeram e beberam e tomaram d'ali prata, e oiro, e vestidos, e foram e os esconderam: então voltaram, e entraram em outra tenda, e d'ali tambem tomaram, e o esconderam.

9Então disseram uns para os outros: Não fazemos bem: este dia é dia de boas novas, e nos calamos; se esperarmos até á luz da manhã, algum mal nos sobrevirá; pelo que agora vamos, e o annunciemos á casa do rei.

10Vieram pois, e bradaram aos porteiros da cidade, e lhes annunciaram, dizendo: Fomos ao arraial dos syros e eis que lá não havia ninguem, nem voz de homem, porém só cavallos atados, e jumentos atados, e as tendas como estavam d'antes.

11E chamaram os porteiros, e o annunciaram dentro da casa do rei.

12E o rei se levantou de noite, e disse a seus servos: Agora vos farei saber o que é que os syros nos fizeram: bem sabem elles que esfaimados estamos, pelo que sairam do arraial, a esconder-se pelo campo, dizendo: Quando sairem da cidade, então os tomaremos vivos, e entraremos na cidade.

13Então um dos seus servos respondeu e disse: Tomem-se pois cinco dos cavallos do resto que ficaram aqui dentro (eis que são como toda a multidão dos israelitas que ficaram aqui de resto, e eis que são como toda a multidão dos israelitas que já pereceram) e enviemol-os, e vejamos.

14Tomaram pois dois cavallos de carro; e o rei os enviou após o exercito dos syros, dizendo: Ide, e vêde.

15E foram após elles até ao Jordão, e eis que todo o caminho estava cheio de vestidos e de aviamentos, que os syros, apressando-se, lançaram fóra: e voltaram os mensageiros, e o annunciaram ao rei:

16Então saiu o povo, e saqueou o arraial dos syros: e havia uma medida de farinha por um siclo, e duas medidas de cevada por um siclo, conforme a palavra do Senhor.

17E pozera o rei á porta o capitão em cuja mão se encostava; e o povo o atropellou na porta, e morreu, como fallara o homem de Deus, o que fallou quando o rei descera a elle.

18Porque assim succedeu como o homem de Deus fallara ao rei dizendo: Ámanhã, quasi a este tempo, haverá duas medidas de cevada por um siclo, e uma medida de farinha por um siclo, á porta de Samaria.

19E aquelle capitão respondeu ao homem de Deus, e disse: Eis que ainda que o Senhor fizesse janellas no céu, poder-se-hia isso fazer conforme essa palavra? E elle disse: Eis que o verás com os teus olhos, porém d'ahi não comerás.

20E assim lhe succedeu, porque o povo o atropellou á porta, e morreu.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In the midst of the extreme famine of the Syrian siege, Elisha prophesies that within a day food prices would fall drastically. Four desperate lepers discover that the Syrians have fled, abandoning the entire camp, and the news saves Samaria from famine, fulfilling the prophecy exactly.

Explanation

This is a powerful example of sudden reversal: a situation of extreme desperation turns into abundance overnight, through means no one expected — four socially marginalized lepers become the messengers of salvation for an entire city. The detail that God made the Syrian army hear the sounds of a great army (which did not exist) shows how He can use even human perceptions and fears to fulfill His purposes. The officer who publicly doubted Elisha's prophecy dies trampled exactly as he had been warned, reinforcing the seriousness of openly doubting the word of God.

Fun facts

  • The lepers, because of their condition, lived excluded outside the city gates (according to the purity laws in Leviticus 13), which explains why they, and not the city's residents, were the first to discover the abandoned camp.
  • This episode is one of the few in the Bible in which socially rejected people (lepers) become unexpected heroes of the narrative, delivering good news that saves an entire community that had excluded them.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Reis 7:1Elisha announces that, in the middle of the siege's famine, food prices will plummet the very next day. The king's captain mocks him openly, and it's this specific disbelief that the prophet uses to foretell the man's own personal fate.
  2. 2 Reis 7:2The king's trusted captain mocks Elisha's prophecy, thinking it impossible for prices to fall so fast even if God opened windows in heaven; Elisha answers that he will see it happen, but will not get to eat any of it.
  3. 2 Reis 7:3Lepers were required to live outside the city; with nothing to lose, they risk going to the enemy camp and discover that the Syrians fled during the night, leaving everything behind. Without knowing it yet, they are the first to benefit from the end of the famine Elisha had announced.
  4. 2 Reis 7:4The four lepers conclude they have nothing to lose: staying means dying of hunger, entering the city means dying of hunger too, so all that's left is to risk surrendering to the Syrian camp.
  5. 2 Reis 7:5At dusk, the lepers go to the Syrian camp expecting the worst, and find it all empty, with no one there.
  6. 2 Reis 7:6The text credits God with having made the Syrians hear the sound of a huge army approaching, leading them to flee, thinking Israel had hired foreign kings against them. It's a collective panic based on an auditory deception, with no real battle taking place.
  7. 2 Reis 7:7The Syrians had fled at twilight, abandoning tents, horses, donkeys, and the whole camp as it stood, running only to save their own lives.
  8. 2 Reis 7:8The lepers plunder tent after tent, eating, drinking, and hiding silver, gold, and clothing, without telling anyone about their discovery.
  9. 2 Reis 7:9The lepers realize it's wrong to keep such good news to themselves while the city is starving, and decide to notify the king's palace.
  10. 2 Reis 7:10They call out to the guards at the city gate and tell them exactly what they saw: the Syrian camp abandoned, everything intact, and no one there.
  11. 2 Reis 7:11The gatekeepers pass the news on inside to the king's palace.
  12. 2 Reis 7:12Suspicious, the king thinks it's a trap: he believes the Syrians are hiding out in the field waiting for the Israelites to leave the city so they can capture them alive.
  13. 2 Reis 7:13A servant proposes sending just five of the few remaining horses to check, since they're going to die of hunger anyway like the rest of the people.
  14. 2 Reis 7:14The king sends two chariot horses after the Syrian army just to confirm what really happened.
  15. 2 Reis 7:15The messengers follow the trail to the Jordan and find the road full of clothes and equipment the Syrians threw away in their hurried flight.
  16. 2 Reis 7:16The people go out and plunder the Syrian camp, and the price of food plummets at the exact time Elisha had prophesied.
  17. 2 Reis 7:17The captain who had mocked the prophecy is put in charge of the gate and ends up trampled to death by the crowd desperate for food, fulfilling exactly what Elisha had predicted.
  18. 2 Reis 7:18The text repeats, almost word for word, Elisha's original prophecy about the price of flour and barley, confirming that it came true.
  19. 2 Reis 7:19The text also repeats the captain's mockery and Elisha's response, reinforcing that he would see the miracle happen but would not get to eat any of it.
  20. 2 Reis 7:20The final confirmation: that is exactly what happened, the captain was trampled at the gate and died.

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