2 Reis 7

BLIVRE · Chapter 7/25

1Disse então Eliseu: Ouvi a palavra do SENHOR: Assim disse o SENHOR: Amanhã a estas horas a medida de boa farinha valerá um siclo, e duas medidas de cevada um siclo, à porta de Samaria.

2E um príncipe sobre cuja mão o rei se apoiava, respondeu ao homem de Deus, e disse: Se o SENHOR fizesse agora janelas no céu, seria isto assim? E ele disse: Eis que tu o verás com teus olhos, mas não comerás disso.

3E havia quatro homens leprosos à entrada da porta, os quais disseram o um ao outro: Para que nos estamos aqui até que morramos?

4Se tratarmos de entrar na cidade, pela fome que há na cidade morreremos nela; e se nos ficamos aqui, também morreremos. Vamos pois agora, e passemo-nos ao exército dos sírios; se eles nos derem a vida, viveremos; e se nos derem a morte, morreremos.

5Levantaram-se pois no princípio da noite, para ir-se ao campo dos sírios; e chegando aos primeiros abrigos dos sírios, não havia ali homem.

6Porque o Senhor havia feito que no campo dos sírios se ouvisse estrondo de carros, ruído de cavalos, e barulho de grande exército; e disseram-se os uns aos outros: Eis que o rei de Israel pagou contra nós aos reis dos heteus, e aos reis dos egípcios, para que venham contra nós.

7E assim se haviam levantado e fugido ao princípio da noite, deixando suas tendas, seus cavalos, seus asnos, e o campo como se estava; e haviam fugido por salvar as vidas.

8E quando os leprosos chegaram aos primeiros abrigos, entraram-se em uma tenda, e comeram e beberam, e tomaram dali prata, e ouro, e vestido, e foram, e esconderam-no: e voltados, entraram em outra tenda, e dali também tomaram, e foram, e esconderam.

9E disseram-se o um ao outro: Não fazemos bem: hoje é dia de boa nova, e nós calamos: e se esperamos até a luz da manhã, nos alcançará a maldade. Vamos pois agora, entremos, e demos a nova em casa do rei.

10E vieram, e deram vozes aos guardas da porta da cidade, e declararam-lhes, dizendo: Nós fomos ao campo dos sírios, e eis que não havia ali homem, nem voz de homem, a não ser cavalos atados, asnos também atados, e o campo como se estava.

11E os porteiros deram vozes, e declararam-no dentro, no palácio do rei.

12E levantou-se o rei de noite, e disse a seus servos: Eu vos declararei o que nos fizeram os sírios. Eles sabem que temos fome, e saíram das tendas e esconderam-se no campo, dizendo: Quando houverem saído da cidade, os tomaremos vivos,

13Então respondeu um de seus servos, e disse: Tomem agora cinco dos cavalos que restaram na cidade, (porque eles também são como toda a multidão de Israel que restou nela; também eles são como toda a multidão de Israel que pereceu); e enviemos, e vejamos o que há.

14Tomaram, pois, dois cavalos de um carro, e enviou o rei atrás o campo dos sírios, dizendo: Ide, e vede.

15E eles foram, e seguiram-nos até o Jordão: e eis que, todo o caminho estava cheio de roupas e utensílios que os sírios haviam lançado com a pressa. E voltaram os mensageiros, e fizeram-no saber ao rei.

16Então o povo saiu, e saquearam o campo dos sírios. E foram vendidos uma medida boa de farinha por um siclo, e duas medidas de cevada por um siclo, conforme a palavra do SENHOR.

17E o rei pôs à porta a aquele príncipe sobre cuja mão ele se apoiava: e atropelou-lhe o povo à entrada, e morreu, conforme o que havia dito o homem de Deus, o que falou quando o rei desceu a ele.

18Aconteceu, pois, da maneira que o homem de Deus havia falado ao rei, dizendo: Duas medidas de cevada por um siclo, e a medida de boa farinha será vendida por um siclo amanhã a estas horas, à porta de Samaria.

19Ao qual aquele príncipe havia respondido ao homem de Deus, dizendo: Ainda que o SENHOR fizesse janelas no céu, poderia ser isso? E ele disse: Eis que tu o verás com teus olhos, mas não comerás disso.

20E veio-lhe assim; porque o povo lhe atropelou à entrada, 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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