TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
KJV (with Strong's)
And the king H4428 arose H6965 in the night H3915, and said H559 unto his servants H5650, I will now shew H5046 you what the Syrians H758 have done H6213 to us. They know H3045 that we be hungry H7457; therefore are they gone out H3318 of the camp H4264 to hide H2247 themselves in the field H7704, saying H559, When they come out H3318 of the city H5892, we shall catch H8610 them alive H2416, and get H935 into the city H5892.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then the king got up in the night; he said to his servants, "I'll tell you what Aram has done to us. They know that we're hungry, so they've gone outside the camp and hidden in the countryside, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we'll take them alive and then get inside the city.'"
Berean Standard Bible
So the king got up in the night and said to his servants, “Let me tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are starving, so they have left the camp to hide in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and enter the city.’”
American Standard Version
And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.
World English Bible Messianic
The king arose in the night, and said to his servants, “I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we are hungry. Therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we shall take them alive, and get into the city.’”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then the King arose in the night, and saide vnto his seruants, I wil shew you now, what the Aramites haue done vnto vs. They know that we are affamished, therefore they are gone out of the campe to hide them selues in the fielde, saying, When they come out of the citie, we shall catch them aliue, and get into the citie.
Young's Literal Translation
And the king riseth by night, and saith unto his servants, `Let me declare, I pray you, to you that which the Aramaeans have done to us; they have known that we are famished, and they are gone out from the camp to be hidden in the field, saying, When they come out from the city, then we catch them alive, and unto the city we enter.'
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Commentary on 2 Kings 7 verses 12–20
12 ¶ And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
13 And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.
14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.
15 And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
16 And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
17 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.
18 And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:
19 And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
20 And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.
Here we have,
I. The king's jealousy of a stratagem in the Syrian's retreat, Kg2 7:12. He feared that they had withdrawn into an ambush, to draw out the besieged, that they might fall on them with more advantage. he knew he had no reason to expect that God should appear thus wonderfully for him, having forfeited his favour by his unbelief and impatience. He knew no reason the Syrians had to fly, for it does not appear that he or any of this attendants heard the noise of the chariots which the Syrians were frightened at. Let not those who, like him, are unstable in all their ways, think to receive any thing from God; nay, a guilty conscience fears the worst and makes men suspicious.
II. The course they took for their satisfaction, and to prevent their falling into a snare. They sent out spies to see what had become of the Syrians, and found they had all fled indeed, commanders as well a common soldiers. They could track them by the garments which they threw off, and left by the way, for their greater expedition, Kg2 7:15. He that gave this advice seems to have been very sensible of the deplorable condition the people were in (Kg2 7:13); for speaking of the horses, many of which were dead and the rest ready to perish for hunger, he says, and repeats it, "They are as all the multitude of Israel. Israel used to glory in their multitude, but now they are diminished and brought low." He advised to send five horsemen, but, it should seem, there were only two horses fit to be sent, and those chariot-horses, Kg2 7:14. Now the Lord repented himself concerning his servants, when he saw that their strength was gone, Deu 32:36.
III. The plenty that was in Samaria, from the plunder of the camp of the Syrians, Kg2 7:16. Had the Syrians been governed by the modern policies of war, when they could not take their baggage and their tents with them they would rather have burnt them (as it is common to do with the forage of a country) than let them fall into their enemies' hands; but God determined that the besieging of Samaria, which was intended for its ruin, should turn to its advantage, and that Israel should now be enriched with the spoil of the Syrians as of old with that of the Egyptians. here see, 1. The wealth of the sinner laid up for the just (Job 27:16, Job 27:17) and the spoilers spoiled, Isa 33:1. 2. The wants of Israel supplied in a way that they little thought of, which should encourage us to depend upon the power and goodness of God in our greatest straits. 3. The word of Elisha fulfilled to a tittle: A measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel; those that spoiled the camp had not only enough to supply themselves with, but an overplus to sell at an easy rate for the benefit of others, and so even those that tarried at home did divide the spoil, Psa 68:12; Isa 33:23. God's promise may be safely relied on, for no word of his shall fall to the ground.
IV. The death of the unbelieving courtier, that questioned the truth of Elisha's word. Divine threatenings will as surely be accomplished as divine promises. He that believeth not shall be damned stands as firm as He that believeth shall be saved. This lord, 1. Was preferred by the king to the charge of the gate (Kg2 7:17), to keep the peace, and to see that there was no tumult or disorder in dividing and disposing of the spoil. So much trust did the king repose in him, in his prudence and gravity, and so much did he delight to honour him. He that will be great, let him serve the public. 2. Was trodden to death by the people in the gate, either by accident, the crowd being exceedingly great, and he in the thickest of it, or perhaps designedly, because he abused his power, and was imperious in restraining the people from satisfying their hunger. However it was, God's justice was glorified, and the word of Elisha was fulfilled. He saw the plenty, for the silencing and shaming of his unbelief, corn cheap without opening windows in heaven, and therein saw his own folly in prescribing to God; but he did not eat of the plenty he saw. When he was about to fill his belly God cast the fury of his wrath upon him (Job 20:23) and it came between the cup and the lip. Justly are those thus tantalized with the world's promises that think themselves tantalized with the promises of God. If believing shall not be seeing, seeing shall not be enjoying. This matter is repeated, and the event very particularly compared with the prediction (Kg2 7:18-20), that we might take special notice of it, and might learn, (1.) How deeply God resents out distrust of him, of his power, providence, and promise. When Israel said, Can God furnish a table? the Lord heard it and was wroth. Infinite wisdom will not be limited by our folly. God never promises the end without knowing where to provide the means. (2.) How uncertain life and the enjoyments of it are. Honour and power cannot secure men from sudden and inglorious deaths. He whom the king leaned upon the people trod upon; he who fancied himself the stay and support of the government was trampled under foot as the mire in the streets. Thus hath the pride of men's glory been often stained. (3.) How certain God's threatenings are, and how sure to alight on the guilty and obnoxious heads. Let all men fear before the great God, who treads upon princes as mortar and is terrible to the kings of the earth.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 12–20. Public domain.
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Ephrem the SyrianAD 373
ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 7:3
Even though the four lepers are loathsome, if we symbolically recognize in them the fact that they announced goods for the inhabitants of their city, they do no wrong to the symbol but correctly represent the four holy Evangelists. Indeed, we must bear in mind that through their books the grace of our Savior and source of life Jesus Christ was known, and freedom was given to all people according to his divine plan. And so those whose flesh was leprous shone in their interior look with the splendor of their righteousness. In addition, they symbolically represent the first attitude of the apostles in the fact that leprosy had corrupted their skin. But they also represent them in the fact that their interior was adorned with righteous behavior because the old man has been transformed by the coming of the Holy Spirit and renewed. Therefore they have clothed themselves with the garment shining with the colors of heaven and have been sent to show the work of the hands of God.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Second Kings 7:12 vividly captures King Joram's immediate, fear-driven reaction to the astonishing news of the Aramean army's sudden abandonment of their siege camp outside Samaria. Plagued by the city's extreme famine and his own deep-seated suspicion, the king, rather than recognizing a miraculous divine intervention, interprets the enemy's inexplicable departure as a cunning military ruse. He surmises that the Arameans, fully aware of Samaria's desperate hunger, have merely hidden themselves in the surrounding fields, intending to ambush the starving Israelites who would inevitably rush out for provisions, thereby capturing them alive and seizing the city with ease.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse serves as a pivotal moment within the broader narrative of the Aramean siege of Samaria, detailed extensively in 2 Kings 6 and 2 Kings 7. The preceding chapter graphically depicts the horrific famine gripping Samaria, culminating in the shocking account of cannibalism. Against this backdrop of despair, the prophet Elisha delivers an audacious prophecy in 2 Kings 7:1, declaring that within twenty-four hours, food would be incredibly cheap and abundant. The miraculous fulfillment begins when four desperate lepers, venturing outside the city gates, discover the deserted Aramean camp, laden with provisions (2 Kings 7:3-8). They realize that the Lord had supernaturally caused the Arameans to hear the sound of a vast army, prompting their panicked and unpursued flight (2 Kings 7:6). Verse 12 immediately follows the lepers' report to the city gatekeepers, marking the king's initial, human-centric response to this astonishing news, which stands in stark contrast to the divine reality known to the reader.
Historical & Cultural Context: The setting is ancient Israel during a period characterized by frequent and often brutal conflicts with its northern neighbor, Aram (Syria). Siege warfare was a common and devastating tactic of the era, designed to starve a city into submission, as vividly illustrated by the extreme deprivation described in 2 Kings 6:25. Kings, such as Joram, were primarily military leaders, bearing the weighty responsibility for the defense of their cities and the well-being of their people. Military deception, including feigned retreats to draw out and ambush an enemy, was a well-known and effective strategy in ancient warfare. King Joram's immediate suspicion, therefore, is deeply rooted in the harsh realities of ancient military strategy and the profound psychological toll of prolonged suffering and starvation, making his interpretation, from a purely human and tactical perspective, entirely plausible.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully highlights several overarching themes within the biblical narrative. Firstly, it underscores the profound contrast between human doubt and divine providence. King Joram's inability to conceive of a genuine, miraculous deliverance stands in stark opposition to the Lord's unconventional and complete intervention, demonstrating how human logic can be blind to God's supernatural workings. Secondly, it thoroughly explores the nature of fear and suspicion, illustrating how prolonged suffering, trauma, and a history of conflict can severely cloud human judgment, leading even positive news to be misinterpreted as a grave threat. The king's reasoning serves as a poignant testament to the psychological impact of such extreme conditions. Thirdly, the passage implicitly emphasizes God's unconventional methods of deliverance. The Lord's chosen means—causing a sound to be heard that precipitates a panicked, unpursued flight—defies conventional military logic, thereby magnifying His power and demonstrating that His ways are indeed not man's ways, as profoundly articulated in Isaiah 55:8-9.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The primary literary device powerfully employed in 2 Kings 7:12 is Dramatic Irony. The audience, having just been privy to the divine intervention described in 2 Kings 7:6-8, knows the true reason for the Arameans' panicked flight: the Lord supernaturally caused them to hear the sound of a great army, leading to a divinely orchestrated, headlong retreat. King Joram, however, remains entirely unaware of this supernatural reality. His elaborate explanation of a military ruse, while perfectly logical and astute from a purely human and strategic perspective, is tragically mistaken. This creates a profound tension between the king's limited, fear-driven understanding and the expansive, miraculous reality of God's deliverance. The irony underscores the central theme of human doubt versus divine providence, highlighting how human reasoning, even when seemingly astute, can utterly fail to grasp the supernatural workings of God.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
King Joram's profound suspicion in 2 Kings 7:12 serves as a poignant theological commentary on the persistent human tendency to doubt divine provision and intervention, especially when it arrives in unexpected or unconventional ways. Faced with an astonishing turn of events—the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of a formidable besieging army—the king's mind immediately defaults to a cynical, fear-driven explanation rooted in human cunning and military strategy. He cannot fathom a genuine, miraculous deliverance, instead seeing only a deceptive trap. This highlights how our past traumas, present anxieties, and ingrained reliance on worldly logic can tragically blind us to God's active hand at work, even when His blessings are manifestly evident. It underscores the spiritual battle between trusting in God's unseen power and relying on visible, often flawed, human understanding. The narrative implicitly critiques a faith that is too limited to embrace the truly miraculous.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
King Joram's reaction in 2 Kings 7:12 offers a profound and challenging mirror for our own lives and spiritual journeys. How often do we, like the king, allow our past hurts, our present anxieties, or our ingrained skepticism to prevent us from recognizing and embracing God's miraculous provision? When unexpected relief comes, or a seemingly impossible situation resolves itself in a way we couldn't have predicted, do we immediately suspect a "trap" or a hidden agenda, or do we have the spiritual discernment and faith to perceive the hand of a loving, sovereign God at work? This passage challenges us to cultivate a posture of profound trust, even when circumstances defy our logical explanations or conventional expectations. It calls us to remember that God's ways are infinitely higher than our ways, and His deliverance often comes in forms we least anticipate, requiring us to look beyond the immediate appearances and embrace the unseen reality of His boundless power and goodness.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was King Joram so suspicious of the Arameans' departure?
Answer: King Joram's profound suspicion stemmed from a confluence of factors deeply rooted in the desperate circumstances and common military strategies of his era. Firstly, the city of Samaria was enduring an extreme and prolonged famine, a dire situation that had led to horrific acts like cannibalism. This intense suffering and dire need created a pervasive mindset of fear, distrust, and a heightened sense of vulnerability. Secondly, in ancient warfare, a feigned retreat was a well-known and effective military tactic designed to draw out a weakened enemy for ambush. From a purely human and military perspective, the king's reasoning was entirely logical: the Arameans, knowing Israel's desperate hunger, would exploit it to lure the starving Israelites out of the city, capture them, and then easily seize the now-defenseless city. His suspicion highlights his reliance on human strategy and his profound inability to perceive or believe in divine intervention, despite the prophet Elisha's earlier, audacious prophecy of abundance in 2 Kings 7:1. He simply could not fathom a genuine, miraculous deliverance that defied conventional military logic.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
King Joram's suspicion in 2 Kings 7:12 serves as a profound foreshadowing of the human tendency to misunderstand and ultimately reject God's ultimate, unconventional deliverance accomplished through Christ. Just as Joram could not conceive of a genuine, miraculous retreat by the Arameans, humanity often struggles to grasp the true nature of God's salvation. The cross, to human eyes, appeared to be a catastrophic defeat, a cunning trap, or a sign of utter weakness, much like Joram perceived the deserted camp as a deceptive ruse. Yet, it was precisely through this apparent defeat that God accomplished His greatest victory, as 1 Corinthians 1:18 declares that the "foolishness of the cross" is in fact the very power of God. Jesus, the true Lamb of God, was indeed "caught alive" by His enemies, but His capture, trial, and death were not a victory for them, but the divinely ordained means by which He disarmed the spiritual powers and triumphed decisively over sin and death (Colossians 2:15). The "city" that Christ sought to enter was not a physical one, but the besieged hearts of humanity, liberating them from the siege of sin and offering abundant, eternal life—a spiritual feast far greater and more enduring than the physical abundance found in the deserted Aramean camp (John 6:35).