Arameans Flee; Samaria’s Deliverance
2 Kings 7:3-20
2 K.7.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וארבעה: CONJ+NUM,card,m,sg
- אנשים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מצרעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- פתח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השער: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- מה: PRON,int
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- ישבים: VERB,qal,part,3,m,pl
- פה: ADV
- עד: PREP
- מתנו: VERB,qal,imperf,1,pl
Parallels
- Leviticus 13:45-46 (verbal): Legal prescription that a person with leprosy must dwell 'outside the camp' and cry 'Unclean,' providing the social and ritual background for why the four lepers were at the city gate.
- Luke 17:12-19 (thematic): Ten lepers stand at a distance and call out for mercy; like 2 Kgs 7:3 this passage highlights lepers as marginalized figures who vocalize their plight and receive unexpected deliverance.
- Mark 1:40-42 (thematic): A leper takes the initiative to address Jesus and seek cleansing; thematically parallels the lepers' decision-making and pursuit of a change in fate in 2 Kgs 7:3–4.
- 2 Kings 7:4 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: the lepers debate their options and resolve to enter the Aramean camp — a direct structural parallel/continuation of the situation stated in 7:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- And four men with leprosy were at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die?"
- Four men who were lepers sat at the entrance of the gate. One said to his companion, 'Why do we sit here until we die?'
2 K.7.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- אמרנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- נבוא: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והרעב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומתנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,n,pl
- שם: ADV
- ואם: CONJ
- ישבנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,pl
- פה: ADV
- ומתנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,n,pl
- ועתה: CONJ
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונפלה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- אל: NEG
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אם: CONJ
- יחינו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- נחיה: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- ואם: CONJ
- ימיתנו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- ומתנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,n,pl
Parallels
- 2Kgs 7:3 (structural): Immediate context and parallel wording—the lepers’ deliberation and the decisive formula “if they live, we shall live; if they die, we shall die” continues across the two verses.
- 2Kgs 6:24-25 (thematic): Description of the extreme famine and siege of Samaria that provides the background and motive for the lepers’ risky proposal to enter the Aramean camp.
- 1 Sam 14:6 (thematic): Jonathan’s readiness to act despite overwhelming odds, trusting God’s deliverance—similar theme of taking a desperate risk in hope of life rather than remaining passive to certain death.
- Rom 14:8 (verbal): Paul’s antiphonal formula “If we live, we live unto the Lord; and if we die, we die unto the Lord” echoes the stark living/dying couplet language found in 2 Kgs 7:4 (different theological setting but similar verbal pattern).
Alternative generated candidates
- If we say, 'We will enter the city,' then the famine is in the city and we shall die there; and if we sit here, we shall die also. Now therefore come, let us fall into the camp of the Arameans; if they spare us, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die."
- 'If we say, “We will enter the city,” the famine is there and we shall die; and if we stay here, we shall die. Now therefore come, let us fall into the camp of the Arameans; if they spare us, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall die.'
2 K.7.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקומו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בנשף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
- אל: NEG
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- קצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- אין: PART,neg
- שם: ADV
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Judges 7:19-22 (structural): Gideon’s night attack leads to a miraculous panic in the enemy camp so that foes turn on one another and the camp is routed—similar sudden confusion and abandonment of a camp.
- Isaiah 37:36 (thematic): An overnight, supernatural strike on an enemy army (the angel of the Lord striking Sennacherib’s host) results in the destruction/emptying of the enemy camp, paralleling divine intervention causing the Arameans to flee.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22-23 (thematic): Jehoshaphat’s forces watch God sow confusion among their enemies so that they destroy one another and the fighters plunder the deserted camps—similar motif of panic and deserted encampments.
- 1 Samuel 14:20-23 (thematic): During Saul and Jonathan’s clash with the Philistines, a sudden panic causes the enemy to tremble and flee—another instance of unexpected collapse of an enemy force leading to a rout.
Alternative generated candidates
- So they rose at dusk to go to the camp of the Arameans; and they came to the edge of the camp. Behold, there was no man there.
- So they rose at dusk to go to the camp of the Arameans. They came to the edge of the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no one there.
2 K.7.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואדני: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- השמיע: VERB,hiph,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רכב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גדול: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אחיו: NOUN,3,m,sg,abs
- הנה: PART
- שכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- החתים: NOUN,prop,m,pl,def
- ואת: CONJ
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
- עלינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- Judges 7:16-22 (thematic): Gideon’s men break jars, blow trumpets and shout so that the Midianite camp is thrown into confusion and destroys itself — a Deus ex machina use of noise and panic like the Syrians hearing the sound of a great army.
- Joshua 6:20 (verbal): The walls of Jericho fall after the people shout and the priests blow trumpets; both passages link the sound of a public, martial noise to decisive victory rendered without conventional combat.
- 1 Samuel 14:20-23 (thematic): After Jonathan’s raid panic and confusion spread through the Philistines and they turn on one another; like 2 Kgs 7:6, enemy morale collapses through surprise and noise rather than direct large-scale engagement.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22-23 (structural): When Judah begins to praise, the LORD sets an ambush and the enemy destroys itself — another instance where God effects victory by causing enemy panic/confusion rather than by conventional Israelite attack.
- 2 Kings 19:35 (thematic): The LORD intervenes at night and the enemy force is annihilated (the Assyrian camp struck in one night); parallels 2 Kgs 7:6 in God’s supernatural disruption of an enemy army, producing sudden rout.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the LORD had made the host of the Arameans hear the sound of a great army— the sound of chariots, the sound of horses; and they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come upon us."
- For they heard the sound of a great host—the sound of chariots and the sound of horses and the sound of a great army—and they said to one another, 'The king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt.'
2 K.7.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקומו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וינוסו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בנשף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויעזבו: VERB,qal,wayq,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אהליהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- סוסיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- חמריהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- המחנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כאשר: CONJ
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- וינסו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:6 (structural): Immediate context: describes the supernatural noise that caused the Aramean army to panic and flee—directly precedes and explains verse 7’s flight and abandonment of tents, horses, and donkeys.
- Judges 7:21-22 (thematic): Gideon’s nighttime attack causes a panic in the Midianite camp so that the enemy flees and abandons their tents and spoil—parallel motif of sudden, God‑wrought flight and abandonment.
- 1 Samuel 14:15 (thematic): The LORD throws the Philistine forces into confusion at night, leading to their rout; similar theme of divine intervention producing panic and flight among enemy forces.
- 2 Chronicles 20:22-24 (thematic): Jehoshaphat’s foes are struck with confusion so they destroy one another and their camp is left to be plundered—another instance of God‑caused panic resulting in enemy flight and abandoned possessions.
Alternative generated candidates
- They arose and fled at night and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys and the camp as it was; they fled for their lives.
- They rose up and fled at dusk, leaving their tents and their horses and their donkeys—the camp as it was—and fled for their lives.
2 K.7.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- המצרעים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
- עד: PREP
- קצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המחנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- אהל: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ויאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וישתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- משם: PREP
- כסף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וזהב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובגדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- ויטמנו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- אהל: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- אחר: PREP
- וישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- משם: PREP
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- ויטמנו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 6:24-30 (structural): Immediate narrative context: describes the siege, famine, and desperation in Samaria that makes the lepers' discovery of the abandoned Aramean camp and its spoil especially striking.
- 1 Samuel 30:18-20 (thematic): After David routs the Amalekites he and his men enter the enemy camp and take spoil; parallels the motif of entering an enemy's quarters after defeat and seizing food, silver, gold and clothing.
- 2 Chronicles 20:25-26 (thematic): Following a divinely wrought rout the people gather abundant spoil from defeated foes; parallels the idea that God's deliverance results in unrestricted access to enemy goods and widespread plundering.
- Joshua 6:24-25 (thematic): Israelites take spoil from Jericho (with the notable prohibition on 'devoted' items); provides a structural/ethical contrast to the lepers freely entering tents and seizing goods without restriction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the lepers came to the edge of the camp; they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and garments, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent and carried from there also and went and hid it.
- These leprous men came to the edge of the camp and entered one tent; they ate and drank, and took from there silver, gold, and garments; they went and hid them, then returned and entered another tent and took from there and went and hid.
2 K.7.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- רעהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- כן: ADV
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- עשים: VERB,qal,inf
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ואנחנו: CONJ+PRON,1,pl
- מחשים: VERB,qal,part,1,m,pl
- וחכינו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- עד: PREP
- אור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הבקר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ומצאנו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- עוון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועתה: CONJ
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- ונבאה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- ונגידה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 52:7 (allusion): Celebrates the messenger who brings 'good tidings' and proclaims peace and salvation — thematically parallels the lepers' recognition that they must announce the day of good news and deliverance to the city.
- Romans 10:15 (quotation): Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 ('How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace') — echoes the same motif of messengers who should not keep silent about good news, as in 2 Kings 7:9.
- Psalm 68:11 (thematic): 'The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those that published it' — connects to the impulse in 2 Kings for those who found deliverance to go and publish the news broadly rather than remain silent.
- Ezekiel 33:7-9 (structural): The duty to report what one has seen/heard (the watchman's responsibility to warn the people) parallels the moral/communal obligation in 2 Kings 7:9 to go and inform the king's household and the city about the found deliverance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then they said to one another, "We are not doing rightly; this is a day of good news and we are keeping silent. If we wait until morning light, punishment will come upon us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household."
- They said to one another, 'We are not doing right. This is a day of good news, and we keep silent and wait until morning light—if we wait, punishment will come on us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household.'
2 K.7.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ויקראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויגידו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- באנו: VERB,qal,perf,1,c,pl
- אל: NEG
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והנה: ADV
- אין: PART,neg
- שם: ADV
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקול: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- הסוס: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אסור: ADJ,ptcp,pas,m,sg
- והחמור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אסור: ADJ,ptcp,pas,m,sg
- ואהלים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כאשר: CONJ
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:6-7 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same narrative: God caused a noise like an army so the Arameans fled by night, leaving their tents, horses and donkeys—this passage supplies the cause for the empty camp the lepers found.
- Isaiah 37:36 (thematic): God acts at night to strike an enemy camp (the angel of the Lord destroys the Assyrian host), producing sudden defeat/abandonment of an army—parallel theme of divine, nocturnal deliverance and an emptied camp.
- Judges 7:19-22 (thematic): Gideon’s night attack creates panic in the Midianite camp causing troops to rout and camps to be left behind—similar motif of surprise/nocturnal confusion and abandoned tents/equipment.
- Exodus 14:27-28 (thematic): The pursuing Egyptian force is overwhelmed at night as the sea returns, destroying chariots and horsemen; like 2 Kings 7:10, an enemy force is suddenly removed and their vehicles/hosts are rendered ineffective or gone.
Alternative generated candidates
- So they went and called at the gate of the city and told it to the men within, saying, "We went to the camp of Aram, and behold, there was no man there; only horses tethered and donkeys tethered, and the tents as they were."
- They went and cried at the gate of the city and told them, 'We went to the camp of the Arameans, and behold, there was no man there—only horses tied and donkeys tied, and the tents as they were.'
2 K.7.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- השערים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויגידו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- פנימה: ADV
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:16 (verbal): Same narrative: a second report of the discovery is brought to the royal house. Closely parallels v.11 in function and wording (gate/porters informing the king’s household).
- 2 Kings 6:25 (thematic): Also set during the siege of Samaria; highlights the gate as the public place where events, distress, and news are concentrated and conveyed to authorities—similar social setting for the announcement in 7:11.
- 1 Chronicles 26:15-19 (structural): Describes the duties and office of gatekeepers/porters (guarding entrances, attending to the palace/temple). Provides institutional background for the gatekeepers’ role of calling and reporting to the royal household in 2 Kgs 7:11.
- 2 Samuel 18:27-30 (thematic): A messenger brings urgent news to King David; parallels the motif of a runner/porter delivering startling information into the king’s presence (similar communicative function to the gatekeepers’ call in 2 Kgs 7:11).
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the gatekeepers called and told the king's house within.
- The gatekeepers called and reported it to the king's household.
2 K.7.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- אגידה: VERB,hiph,impf,1,m,sg
- נא: PART
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- כי: CONJ
- רעבים: ADJ,m,pl
- אנחנו: PRON,1,pl
- ויצאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- המחנה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- להחבה: VERB,qal,inf
- בשדה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- כי: CONJ
- יצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ונתפשם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
- חיים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- נבא: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 6:24-25 (thematic): Same siege-of-Samaria context and extreme famine that sets the scene for the events and the king’s desperate thinking in ch.7.
- 2 Kings 7:5 (verbal): The lepers’ dilemma — ‘if we stay here we die; if we go into the city we die’ — echoes the fear and expectation of danger that the king expresses in 7:12.
- 2 Kings 7:6 (verbal): Immediate narrative counterpoint: the Syrians actually fled and abandoned their camp and goods, showing the king’s conclusion in 7:12 to be mistaken.
- Judges 7:13-22 (thematic): Gideon’s night attack and the Midianites’ panic, flight and abandonment of their camp — similar motif of an enemy suddenly fleeing at night and leaving spoils.
Alternative generated candidates
- The king arose at night and said to his servants, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us: they know that we are hungry; they have gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, 'When they come out of the city, we will take them alive and bring them into the city.'"
- The king rose up at night and said to his servants, 'I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know that we are hungry, and they have gone out from the camp to hide in the fields, saying, “They have gone out of the city, and we will seize them alive; to the city we will come.”'
2 K.7.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- מעבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויקחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נא: PART
- חמשה: NUM,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- הסוסים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- הנשארים: PART,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשארו: VERB,qal,perf,3,mp
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- הנם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ככל: PREP
- המון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשארו: VERB,qal,perf,3,mp
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- הנם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ככל: PREP
- המון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- ונשלחה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,pl
- ונראה: VERB,qal,cohort,1,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:14 (structural): Immediate narrative follow-up: the king sends out riders (horses) to see the Syrian camp and they find it abandoned—direct fulfillment of the servant's proposal in 7:13.
- 2 Kings 7:9 (thematic): Earlier in the same episode one of the lepers urges action—'let us go and tell the king'—both verses feature a prompt decision to investigate and report upon discovering unexpected news.
- Numbers 13:17-20 (thematic): Moses sends men to reconnoiter the land of Canaan. The motif of sending out representatives to see and report back parallels the proposal in 2 Kgs 7:13 to dispatch horses to inspect the situation.
- Joshua 2:1 (thematic): Joshua sends two spies into Jericho to gather intelligence. Like 2 Kgs 7:13, this involves covertly sending agents to observe an enemy settlement and bring back information.
- Judges 18:4-6 (thematic): The Danites send scouts/spies to survey the town of Laish. The passage echoes the same practice of dispatching men to investigate territory and report their findings.
Alternative generated candidates
- And one of his servants answered and said, "Let five of the remaining horses that are left in the city be taken— they are like the whole remnant of Israel that remains in the city; they are like the whole of Israel who are ended— and let them be sent, and see."
- Then one of his servants answered, 'Let five of the remaining horses that are left in the city be taken—like the rest of the people who remain in the city—and let them be sent to see.'
2 K.7.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקחו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שני: NUM,m,pl,construct
- רכב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- סוסים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אחרי: PREP
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- וראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:9 (structural): Same episode—earlier in the chapter the lepers decide to enter the Aramean camp and find it deserted; provides immediate narrative context for the king’s later actions.
- 2 Kings 7:16 (verbal): Immediate follow-up in the chapter: men sent to the camp confirm the Aramean abandonment and bring back spoil; parallels the motif of sending out to ‘see’ and verify results.
- Joshua 2:1 (thematic): Joshua sends spies into Jericho to scout enemy territory—similar motif of dispatching men to reconnoiter and report on an enemy camp or city.
- Numbers 13:17-20 (thematic): Moses sends men to ‘view the land’ and bring back information about the inhabitants—parallel theme of commissioning reconnaissance to assess enemy/territory.
- 1 Samuel 30:16-20 (thematic): David pursues raiders, overtakes them and recovers plunder—parallels the pursuit/verification of an enemy force and the recovery of spoils after finding the enemy camp emptied.
Alternative generated candidates
- So they took two chariots with horses and sent after the Aramean camp, saying, "Go, see."
- They took two chariot horses, and the king sent them after the camp of the Arameans, saying, 'Go, and see.'
2 K.7.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וילכו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אחריהם: PREP,3,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- הירדן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והנה: ADV
- כל: DET
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מלאה: ADV
- בגדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכלים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- השליכו: VERB,hif,impv,2,m,pl
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחפזם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg+PRON,3,m,pl
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- המלאכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויגדו: VERB,piel,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- למלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:6-7 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the same incident: the Arameans panic, flee their camp and leave behind garments, vessels and mounts — the same details described here.
- 2 Kings 6:24-25 (structural): Sets the narrative context (siege of Samaria, famine and Elisha’s prophecy) that makes the discovery of the abandoned goods the fulfillment of the prophet’s word.
- Judges 7:22 (thematic): Gideon’s rout of the Midianites: a sudden panic among enemy troops caused them to flee and leave behind spoil — a parallel instance of divine-caused flight and abandoned goods.
- 1 Samuel 30:18-19 (thematic): David’s recovery of all that the Amalekites had taken: similar motif of reclaimed or found possessions after an enemy’s defeat or flight.
- Isaiah 37:36 (allusion): The angel of the LORD smites the Assyrian camp and the enemy is struck down in its camp — a comparable divine intervention producing sudden collapse of enemy forces and consequent opportunity for the people.
Alternative generated candidates
- They went after them as far as the Jordan; and behold, all the way was filled with garments and vessels which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. The messengers returned and brought word to the king.
- They went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments and vessels which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. The messengers returned and told the king.
2 K.7.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויבזו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- מחנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- סאה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- סלת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בשקל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וסאתים: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שערים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בשקל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:1 (verbal): Elisha’s prophecy that a seah of fine flour would be sold for a shekel is stated here; 2 Kgs 7:16 records the literal fulfillment of that prediction.
- 2 Kings 6:24–25 (thematic): Describes the severe famine and exorbitant food prices in Samaria under the Aramean siege, providing the dire background contrasted by the sudden reversal in 7:16.
- 2 Kings 7:3–11 (structural): Narrative of the four lepers who discover the deserted Aramean camp; their discovery sets in motion the events that lead to the plundering and the market prices reported in 7:16.
- 2 Kings 7:12–15 (thematic): Accounts of the city leaders’ skepticism and the subsequent mass plundering of the camp; these verses bridge the lepers’ report and the fulfillment noted in 7:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the people went out and plundered the camp of Aram. And a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.
- Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. A seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, as the word of the LORD had spoken.
2 K.7.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והמלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הפקיד: VERB,hif,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- השליש: NOUN,m,sg,det
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשען: VERB,niphal,ptcp,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- השער: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וירמסהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+obj:3,m,sg
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ברדת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:1 (quotation): The prophecy that the Aramean camp would be left and provisions abundant is spoken earlier in the chapter; 7:17 records the fulfillment of that prophecy concerning the steward’s death 'as the man of God had said.'
- 2 Kings 7:16 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same narrative: 7:16 describes the people finding the provisions exactly as foretold, while 7:17 records the specific, fatal fulfillment of the prophet’s word about the king’s officer.
- 2 Kings 9:33-37 (thematic): Jezebel is thrown from a window and trampled/overrun by horses—another scene in Kings where violent death by trampling fulfills prophetic pronouncement (theme of prophetic prediction realized through trampling/violence).
- 1 Kings 13:24-32 (thematic): An account where a prophet’s word and resulting death are closely linked: a man of God is killed and the event is tied to prophetic speech and disobedience—parallel in how prophetic words determine life/death outcomes and are subsequently reported as fulfilled.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the king had stationed the third who leaned on his hand at the entrance; and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, as the man of God had spoken when the king came down to him.
- The king put the officer on whose hand he leaned at the gate, and the people trampled him at the gate and he died, as the man of God had spoken when he had prophesied to the king.
2 K.7.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- סאתים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שערים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בשקל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וסאה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- סלת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בשקל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כעת: ADV
- מחר: ADV
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שמרון: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:1 (quotation): Elisha's original prophecy that 'a seah of fine flour for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel' — the precise saying that 2 Kings 7:18 claims has come to pass.
- 2 Kings 7:16 (verbal): Immediate report of the market prices measured at the gate of Samaria (a seah of fine flour for a shekel, two seahs of barley for a shekel), confirming the fulfillment of the prophecy.
- 2 Kings 7:15 (structural): Narrative reaction: the king awakens and recognizes that the word spoken by the man of God has been fulfilled, linking the prophecy (v.1) and its fulfillment (v.18/16).
- 2 Kings 6:24-25 (thematic): Description of the preceding siege and extreme famine in Samaria (inflated food prices and scarcity), which provides the contrast that heightens the miracle of sudden abundance and price collapse.
- 2 Kings 7:7-10 (structural): The lepers' decision to enter the abandoned Aramean camp and their discovery of food and goods explains the immediate cause of the sudden availability of grain described in v.18.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it came to pass, as the man of God had told the king, saying, "Two seahs of barley for a shekel and a seah of fine flour for a shekel shall it be tomorrow at the gate of Samaria."
- For the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, 'Two seahs of barley for a shekel and a seah of fine flour for a shekel shall be like now tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.'
2 K.7.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- השליש: NOUN,m,sg,det
- את: PRT,acc
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- והנה: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ארבות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בשמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- היהיה: VERB,qal,yiqtol,3,m,sg
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הנך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- בעיניך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,const,2,ms
- ומשם: CONJ+PREP+ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- תאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 7:1 (verbal): Elisha's initial prophecy that there will be abundance 'tomorrow' and the officer's taunt; contains the parallel formula 'you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it,' echoed in 7:19–20.
- 2 Kings 6:24-25 (thematic): Description of the severe famine in Samaria that provides the background context for 7:19—the desperation and scarcity that make the announced sudden provision remarkable.
- Genesis 7:11 (verbal): Uses the image of the 'windows of heaven' being opened (in Noah's flood); shares the same 'windows/heaven' imagery of heavenly openings as acts of divine intervention.
- Malachi 3:10 (verbal): God promises 'to open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing,' employing the same idiom of heavenly windows for divine provision—paralleling the miraculous abundance in 2 Kings 7.
- 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 (thematic): Speaks of God opening or shutting the heavens (sending or withholding rain) as a sovereign act in response to covenantal behavior; thematically parallels the motif of God controlling the heavens to send blessing or judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the third who was over the king's household answered the man of God and said, "Behold, though the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "You shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it."
- And the officer answered the man of God, 'Behold, even if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?' He said, 'You shall see it with your eyes, but from there you shall not eat.'
2 K.7.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כן: ADV
- וירמסו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וימת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 2 Kings 9:33 (verbal): Jehu orders Jezebel thrown down and she is trampled to death—close verbal and situational parallel (crowd violence resulting in trampling/death).
- 1 Kings 21:13 (verbal): Naboth is stoned and dies after a mob execution—similar language of a people executing a man in the city, a parallel of mob violence leading to death.
- Judges 19:29-30 (thematic): The concubine is brutally abused and dies, and her body is exposed publicly—thematic parallel of communal violence and death within/near the town.
- Deuteronomy 21:18-21 (structural): A rebellious son is brought to the elders at the city gate to be stoned—structural parallel showing the gate as the public locus of communal judgment and execution.
Alternative generated candidates
- So it was to him; the people trampled him at the gate and he died.
- So it came to pass: the people trampled him at the gate, and he died.
Now four men who were lepers were at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?”
“If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we shall die there; and if we sit here, we also die. Now therefore come, let us fall into the camp of Aram; if they spare us alive we shall live, and if they kill us we shall die—so let us lie down and die.”
At dusk they rose to go to the camp of Aram; and they came to the edge of the camp of Aram, and behold, there was no one there. And the LORD caused the host of the Arameans to hear the sound of a great army—sound of chariots, sound of horses, the noise of a great host—so they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.”
They rose and fled at dusk; and they left their tents and their horses and their donkeys—the camp as it was—and they fled for their lives.
The lepers went to the edge of the camp, entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and garments; then they went and hid them and came back and entered another tent and carried from there and went and hid it.
They said to one another, “We are not doing right; this is a day of good news, and we are keeping silent. If we wait until morning light, punishment will be upon us. Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.” So they went and called at the gate of the city and told them, saying, “We have come to the camp of Aram; and behold, there was no man there, nor any sound of a man—only the horses and the donkeys were tied, and the tents remained as they were.” And the gatekeepers called and reported inside to the king’s house.
The king rose at night and said to his servants, “I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us: they know that we are hungry. They have gone out of the camp to hide in the fields, saying, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and bring them into the city.’”
Then one of his servants answered, “Please take five of the remaining horses that are left in the city—those that remain; they are like the remnant of Israel who are left there. Send and see.” So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them after the camp of Aram, saying, “Go, and see.”
They went after them to the Jordan; and behold, all the way was full of garments and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. The men returned and told the king.
Then the people went out and plundered the camp of Aram. And a seah of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel—according to the word of the LORD. But the king had set the officer who leaned on his hand at the gate in charge, and the people trampled him in the gateway and he died, just as the man of God had spoken to the king when he came down to him. Thus it was true, as the man of God had spoken to the king: “Tomorrow about this time at the gate of Samaria a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel.” And the officer answered the man of God and said, “Behold, even if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” He said, “You shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” So it came to pass: the people trampled him at the gate, and he died.