Elisha prophesies incredible plenty in Samaria, 1, 2. Four lepers, venturing on the host of the Syrians, bring tidings of their flight, 3-11. The king, finding by spies the news to be true, plunders the tents of the Syrians, 12-16. The lord who would not believe the prophecy of plenty, having the charge of the gate, is trodden to death by a crowd, 17-20.
1 Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the LORD: 'Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria.'" 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be?" And he said, "Behold, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it."
3 And there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. And they said to one another, "Why do we sit here until we die? 4 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 to the army of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we shall live, and if they kill us, we shall but die." 5 And they rose in the twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. And when they had come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. 6 (For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great army. And they said to one another, "Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to come upon us." 7 Therefore, they arose and fled in the twilight and left their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.) 8 And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, ate and drank, and carried from there silver, gold, and clothing, and went and hid it. And they came back, entered into another tent, and carried from there also, and went and hid it.
9 Then they said to one another, "We do not do right. This day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace. If we wait until the morning light, some mischief will come upon us. Now therefore, come, so that we may go and tell the king's household." 10 So they came and called to the gatekeeper of the city. And they told him, saying, "We came to the camp of the Syrians, and behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, donkeys tied, and the tents as they were." 11 And he called the gatekeepers, and they told it to the king's house within. 12 And 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, they have 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.'" 13 And one of his servants answered and said, "Let some take, I pray you, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel who are left in it, behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites who are consumed), and let us send and see." 14 They took therefore two chariots with horses. And the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, "Go and see."
15 And they went after them to the Jordan. And behold, 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 plundered 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 trod upon him in the gate and he died, as the man of God had said, who spoke 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 tomorrow 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, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it." 20 And so it happened to him, for the people trod upon him in the gate and he died.
Matthew Henry Commentary - 2nd Kings, Chapter 7[➚]