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2 Kings 7:1

in 2 Kings 7

Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Elisha said, Hear ye the word of Jehovah: thus saith Jehovah, To-morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

KJV

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

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This verse in 2 Kings 7

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
The division between the chapters is most awkward here. Elisha, in this verse, replies to the king’s challenge in 2Ki 6:33 - that his God, Yahweh, will give deliverance in the space of a day. On the morrow, by the same time in the day, the famine will have ceased, and food will be even cheaper than usual. A measure of fine flour - literally, “a seah of fine flour;” about a peck and a half. For a shekel - About 2 shillings 8 12 d. Two measures of burley - Or, “two seahs of barley;” about three pecks.

This site's exposition

a measure of fine flour

on 2 Kings 7:1-2

Elisha's message sets tomorrow's grain prices to the shekel, spoken into a city that one chapter earlier paid silver for dove's dung and watched a mother boil her own son for food. The lord who leans on the king's hand answers with a scoff at the idea of a downpour of grain, and Elisha answers him with a sentence rather than an argument, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. The chapter repeats that same sentence word for word at verse nineteen, so the reader is told it twice before its execution is reported at verses seventeen through twenty. The pattern echoes the man of God who named Josiah three centuries before his birth at 1 Ki 13:2, a word spoken plainly and then kept to the letter, only here the gap between word and fulfillment is a single day.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Origen of Alexandria

HOMILIES ON GENESIS 16.3 · Written before 253.

proposed

You will also find similar things in the times of Elisha, when the son of Jader, king of Syria, came up against Samaria and besieged it. "And there was a great famine in Samaria for so long," Scripture says, "that a donkey's head became worth fifty shekels of silver and a quarter of pigeon dung five pieces of silver." But suddenly an amazing change occurs through the word of the prophet, who says, "Hear the word of the Lord.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The consequence of that shall be great plenty. This would, in time, follow of course, but that corn should be thus cheap in so short a time was quite beyond what could be thought of. Though the king of Israel had just now threatened Elisha's life, God promises to save his life and the life of his people; for where sin abounded grace doth much more abound.
Then Elisha said, hear the word of the Lord,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Hear ye the word of the Lord--This prediction, though uttered first to the assembled elders, was intimated to the king's messengers, who reported it to Jehoram (2Ki 7:18).

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

To-morrow about this time - This was in reply to the desponding language of the king, and to vindicate himself from the charge of being author of this calamity. See the end of the preceding chapter, 2Ki 6:33 (note). A measure of fine flour - for a shekel - A seah of fine flour: the seah was about two gallons and a half; the shekel, two shillings and four-pence at the lowest computation. A wide difference between this and the price of the ass’s head mentioned above.

The words behind it

18 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • אֱלִישָׁ֔עElisha

    ʾelisha'H477 →58 times

  • שִׁמְע֖וּhear

    shimuH8085 →1159 times

  • דְּבַר־[the] word of

    devar-H1697 →1440 times

  • יְהוָ֑הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • כֹּ֣ה׀thus

    kohH3541 →577 times

  • אָמַ֣רhe says

    ʾamarH559 →5305 times

  • יְהוָ֗הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • כָּעֵ֤ת׀about <the> this time

    kaetH6256 →296 times

  • מָחָר֙tomorrow

    macharH4279 →52 times

  • סְאָֽה־a seah of

    seah-H5429 →9 times

  • סֹ֣לֶתfine flour

    soletH5560 →53 times

  • בְּשֶׁ֗קֶלfor a shekel

    beshekelH8255 →88 times

  • וְסָאתַ֧יִםand two seahs

    vesatayimH5429 →9 times

  • שְׂעֹרִ֛יםbarley<s>

    seorimH8184 →34 times

  • בְּשֶׁ֖קֶלfor a shekel

    beshekelH8255 →88 times

  • בְּשַׁ֥עַרat [the] gate of

    beshaarH8179 →374 times

  • שֹׁמְרֽוֹן׃Samaria

    shomeronH8111 →109 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Joshua 3:5Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”25 worksExodus 16:12“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”19 worksEzekiel 37:4And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!13 works1 Samuel 11:9So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.11 worksExodus 14:13But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.10 worksExodus 9:5–6The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”10 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Psalms 46:5God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.9 works1 Kings 17:14for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’”9 worksExodus 8:23I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”7 works2 Kings 20:16Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD:6 works2 Kings 7:16Then the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans. It was then that a seah of fine flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for a shekel, according to the word of the LORD.6 worksRevelation 6:6And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”5 works2 Kings 4:42Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.5 works2 Kings 6:25So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.5 worksJohn 6:9“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”4 works2 Kings 7:18–19It happened just as the man of God had told the king: “About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel.”3 works2 Kings 6:33While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger came down to him. And the king said, “This calamity is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”3 works1 Kings 20:13Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”3 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Exodus 14:13

    But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never…

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 20:17

      You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out…

    • 2 Chronicles 20:15

      And he said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle…

    • Isaiah 41:10–14

      Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…

    • Exodus 14:30

      That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore.

    • 2 Kings 6:16

      “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

  • Through

    Ezekiel 37:4

    And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

    it leads to

    • John 5:25

      Truly, truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

    • John 5:28–29

      Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice

    • Matthew 21:21

      “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,…

About 2 Kings

Elijah Ascends to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Elijah Ascends to Heaven in a Chariot of Fire, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
2 Kings: the study guide →Read 2 Kings 7 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 16.3.

Read on in 2 Kings 7 →