2 Kings 7:1

_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._ 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 (2 Kings 7:18). TO-MORROW, ABOUT THIS TIME, SHALL A MEASURE OF FINE FLOUR BE SOLD FOR A SHEKEL ... This may be estimated at a peck of fine flour for 2 shillings 6d., and two pecks of barley at the same price. IN THE GATE OF SAMARIA. Vegetables, cattle and all sorts of country produce, are still sold every morning at the gates of towns in the East....

1,2 Man's extremity is God's opportunity of making his own power to be glorious: his time to appear for his people is when their strength is gone. Unbelief is a sin by which men greatly dishonour and displease God, and deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. Such will be the portion of those that believe not the promise of eternal life; they shall see it at a distance, but shall never taste of it. But no temporal deliverances and mercies will in the end profit sinners, unless they are led to repentance by the goodness of God....

CHAPTER VII _Elisha foretells abundant relief to the besieged inhabitants_ _of Samaria_, 1. _One of the lords questions the possibility of it; and is_ _assured that he shall see it on the morrow, but not taste_ _of it_, 2. _Four lepers, perishing with hunger, go to the camp of the_ _Syrians to seek relief and find it totally deserted_, 3-5. _How the Syrians were alarmed, and fled_, 6, 7. _The lepers begin to take the spoil, but at last resolve to_ _carry the good news to the city_, 8-11....

The division between the chapters is most awkward here. Elisha, in this verse, replies to the king’s challenge in 2 Kings 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. IN THE GATE - The “gates,” or “gateways,” of Eastern towns are favorite places for the despatch of various kinds of business. It would seem that at Samaria one of the gates was used for the grain m

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 7:1 THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA (_continued_)_: _THE DELIVERANCE. 2 KINGS 7:1, 2 KINGS 7:2 The separation of these verses from the preceding narrative is most unfortunate. They are an integral part of it, and form its climax. In answer to the king's attempt upon his life, and hasty speech in which he has threatened to renounce Jehovah, Elisha is commissioned to proclaim that the siege is on the point of terminating, the famine about to be within twenty-four hours succeeded by a time of plenty. There is thu

THEN ELISHA SAID, HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD,.... This he said to the king and those that were with him: THUS SAITH THE LORD, TOMORROW, ABOUT THIS TIME; which very probably was the forenoon: SHALL A MEASURE OF FINE FLOUR [BE SOLD] FOR A SHEKEL; "a seah", the measure here spoken of, or "saturn", according to some r, was a gallon and an half; but Bishop Cumberland s makes it two wine gallons and an half; and a shekel, according to his accurate computation, was two shillings and four pence farthing, and near the eighth part of one t: AND TWO MEASURES OF BARLEY FOR A SHEKEL, IN THE GATE OF SAMARIA; where the market was kept; the same sort of measure and of money is here used as before; and we learn from hence that a measure of wheat was equal to two of barley. r Godwin, ut supra. (Moses Aaron, B. 6. c. 9.) s Of Scripture Weights and Measures, c. 3. p. 86. t lb. c. 4. p. 104, 105....

6. ELISHA'S PREDICTION AND ITS FULFILMENT CHAPTER 7 _ 1. Elisha's prediction (2 Kings 7:1)_ 2. The unbelieving lord (2 Kings 7:2) 3. The four lepers and their discovery (2 Kings 7:3) 4. The day of good tidings (2 Kings 7:9) 5. The prediction fulfilled (2 Kings 7:16) 6. The death of the unbelieving lord (2 Kings 7:19) When the worst had come, Samaria starving to death, the king in despondency, Elisha's life threatened, t

2 Kings 6:24 to 2 Kings 7:20. THE SIEGE OF SAMARIA. The date and source of this episode need discussion. The name of the king of Syria, as in 1 Kings 20, was Ben-hadad; the king of Israel is not named at all. Two Benhadads are possible, the king in 1 Kings 20 who was defeated by Ahab, and the son and successor of Hazael (2 Kings 13:24). If the first is meant, then Jehoram was king of Israel; if not, Jehoash, the grandson of Jehu. Elisha was called in the days of Ahab, and lived under Ahab and his two sons Ahaziah and Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash, dying under the last-named king. It is true that Elisha called the king this son of a murderer, which may be applicable to a son of Ahab; but son of may be used as the commo

THEN ELISHA. The Structure (see 2Kings book comments) shows that verses 2 Kings 7:1 should be read with 2 Kings 6:33. THE LORD. Hebrew. _Jehovah._ App-4. measures. seahs. See App-51....

2 Kings 7:1. _Hear ye the word of the Lord_ Having seen the change in the king's disposition, even though it were a change to despondency, rather than trust, Elisha in the name of the Lord gives a solemn assurance that help is nigh. This he does in the presence of the elders who had been sitting with him, and of those persons who had come in the king's retinue. _a measure of fine flour_be sold for _a shekel_ The measure is the Hebrew _seah_, which is said to be about a peck. It was six times as much as the _Kab_mentioned in 2 Kings 6:5. So that the change which Elisha foretells would provide six times as much good food for one-fifth of the price for which, in the famine, the vilest had been sold. _in the gate of Samaria_ Where people congregated for markets and other purposes....