2 Kings 7:3
New International Version
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, “Why stay here until we die?

New Living Translation
Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.

English Standard Version
Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?

Berean Standard Bible
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die?

King James Bible
And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

New King James Version
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?

New American Standard Bible
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?

NASB 1995
Now 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?

NASB 1977
Now 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?

Legacy Standard Bible
Now 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?

Amplified Bible
Now four men who were lepers were at the entrance of the [city’s] gate; and they said to one another, “Why should we sit here until we die?

Christian Standard Bible
Now four men with a skin disease were at the entrance to the city gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Four men with a skin disease were at the entrance to the gate. They said to each other, “Why just sit here until we die?

American Standard Version
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And four men who were lepers were sitting outside of the wall, and they said, each man to his fellow: “Why are we sitting here until we die?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And there were four leprous men by the gate of the city: and one said to his neighbour, Why sit we here until we die?

Contemporary English Version
About the same time, four men with leprosy were just outside the gate of Samaria. They said to each other, "Why should we sit here, waiting to die?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now there were four lepers, at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another: What mean we to stay here till we die?

English Revised Version
Now there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Four men with skin diseases were at the entrance of the city gate. One of them asked, "Why are we sitting here waiting to die?

Good News Translation
Four men who were suffering from a dreaded skin disease were outside the gates of Samaria, and they said to each other, "Why should we wait here until we die?

International Standard Version
Now there happened to be four lepers who were at that very moment at the entrance to the city gate. As they were talking with one another, they said, "Why are we sitting here waiting to die?

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said one to another: 'Why sit we here until we die?

Literal Standard Version
And four men have been leprous at the opening of the gate, and they say to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we have died?

Majority Standard Bible
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die?

New American Bible
At the city gate four lepers were asking one another, “Why should we sit here until we die?

NET Bible
Now four men with a skin disease were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, "Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?

New Revised Standard Version
Now there were four leprous men outside the city gate, who said to one another, “Why should we sit here until we die?

New Heart English Bible
Now 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?

Webster's Bible Translation
And there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

World English Bible
Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. They said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?

Young's Literal Translation
And four men have been leprous, at the opening of the gate, and they say one unto another, 'What -- we are sitting here till we have died;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Siege Lifted
2But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.” 3Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? 4If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.”…

Cross References
Leviticus 13:45
A diseased person must wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose, and he must cover his mouth and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!'

Leviticus 13:46
As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

Numbers 5:2
"Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.

Numbers 12:10
As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous,


Treasury of Scripture

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

four leprous

2 Kings 5:1
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

2 Kings 8:4
And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

Leviticus 13:46
All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

Why

2 Kings 7:4
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 unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

Jeremiah 8:14
Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.

Jeremiah 27:13
Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?

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City Die Died Doorway Entering Entrance Four Gate Leprous Opening Seated Sit Waiting
2 Kings 7
1. Elisha prophesies incredible plenty in Samaria
3. four lepers, venturing on the host of the Syrians, bring tidings of their flight
12. The king, finding by spies the news to be true, spoils the tents of the Syrians.
17. The lord who would not believe the prophecy of plenty is trampled in the press














(3) And there were four leprous men.--Literally, And four men were lepers.

At the entering in of the gate.--And so outside of the city. (Comp. Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:2-3.) Rashi says they were Gehazi and his sons (!)

Why sit we?--Or, Why are we abiding? Nobody brought them food any longer, owing to the pressure of the famine.

Verses 3-16. - The mode in which Elisha's prophecy of relief and deliverance was fulfilled is now set forth. Four lepers, excluded from the city, and on the point of perishing of hunger, felt that they could be no worse off, and might better their condition, if they deserted to the Syrians. They therefore drew off from the city at nightfall, and made for the Syrian camp. On arriving, they found it deserted. The entire host, seized with a sudden panic, had fled, about the time that they began their journey. The lepers' first thought was to enrich themselves by plunder, but after a while it occurred to them that, unless they hastened to carry the good news to Samaria, inquiry would be made, their proceedings would be found out, and they would be severely punished. So they returned to the capital, and reported what they had discovered. Jehoram, on receiving the news, feared that the Syrians had prepared a trap for him, and declined to move. He consented, however, to send out scouts to reconnoiter. The scouts found evident proof that the entire army had actually fled and was gone, whereupon there was a general raid upon the camp and its stores, which were so abundant that Elisha's prophecy was fulfilled ere the day ended. Verse 3. - And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate; or, at the entrance to the gate-house. Lepers were forbidden by the Law to reside within cities (Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:3). They were thrust out when the disease developed itself, and forced to dwell without the walls. No doubt their friends within the city ordinarily supplied them with food; and hence they congregated about the city gates. And they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? In the extreme scarcity, it is probable that no food was brought to them, the inmates of the city having barely enough wherewith to sustain themselves (2 Kings 6:25). Thus they were on the point of perishing.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now there were four
וְאַרְבָּעָ֧ה (wə·’ar·bā·‘āh)
Conjunctive waw | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 702: Four

men
אֲנָשִׁ֛ים (’ă·nā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

with leprosy
מְצֹרָעִ֖ים (mə·ṣō·rā·‘îm)
Verb - Pual - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 6879: To be struck with leprosy, to be leprous

at the entrance
פֶּ֣תַח (pe·ṯaḥ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6607: An opening, door, entrance way

to the gate,
הַשָּׁ֑עַר (haš·šā·‘ar)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate

and they said
וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

one
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

another,
רֵעֵ֔הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

“Why
מָ֗ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

just sit
יֹשְׁבִ֥ים (yō·šə·ḇîm)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

here
פֹּ֖ה (pōh)
Adverb
Strong's 6311: This place, here

until
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

we die?
מָֽתְנוּ׃ (mā·ṯə·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural
Strong's 4191: To die, to kill


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OT History: 2 Kings 7:3 Now there were four leprous men at (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 7:2
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