2 Kings 7:2

7:2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man 1  responded to the prophet, 2  “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” 3  Elisha 4  said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” 5 

2 Kings 7:17-19

7:17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man 6  at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. 7  This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. 8  7:18 The prophet told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” 7:19 But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” 9  Elisha 10  said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” 11 

1 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand the king leans.”

2 tn Heb “man of God.”

3 tn Heb “the Lord was making holes in the sky, could this thing be?” Opening holes in the sky would allow the waters stored up there to pour to the earth and assure a good crop. But, the officer argues, even if this were to happen, it would take a long time to grow and harvest the crop.

4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”

6 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand he leans.”

7 tn Heb “and the people trampled him in the gate and he died.”

8 tn Heb “just as the man of God had spoken, [the word] which he spoke when the king came down to him.”

9 tn Heb “the Lord was making holes in the sky, could this thing be?” See the note at 7:2.

10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

11 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”

tn In the Hebrew text vv. 18-19a are one lengthy sentence, “When the man of God spoke to the king…, the officer replied to the man of God, ‘Look…so soon?’” The translation divides this sentence up for stylistic reasons.