2 Kings 7:2
New International Version
The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” answered Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it!”

New Living Translation
The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the LORD opened the windows of heaven!” But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”

English Standard Version
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “If the LORD himself should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

Berean Standard Bible
But 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.”

King James Bible
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, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

New King James Version
So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “Look, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” And he said, “In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

New American Standard Bible
The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning responded to the man of God and said, “Even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this thing happen?” Then he said, “Behold, you are going to see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it.”

NASB 1995
The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”

NASB 1977
And the royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold you shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And the royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if Yahweh should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?” Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”

Amplified Bible
Then the royal officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God and said, “If the LORD should make windows in heaven [for the rain], could this thing take place?” Elisha said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but [because you doubt] you will not eat of it.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen? ” Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then the captain, the king’s right-hand man, responded to the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” Elisha announced, “You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat any of it.”

American Standard Version
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the man of the King leaning on his hands answered and he said: “If LORD JEHOVAH shall make windows in Heaven, would this result occur?” And he said to him: “Behold, you shall see with your eyes and you shall not eat of it.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the officer on whose hand the king rested, answered Elisaie, and said, Behold, if the Lord shall make flood-gates in heaven, might this thing be? and Elisaie said, Behold, thou shalt see with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

Contemporary English Version
The chief officer there with the king replied, "I don't believe it! Even if the LORD sent a rainstorm, it couldn't produce that much grain by tomorrow." "You will see it happen, but you won't eat any of the food," Elisha warned him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then one of the lords, upon whose hand the king leaned, answering the man of God, said: If the Lord should make hood-gates in heaven, can that possibly be which thou sayest? And he said: Thou shalt see it with thy eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

English Revised Version
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The servant on whose arm the king was leaning answered the man of God, "Could this happen even if the LORD poured rain through windows in the sky?" Elisha replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it."

Good News Translation
The personal attendant of the king said to Elisha, "That can't happen--not even if the LORD himself were to send grain at once!" "You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food," Elisha replied.

International Standard Version
But the royal attendant on whom the king depended responded to the man of God: "Look here! Even if the LORD were to open a window in the sky, how could this happen?" He replied, "No, you look! You'll see it with your eyes, but you won't eat any of it!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said: 'Behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might this thing be?' And he said: 'Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.'

Literal Standard Version
And the captain whom the king has, by whose hand he has been supported, answers the man of God and says, “Behold, YHWH is making windows in the heavens—will this thing be?” And he says, “Behold, you are seeing it with your eyes, and you do not eat thereof.”

Majority Standard Bible
But 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.”

New American Bible
But the adjutant, upon whose arm the king leaned, answered the man of God, “Even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, how could this happen?” Elisha said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.”

NET Bible
An officer who was the king's right-hand man responded to the prophet, "Look, even if the LORD made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?" Elisha said, "Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!"

New Revised Standard Version
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned said to the man of God, “Even if the LORD were to make windows in the sky, could such a thing happen?” But he said, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat from it.”

New Heart English Bible
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, "Look, if the LORD made windows in heaven, could this thing be?" He said, "Look, you shall see it with your eyes, but shall not eat of it."

Webster's Bible Translation
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, thou shalt see it with thy eyes, but shalt not eat of it.

World English Bible
Then the captain on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, “Behold, if Yahweh made windows in heaven, could this thing be?” He said, “Behold, you will see it with your eyes, but will not eat of it.”

Young's Literal Translation
And the captain whom the king hath, by whose hand he hath been supported, answereth the man of God and saith, 'Lo, Jehovah is making windows in the heavens -- shall this thing be?' and he saith, 'Lo, thou art seeing it with thine eyes, and thereof thou dost not eat.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Siege Lifted
1Then 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.’ ” 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?…

Cross References
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

2 Kings 5:18
Yet may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter."

2 Kings 7:17
Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him.

2 Kings 7:19
And the officer had answered the man of God, "Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?" So Elisha had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!"

Jeremiah 29:32
this is what the LORD says: 'I will surely punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good that I will bring to My people, declares the LORD, for he has preached rebellion against the LORD.'"

Malachi 3:10
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this," says the LORD of Hosts. "See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure.


Treasury of Scripture

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 thereof.

a lord, etc.

2 Kings 5:18
In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.

if the Lord

Genesis 18:12-14
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? …

Numbers 11:21-23
And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month…

Psalm 78:19-21,41
Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? …

windows

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

thou shalt see it

2 Kings 7:17-20
And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him…

Deuteronomy 3:27
Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

2 Chronicles 20:20
And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

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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














(2) Then a lord.--And the adjutant (shalish: comp. 2Samuel 23:8; 1Kings 9:22; 1Chronicles 11:11), or aide-de-camp or esquire (equerry).

On whose hand . . . leaned.--Comp. the similar expression in reference to Naaman (2Kings 5:18).

Leaned.--Was leaning.

Behold, if the Lord . . . this thing be?--This may be correct. Even granting the very unlikely supposition that Jehovah is about to make windows (Genesis 7:11) in the sky, to rain down supplies through them, the promised cheapness of provisions can hardly ensue so soon. Or we may render, "Behold, Jehovah is going to make windows in the sky [i.e., to pour down provisions upon us]. Can this thing come to pass?" In any case, the tone is that of scoffing unbelief. Reuss renders, with French point, "Voyez donc. Iaheweh en fera pleuvoir! Est ce que c'est chose possible?" . . .

Verse 2. - Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned; rather, the lord, or the captain, as the word שׁלישׁ is commonly translated (Exodus 14:7; Exodus 15:4; 2 Samuel 23:8; 1 Kings 9:22; 2 Kings 9:25; 2 Kings 10:25; 2 Kings 15:25; 1 Chronicles 11:11; 1 Chronicles 12:18; 2 Chronicles 8:9). (For the habit of kings to lean on the hand of an attendant, see above, 2 Kings 5:18.) Answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? The king makes no reply; he waits for the result. But the officer on whose arm he leans is not so reticent. Utterly incredulous, he expresses his incredulity in a scoffing way: "Could this possibly be, even if God were to 'make windows in heaven,' as he did at the time of the Flood (Genesis 7:11), and pour through them, instead of rain, as then, a continual shower of fine meal and corn?" Disbelief is expressed, not only in the prophetic veracity of Elisha, but in the power of God. Hence Elisha's stern reply. And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. At once a threat and a warning. If the thing was to be, and the lord to see it and yet not profit by it, the only reasonable conclusion was that his death was imminent. He was thus warned, and given time to "set his house in order," and to repent and make his peace with the Almighty. Whether he took advantage of the warning, or even understood it, we are not told.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But the officer
הַשָּׁלִ֡ישׁ (haš·šā·lîš)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7991: A triple, a triangle, a three-fold measure, a general of the third rank

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

whose arm
יָד֜וֹ (yā·ḏōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

the king
לַמֶּלֶךְ֩ (lam·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

leaned
נִשְׁעָ֨ן (niš·‘ān)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8172: To lean, support oneself

answered
וַיַּ֣עַן (way·ya·‘an)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

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

of God,
הָאֱלֹהִים֮ (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

“Look,
הִנֵּ֣ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

even if the LORD
יְהוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

were to make
עֹשֶׂ֤ה (‘ō·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

windows
אֲרֻבּוֹת֙ (’ă·rub·bō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 699: A lattice, a window, dovecot, chimney, sluice

in heaven,
בַּשָּׁמַ֔יִם (baš·šā·ma·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

could this
הַזֶּ֑ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

really happen?”
הֲיִהְיֶ֖ה (hă·yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

“You will see [it]
רֹאֶה֙ (rō·’eh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

with your own eyes,”
בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ (bə·‘ê·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - cdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

replied [Elisha],
וַיֹּאמַר֒ (way·yō·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“but you will not eat
תֹאכֵֽל׃ (ṯō·ḵêl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

any of it.”
וּמִשָּׁ֖ם (ū·miš·šām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m | Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither


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OT History: 2 Kings 7:2 Then the captain on whose hand (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 7:1
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