Question 1

What was happening in Samaria when Elisha gave this promise?

Accepted Answer

Samaria was trapped by the Syrian army, and the people were in a desperate famine. Food was so scarce that normal life had broken down. In the middle of this misery, Elisha spoke a very specific promise from God: by the next day, good flour and barley would be sold at normal, low prices at the city gate. So the setting is one of deep fear, hunger, and hopelessness, into which God sends a word of sudden and unexpected relief.

Question 2

What does the promise about flour and barley for a shekel mean?

Accepted Answer

The promise that a measure of fine flour and two measures of barley would sell cheaply for a shekel means everyday food would become affordable again. At that time, prices were sky-high because of the siege and famine. Elisha’s words point to more than just food returning. They show that God would overturn the whole situation in a single day, restoring not only full bellies but also normal trade at the gate, where business and justice usually took place.

Question 3

Why did the officer say, “If the Lord would make windows in heaven”?

Accepted Answer

The officer’s words were a sarcastic way of saying he did not believe Elisha at all. He thought the promise of cheap grain by the next day was impossible, even if God opened “windows in heaven” and poured out food directly. His heart was shaped by what he could see, not by trust in God’s power. Because he mocked God’s word, he was told he would see the promise come true with his own eyes but not share in it, which is exactly what later happened.

Question 4

Who were the four lepers and why are they important in this story?

Accepted Answer

The four lepers were outcasts who had to live at the city gate, away from the healthy people. They were starving like everyone else and knew they would die if nothing changed. They decided it was better to risk going to the Syrian camp than sit and wait for death. God used these unlikely men to be the first to find the empty camp and the food. They show how God can use weak and rejected people as the ones who first see and carry news of his rescue.

Question 5

Why did the Syrians flee from their camp without a battle?

Accepted Answer

The Syrians fled because God made them hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, even though no army was actually there. They panicked and thought Israel’s king had hired other nations to attack them from behind. In their fear, they ran away in the dark, leaving tents, food, animals, and goods behind. This shows that God can turn enemies away without Israel lifting a sword, simply by working on their minds and filling them with terror.

Question 6

Why did the lepers say, “We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings”?

Accepted Answer

After eating and hiding some silver, gold, and clothes, the lepers realized they were keeping the good news to themselves while the city was still starving. Their hearts were troubled by this. They knew it was wrong to enjoy rescue alone when others were perishing. Calling it “a day of good tidings” shows they saw the full camp as God’s gracious provision for everyone. Their choice to go back and tell the king’s house is an example of sharing good news rather than keeping it for personal gain.

Question 7

Why was the king at first suspicious of the lepers’ report?

Accepted Answer

The king thought the Syrians were using a trick. He believed they had left the camp on purpose and were hiding nearby, waiting for starving Israelites to come out so they could catch them alive and take the city. His fear shows how hard it can be to trust good news when you have been living in danger and unbelief. Only after sending out a small group to check the road and finding it strewn with abandoned goods did he accept that God had truly driven the Syrians away.

Question 8

How was Elisha’s prophecy about food prices fulfilled?

Accepted Answer

Once the messengers confirmed that the Syrians had really fled and left everything behind, the people rushed out of Samaria and looted the camp. Suddenly there was plenty of grain and goods. With such abundance, the price of food dropped quickly to exactly what Elisha had said: a measure of fine flour and two measures of barley for a shekel at the gate. The story repeats that this happened “according to the word of the Lord,” making it clear this was not chance, but God keeping his promise.

Question 9

Why did the officer who doubted Elisha’s word die at the gate?

Accepted Answer

The king put the same officer, who had mocked Elisha’s promise, in charge of the gate when the people rushed out to the Syrian camp. The crowd was so eager to reach the food and riches that they trampled him to death. In this way, what Elisha had told him came true: he saw the plenty with his eyes, but he did not eat any of it. His death at the gate is a sober warning about treating God’s promises with contempt and refusing to trust what God has said.

Question 10

What does this passage teach about God’s character and our response?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows that God can bring help when things seem beyond saving. He is able to turn famine into plenty in a moment, and he can defeat enemies without human strength. At the same time, God’s word is sure, both in mercy and in warning. The lepers picture a humble, willing response, acting in hope and then sharing what they have found. The doubting officer shows the loss that comes with hardened unbelief. The story invites us to trust God’s word and not keep good news to ourselves.

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.

Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty

The Syrians Flee

Elisha’s Prophecy Fulfilled

Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty

Cross References

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.

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Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty

The Syrians Flee

Elisha’s Prophecy Fulfilled

Elisha’s Prophecy of Plenty

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