Bible Strands
2 Kings 7:1
Then 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.’”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Elisha addresses the people of Samaria, announcing a divine oracle that will be fulfilled about this time tomorrow at the city gate. He speaks during a famine crisis, delivering a specific promise regarding grain prices.
The words — שִׁמְע֖וּ (shim.'U) means hear, and דְּבַר־ יְהוָ֑ה (de.var- Yah.weh) translates to the word of Yahweh. These terms frame the announcement as an authoritative divine proclamation rather than human advice.
The thread — The formula appears in Joshua 3:5 and Exodus 16:12 as a marker of impending divine intervention, while Ezekiel 37:4 uses the same phrase to command attention to a future restoration oracle. Each reference ties the spoken word to a concrete act of God that follows.
Why it lands — The text demands precise attention to a specific time and place where God’s promise will materialize. It requires the reader to recognize that divine provision operates on a timeline and in locations determined solely by God.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Joshua 3:5 Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”
- Exodus 16:12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”
- Ezekiel 37:4 And He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and tell them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
- 1 Samuel 11:9 So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced.
- Exodus 9:5 The LORD set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.”
- Exodus 14:13 But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.
- Psalms 46:5 God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.
- Exodus 8:23 I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow.’”
- 2 Kings 20:16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD:
- 2 Kings 4:42 Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.