2 Kings 7:10

So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city, saying, “We went to the Aramean camp and no one was there—not a trace—only tethered horses and donkeys, and the tents were intact.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The four scouts approach the city gates and report their findings to the gatekeepers at dawn. They speak to deliver urgent news to the king’s household after deciding that silence until morning would be sinful.

The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּקְרְאוּ (va.yiqrə’ū) means “and they called out,” and שׁוֹעֵר (šō‘ēr) translates literally to “gatekeeper.” These terms anchor the scouts’ urgent public announcement at the city entrance.

The thread — The act of running messengers reporting to gatekeepers parallels the watchman’s signal in 2 Samuel 18:26 and the immediate city-wide proclamation in 2 Kings 7:11. This pattern establishes a recurring biblical mechanism for rapid emergency communication.

Why it lands — The text demands a factual assessment of the abandoned camp before any theological conclusion. Readers must first acknowledge the physical evidence of God’s intervention before responding to the reported good news.

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

וַיָּבֹ֗אוּva/i.ya.Vo.'uand/ they went וַֽיִּקְרְאוּ֮va/i.yik.re.'Uand/ they called out אֶל־'el-to שֹׁעֵ֣רsho.'Er[the] gatekeeper of הָעִיר֒ha./'Irthe/ city וַיַּגִּ֤ידוּva/i.ya.Gi.duand/ they toldלָהֶם֙la./Hemto/ themלֵאמֹ֔רle./Mor<to>/ saying בָּ֚אנוּBa.nuwe went אֶל־'el-into מַחֲנֵ֣הma.cha.Neh[the] camp of אֲרָ֔ם'a.RamAram וְהִנֵּ֥הve./hi.Nehand/ there!אֵֽין־'ein-there not שָׁ֛םshamthere אִ֖ישׁ'ish[was] anyone וְק֣וֹלve./Koland/ [the] sound of אָדָ֑ם'a.Damanyone כִּ֣יkithat אִם־'im-except הַסּ֤וּסha./Susthe/ horse[s]אָסוּר֙'a.Surtied up וְהַחֲמ֣וֹרve./ha./cha.Morand/ the/ donkey[s]אָס֔וּר'a.Surtied up וְאֹהָלִ֖יםve./'o.ha.Limand/ tents כַּאֲשֶׁר־ka./'a.Sher-[are] just/ as הֵֽמָּה׃He.mahthey [were]

King James Version

So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

Cross-references

2 Samuel 18:26 the watchman saw another man running, and he called out to the gatekeeper, “Look! Another man is running alone!” “This one also brings good news,” said the king.
2 Kings 7:6 For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the kings of the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us.”
2 Kings 7:11 The gatekeepers shouted the news, and it was reported to the king’s household.
Psalms 127:1 A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.
Mark 13:34 It is like a man going on a journey who left his house, put each servant in charge of his own task, and instructed the doorkeeper to keep watch.