Bible Strands
2 Kings 7:7
Thus the Arameans had arisen and fled at twilight, abandoning their tents and horses and donkeys. The camp was intact, and they had run for their lives.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator recounts the Aramean army's sudden departure from their encampment at twilight. This moment follows directly after God causes them to hear the sound of chariots and a great army, triggering their panic.
The words — The text emphasizes וַ/יָּקוּמוּ (va/i.ya.ku.Mu), "and they arose," and וַ/יָּנ֣וּסוּ (va/i.ya.Nu.su), "and they fled." These sequential verbs capture the abrupt shift from stationary camp to uncontrolled retreat.
The thread — The phenomenon of unprovoked flight recurs in Proverbs 28:1, where the wicked flee without a pursuer, and mirrors the flight language of Numbers 35:11. The narrative also aligns with the sudden divine confrontation described in Psalms 48:4 when allied kings advance together.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to acknowledge that divine intervention can collapse military formations without physical combat. It demands an observation that panic strips away strategy, leaving material wealth intact for those who arrive after the rout.
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
Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.
Cross-references
- Psalms 48:4 For behold, the kings assembled; they all advanced together.
- Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
- Numbers 35:11 designate cities to serve as your cities of refuge, so that a person who kills someone unintentionally may flee there.
- Job 18:11 Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his every step.
- Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
- Psalms 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.
- Proverbs 6:5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.
- Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.
- Isaiah 2:20 In that day men will cast away to the moles and bats their idols of silver and gold—the idols they made to worship.
- Jeremiah 48:8 The destroyer will move against every city, and not one town will escape. The valley will also be ruined, and the high plain will be destroyed, as the LORD has said.