2 Kings — Chapter 7

Eliseus said: Hear ye the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord: To morrow about this time a bushel of fine flour shall be sold for a stater, and two measures of barley for a stater, in the gate of Samaria. Lapide: Elisha's prophecy of the sudden end of the famine was fulfilled literally the next day when God sent the sound of a great army through the Syrian camp, causing them to flee. The arrogant captain who doubted the prophecy died in the press of the people at the gate — trampled underfoot as Elisha foretold: \"thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.\"

The Lord had made them to hear the sound of chariots, and of horses, and of a very great army. Lapide: God did not send a real army but only the sound of one — an acoustic miracle, by which He struck terror into the Syrians and caused their rout. This shows God's sovereign power over the imagination and the senses of His enemies, and that He can deliver His people without any human means whatsoever.

They said one to another: We do not well; for this is a day of good tidings, and we are silent. If we tarry till the morning light, we shall be convicted of the crime. Come, let us go, and tell it in the king's court. Lapide: The four lepers who discovered the empty Syrian camp wrestled with their consciences and resolved to report the good news even at risk of their lives. Lapide draws a moral: \"Those who possess a spiritual treasure — the grace of faith or the knowledge of God's mercy — are bound to share it with others, lest they be convicted of negligence at the judgment.\"