4 Kings 7:2
Then one of the lords, upon whose hand the king leaned, answering the man of God, said: If the Lord should make flood-gates in heaven, can that possibly be which thou sayest? And he said: Thou shalt see it with thy eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
Open 4 Kings 7:2 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Respondens unus de ducibus, super cujus manum rex incumbebat, homini Dei, ait : Si Dominus fecerit etiam cataractas in cælo, numquid poterit esse quod loqueris ? Qui ait : Videbis oculis tuis, et inde non comedes.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ τριστάτης ἐφ᾽ ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπανεπαύετο ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ τῷ Ἐλεισαῖε καὶ εἶπεν Ἰδοὺ ποιήσει Κύριος καταράκτας ἐν οὐρανῷ· μὴ ἔσται τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο; καὶ Ἐλεισαῖε εἶπεν Ἰδοὺ ὄψῃ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ ἐκεῖθεν οὐ φάγῃ.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיַּ֣עַן הַשָּׁלִ֡ישׁ אֲשֶׁר לַמֶּלֶךְ֩ נִשְׁעָ֨ן עַל יָד֜וֹ אֶת אִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ הִנֵּ֣ה יְהוָ֗ה עֹשֶׂ֤ה אֲרֻבּוֹת֙ בַּשָּׁמַ֔יִם הֲיִהְיֶ֖ה הַדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנְּכָ֤ה רֹאֶה֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ וּמִשָּׁ֖ם לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽל
Haydock's commentary
Lords. Hebrew shalish, "an officer" of the first rank, Exodus xiv. 7. Septuagint tristates, which Josephus explains of one who "commanded a third part of the army." (Calmet)
Flood-gates. If corn should fall with the same abundance as water does from the cataracts of the Nile; or, Hebrew, "if the Lord should make windows," &c., to pour it down, (Calmet) could it possibly be so cheap? (Menochius)
Thereof. Thus his incredulity was punished, ver. 17. (Salien)
Reason must not pretend to reach the power of God, but ought to believe what he says. (Worthington)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Ambrose On the Duties of the Clergy, Chapter XX. After the terrible siege of Samaria was ended in accordance with Elisha's prophecy, he relates what regard the four lepers showed for what was virtuous
119. Elisha sat with the elders at Bethel, and before the king’s messenger came to him he said to the elders: “See ye how the son of that murderess hath sent to take away mine head?” Then the messenger entered and brought the king’s command threatening instant danger to his life. Him the prophet answered: “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.” Then when the messenger sent by the king would not believe it, saying: “If the Lord would rain abundance of corn from heaven, not even so would that come about,” Elisha said to him: “Because thou hast not believed, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shall not eat of it.”