4 Kings 7:3
Now there were four lepers, at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another: What mean we to stay here till we die?
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- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Quatuor ergo viri erant leprosi juxta introitum portæ : qui dixerunt ad invicem : Quid hic esse volumus donec moriamur ?
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Καὶ τέσσαρες ἄνδρες ἦσαν λεπροὶ παρὰ τὴν θύραν τῆς πόλεως, καὶ εἶπεν ἀνὴρ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ Τί ἡμεῖς καθήμεθα ὧδε ἕως ἀποθάνωμεν;
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וְאַרְבָּעָ֧ה אֲנָשִׁ֛ים הָי֥וּ מְצֹרָעִ֖ים פֶּ֣תַח הַשָּׁ֑עַר וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶל רֵעֵ֔הוּ מָ֗ה אֲנַ֛חְנוּ יֹשְׁבִ֥ים פֹּ֖ה עַד מָֽתְנוּ
Haydock's commentary
Lepers. They were excluded from society, though the laws of religion were ill observed in Israel. The Rabbins say, these four were Giezi and his three sons. (Calmet)
But this is without foundation, (Haydock) as Giezi was not yet a leper, chap. viii. 5.
Salien places that judgment two years later. (Haydock)
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
121. But there were four lepers at the gate of the city to whom life was a misery, and to die would be gain. And they said one to another: “Behold we sit here and die. If we enter into the city, we shall die with hunger; if we remain here, there are no means of living at hand for us. Let us go to the Syrian camp, either they will quickly kill us or grant us the means of safety.” So they went and entered into the camp, and behold, all was forsaken by the enemy. Entering the tents, first of all on finding food they satisfied their hunger, then they laid hold of as much gold and silver as they could. But whilst they were intent on the booty alone, they arranged to announce to the king that the Syrians had fled, for they thought this more virtuous than to withhold the information and keep for themselves the plunder gained by deceit.