Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 7
The king had received a report that Aram’s soldiers had left their camp. If they really had done that, it was extremely good news for the inhabitants of Samaria. Aram’s army had camped round their city for so long that they (the inhabitants of Samaria) were truly desperate to obtain food.
However, the king would not allow the guards to open the city’s gate so that the people could leave. He did not believe that Aram’s army would give up their fight for Samaria so easily. He thought that they were waiting for the people to leave the city. When the people left, Aram’s army would return to attack them at once.
One of the king’s officials proposed a plan to test whether it really was safe to leave the city. A small group of soldiers should leave with horses. It should not be difficult for them to find where such a large army was hiding.
The official expected that the soldiers from Aram would catch and kill those men. That would not be a great loss because everyone in the city expected to die soon, he said. So, if the men did not return, it was not safe to leave the city.
However, if the men were able to return, they would bring back important information. The king would then know clearly what had happened. Then it would be possible to make a sensible decision about whether to open the city’s gate, or not.
Next part: Evidence that Aram's army ran away in a desperate manner (2 Kings 7:14-15)
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