King James Version

2 Kings 7:4

If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

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Hebrew

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אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…אָמַרְנוּ֩amarnvsayאָמַרverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, plural — “say”, a completed actionH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…נָב֨וֹאnavoto comeבּוֹאverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, plural — “to come”, an unfinished actionH935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat,…הָעִ֜ירhairthe cityעִירdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the city”, the ordinary formH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.וְהָרָעָ֤בveharaavand the hungerרָעָבconjunction, definite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and the hunger”, the ordinary formH7458hunger (more or less extensive)dearth, famine, [phrase] famished, hunger.בָּעִיר֙bairin cityעִירpreposition, with the article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “in city”, the ordinary formH5892a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.וָמַ֣תְנוּvamatnvand dieמוּתconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 1st person, common, plural — “and die”, a completed action in a sequenceH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…שָׁ֔םshamthereשָׁםadverb — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.וְאִםveimand oh thatאִםconjunction, conjunction — “and oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…יָשַׁ֥בְנוּyashavnvdwellיָשַׁבverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, plural — “dwell”, a completed actionH3427properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, r…פֹ֖הfohereפֹּהadverb — “here”H6311this place (French ici), i.e. here or hencehere, hither, the one (other, this, that) side.וָמָ֑תְנוּvamatenvand dieמוּתconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 1st person, common, plural — “and die”, a completed action in a sequenceH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…וְעַתָּ֗הveatahand this timeעַתָּהconjunction, adverb — “and this time”H6258at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletivehenceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.לְכוּ֙lekhvcarryיָלַךְverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “carry”, a commandH3212to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)[idiom] again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, [phrase] follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, [phrase] pursue,…וְנִפְּלָה֙veniplahand fallנָפַלconjunction, verb, qal, cohortative, 1st person, common, plural — “and fall”, a determination or requestH5307to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for H6419 (פָּלַל…אֶלelamongאֵלpreposition — “among”H413near, with or among; often in general, toabout, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, [idiom] hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).מַחֲנֵ֣הmachaneharmyמַחֲנֶהnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct — “army”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH4264an encampment (of travellers or troops); hence, an army, whether literal (of soldiers) or figurative (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars; or even the sacred courts)army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents.אֲרָ֔םaramAramאֲרָםnoun, proper name — “Aram”H758Aram or Syria, and its inhabitants; also the name of the son of Shem, a grandson of Nahor, and of an IsraeliteAram, Mesopotamia, Syria, Syrians.אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…יְחַיֻּ֣נוּyechayunvliveחָיָהverb, piel, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “live”, an unfinished actionH2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revivekeep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole.נִֽחְיֶ֔הnichyehliveחָיָהverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, plural — “live”, an unfinished actionH2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revivekeep (leave, make) alive, [idiom] certainly, give (promise) life, (let, suffer to) live, nourish up, preserve (alive), quicken, recover, repair, restore (to life), revive, ([idiom] God) save (alive, life, lives), [idiom] surely, be whole.וְאִםveimand oh thatאִםconjunction, conjunction — “and oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…יְמִיתֻ֖נוּyemitunvdieמוּתverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “die”, an unfinished actionH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…וָמָֽתְנוּvamatenvand dieמוּתconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 1st person, common, plural — “and die”, a completed action in a sequenceH4191to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill[idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) w…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

If we say: We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Arameans; if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

Young’s Literal Translation

if we have said, We go in to the city, then the famine [is] in the city, and we have died there; and if we have sat here, then we have died; and now, come and we fall unto the camp of Aram; if they keep us alive, we live, and if they put us to death — we have died.'

World English Bible

If we say, ‘We will enter into the city,’ then the famine is in the city, and we will die there. If we sit still here, we also die. Now therefore come, and let’s surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they save us alive, we will live; and if they kill us, we will only die.”

Darby Translation

If we say, Let us enter into the city, the famine is in the city, and we shall die there; and if we abide here, we shall die. And now come, let us fall away to the camp of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they put us to death, we shall but die.

Douay-Rheims

If we will enter into the city, we shall die with the famine: and if we will remain here, we must also die: come, therefore, and let us run over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare us, we shall live: but if they kill us, we shall but die.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

If we should say, Let us go into the city, then there is famine in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit here, then we shall die. Now then come, and let us fall upon the camp of the Syrians: if they should take us alive, then we shall live; and if they should put us to death, then we shall only die.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐὰν εἴπωμεν, εἰσέλθωμεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ὁ λιμὸς ἐν τῇ πόλει, καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα ἐκεῖ· καὶ ἐὰν καθίσωμεν ὧδε, καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα· καὶ νῦν δεῦτε, καὶ ἐμπεσωμεν εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν Συρίας· ἐὰν ζωογονήσωσιν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ζησόμεθα· καὶ ἐὰν θανατώσωσιν ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἀποθανούμεθα.