Rashi on II Kings Chapter 7
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וְאַרְבָּעָה אֲנָשִׁים. גֵּיחֲזִי וּבָנָיו.
There were four men. Geichazi and his sons.¹ ². Elisha had healed all other Bnei Yisroel suffering from tzora’as.—Malbim
footnotes: ¹ See Maseches Sanhedrin 107b. ² These four were the only people suffering from tzora’as
פֶּתַח הַשָּׁעַר. כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בָּדָד יֵשֵׁב מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֵה מוֹשָׁבוֹ.
At the entrance of the gate. As it is stated, “He shall live alone; outside the camp shall be his habitation.”³.
footnotes: ³ Vayikra 13:46. This is proscribed by the Torah for people who suffer from tzora’as
הִשְׁמִיעַ אֶת מַחֲנֵה אֲרָם. נִדְמָה לָהֶם כְּאִלּוּ שׁוֹמְעִין.
Had caused the camp of Arom to hear. It seemed to them as though they were hearing.
וּמְצָאָנוּ עָווֹן. מִתְחַיְּבִין אָנוּ לַמַּלְכוּת.
We will be considered guilty. We will be held guilty by the throne.
כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵמָּה. כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ מְלֵאִים מִתְּחִלָּתָם, לֹא הוֹצִיאוּ מַה שֶּׁבְּתוֹכָם.
As they were. As they were full at the beginning; they did not take out what was in them.
כִּי רְעֵבִים אֲנַחְנוּ. וּתְאֵבִים לָצֵאת אֶל הַשָּׁלָל וְאֶל הַמָּזוֹן.
We are starving. And long to go out to the loot and to the food.⁴
footnotes: ⁴ Their enemy figured that the Bnei Yisroel are desperately starving and will therefore leave the city without first investigating whether the enemy is waiting in ambush.—Metzudas Dovid
אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ בָהּ. בְּתוֹךְ הָעִיר, שֶׁלֹּא מֵתוּ בָּרָעָב.
That are left in it [the city]. Within the city, that did not die of hunger.
הִנָּם כְּכָל הֲמוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ בָהּ. אִם יֹאמְרוּ מְסֻכָּנִין הֵם שֶׁלֹּא יַהַרְגֵם אַרָם, הֲרֵי הִנָּם בָּעִיר הַזֹּאת בְּסַכָּנַת הָרָעָב כִּשְׁאָר כָּל הֲמוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁאֲרוּ בָהּ, וְאִם יָמוּתוּ הִנָּם כְּכָל הֲמוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר תָּמּוּ בָּרָעָב.
Behold, they are like all the multitude of Yisroel that are left in [the city]. If they will say that they are in danger of being killed by the Aromeans, behold, [if they remain] in this city they are in danger like the rest of all the multitude of Yisroel that are left there, and if they die, they are like all the multitude of Yisroel that have perished from hunger.
בְּחָפְזָם. בְּמַהֲרָם לָנוּס.
In their haste. In their hurry to escape.
אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁעָן עַל יָדוֹ. אֶתְמוֹל כְּשֶׁבָּא לְבֵית אֱלִישָׁע.
Upon whose hand he leaned. On the day before, when he came to Elisha’s house.⁵
footnotes: ⁵ See above v. 2. Initially he scoffed at Elisha’s prophecy. The king assigned him to stand guard at the gate to prevent looting of the camp. This would have kept the price of grain higher than predicted by the prophet. However, he was trampled by the people at the gate and he died, to fulfill the prophecy of Elisha.—Malbim