So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

2 KINGS 7:10KJV
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2 Kings 7:10 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 7:10 mean?

2 Kings 7:10 describes how the lepers went to the city gatekeepers and reported that they had visited the camp of the Syrians and found it completely deserted, with no people or sounds, but with all the animals still tied up and the tents left untouched. The verse shows the lepers sharing surprising news about the enemy's sudden disappearance.

The setting is just outside Samaria during a siege by the Syrians. Four lepers, who had gone to the enemy camp hoping for mercy, discovered it abandoned. They returned to the city and told the gatekeepers (porters) what they had seen, which was crucial information for the starving city. This verse captures the moment when the lepers relay their discovery, setting the stage for the city's deliverance from famine.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 7:10

  • The word for "porter" (שֹׁעֵר, sho‘er) refers to a gatekeeper, someone responsible for guarding the city entrance. This detail highlights that the lepers brought their message to those who controlled access to the city, ensuring the news would be relayed to the authorities.
  • The word for "camp" (מַחֲנֶה, machaneh) means a military encampment. Its use here emphasizes that the place the lepers visited was the enemy's base, not just a random settlement.
  • The verse uses two different words for "man" (אִישׁ, ish and אָדָם, adam), which can suggest an emphasis on the total absence of any human presence—no individual or collective group remained.

Why 2 Kings 7:10 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the lepers did not keep the good news to themselves but immediately shared it, which was a turning point for the city under siege.
  • The detailed description of the abandoned camp—with animals tied and tents left as they were—underscores the suddenness and completeness of the Syrians' flight, heightening the sense of miraculous deliverance.
  • Understanding who the porters were and their role helps explain how the message could quickly reach the city leaders, setting in motion the events that follow in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“porter” Hebrew H7778 · used in 37 verses

  • 2 Samuel 18:26 And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.
  • 1 Chronicles 23:5 Moreover four thousand were porters; and four thousand praised the LORD with the instruments which I made, said David, to praise therewith.
  • Ezra 7:7 And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.

“tied” Hebrew H631 · used in 64 verses

  • Genesis 39:20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.
  • Judges 15:13 And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.
  • 2 Chronicles 33:11 Wherefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

“asses” Hebrew H2543 · used in 93 verses

  • Genesis 12:16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
  • Numbers 31:28 And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep:
  • 1 Samuel 25:23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

“Syrians” Hebrew H758 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 10:22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
  • 1 Kings 22:35 And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
  • 1 Chronicles 2:23 And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath, and the towns thereof, even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.