2 Kings 7:4
If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, we’ll live; if they kill us– well, we were going to die anyway.”
Additional Resources
Referenced Verses
- 2 Sam 14:14 : 14 Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored.
- 1 Chr 12:19 : 19 Some men from Manasseh joined David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul.(But in the end they did not help the Philistines because, after taking counsel, the Philistine lords sent David away, saying:“It would be disastrous for us if he deserts to his master Saul.”)
- Esth 4:16 : 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!”
- Jer 8:14 : 14 Jeremiah Laments over the Coming Destruction The people say,“Why are we just sitting here? Let us gather together inside the fortified cities. Let us at least die there fighting, since the LORD our God has condemned us to die. He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment because we have sinned against him.
- Jer 14:18 : 18 If I go out into the countryside, I see those who have been killed in battle. If I go into the city, I see those who are sick because of starvation. For both prophet and priest– they go peddling in the land but they are not humbled.’”
- Jer 37:13-14 : 13 But he only got as far as the Benjamin Gate. There an officer in charge of the guards named Irijah, who was the son of Shelemiah and the grandson of Hananiah, stopped him. He seized Jeremiah and said,“You are deserting to the Babylonians!” 14 Jeremiah answered,“That’s a lie! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him. Irijah put Jeremiah under arrest and took him to the officials.
- Jonah 3:9 : 9 Who knows? Perhaps God might be willing to change his mind and relent and turn from his fierce anger so that we might not die.”
- Luke 15:17-19 : 17 But when he came to his senses he said,‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him,“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”’
- Heb 9:27 : 27 And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment,
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- 87%
3 Now four men with a skin disease were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another,“Why are we just sitting here waiting to die?
- 2 Kgs 7:5-139 verses81%
5 So they started toward the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there.
6 The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another,“Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!”
7 So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.
8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it and went and hid what they had taken.
9 Then they said to one another,“It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. If we wait until dawn, we’ll be punished. So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.”
10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers of the city. They told them,“We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice. But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.”
11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.
12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers,“I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking,‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’”
13 One of his advisers replied,“Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city.(Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people– we’re all going to die!) Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.”
- 73%
9 Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives.
- 73%
2 “The LORD says,‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives.’”
- Josh 8:5-62 verses72%
5 I and all the troops who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.
6 They will attack us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say,‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them.
- 1 Sam 14:9-102 verses72%
9 If they say to us,‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay right there and not go up to them.
10 But if they say,‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the LORD has given them into our hand– it will be a sign to us.”
- 72%
2 If they ask you,‘Where should we go?’ tell them the LORD says this:“Those who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease. Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war. Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation. Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.”
- 1 Kgs 20:29-313 verses71%
29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day.
30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room.
31 His advisers said to him,“Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and surrender to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”
- 71%
15 The sword is outside; pestilence and famine are inside the house. Whoever is in the open field will die by the sword, and famine and pestilence will consume everyone in the city.
- 70%
15 The prophet’s attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha,“Oh no, my master! What will we do?”
- 1 Chr 19:13-142 verses70%
13 Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! The LORD will do what he decides is best!”
14 So Joab and his men marched toward the Arameans to do battle, and they fled before him.
- Jer 42:13-142 verses70%
13 “You must not disobey the LORD your God by saying,‘We will not stay in this land.’
14 You must not say,‘No, we will not stay. Instead we will go and live in the land of Egypt where we will not face war, or hear the enemy’s trumpet calls, or starve for lack of food.’
- 69%
11 But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded the land we said,‘Let’s get up and go to Jerusalem to get away from the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ That is why we are staying here in Jerusalem.”
- 69%
25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the LORD our God we will die!
- 69%
8 Then Judah said to his father Israel,“Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. Then we will live and not die– we and you and our little ones.
- 2 Kgs 6:8-92 verses69%
8 Elisha Defeats an Army Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said,“Invade at such and such a place.”
9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel,“Make sure you don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.”
- 68%
10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant
- 68%
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him,“Leave us alone for seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one who can deliver us, we will come out voluntarily to you.”
- 68%
9 At the risk of our lives we get our food because robbers lurk in the wilderness.
- 68%
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,“The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says,‘You must surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon. If you do, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down. Indeed, you and your whole family will be spared.
- 68%
24 The Lord Saves Samaria Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked and besieged Samaria.
- 68%
3 But the soldiers replied,“You should not do this! For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won’t be too concerned about us. Even if half of us should die, they won’t be too concerned about us. But you are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.”
- 68%
18 If I go out into the countryside, I see those who have been killed in battle. If I go into the city, I see those who are sick because of starvation. For both prophet and priest– they go peddling in the land but they are not humbled.’”
- 68%
12 Be strong! Let’s fight bravely for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! The LORD will do what he decides is best!”
- 68%
13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us from death.”
- 68%
1 Elisha Again Helps the Shunammite Woman Now Elisha advised the woman whose son he had brought back to life,“You and your family should go and live somewhere else for a while, for the LORD has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years.”
- 68%
25 Do not go out into the countryside. Do not travel on the roads. For the enemy is there with sword in hand. They are spreading terror everywhere.”
- 68%
9 If ten men are left in one house, they too will die.
- 68%
12 The Israelites said to Moses,“We are bound to die! We perish, we all perish!
- 67%
23 Now the advisers of the king of Syria said to him:“Their God is a god of the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them.