And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.
One of the king's servants spoke up and said, 'Please, let's take five of the horses that are still left in the city. Look, they're in the same condition as all the remaining people of Israel who are left here—they're just like all the Israelites who are dying from starvation. Let's send them out to see what's happening.'
The servant is suggesting they risk five dying horses to scout the situation, since both the horses and the people are already starving and close to death anyway.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place during the siege of Samaria by the Syrian army, when the city was experiencing severe famine. The people were so desperate they were eating anything available, and both people and animals were dying from starvation. Earlier in the chapter, four lepers had discovered that the Syrian army had mysteriously fled, leaving behind all their supplies.
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