And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.
The king got up in the night and said to his servants, 'Let me tell you what I think the Syrians are doing to us. They know we're starving, so they've left their camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, When the people come out of the city looking for food, we'll capture them alive and then get into the city.'
The king is suspicious and thinks the Syrian army's sudden departure is a trap to lure the starving people out of the city so they can be captured.
📚 Historical Context
During the siege of Samaria by the Syrian army, the city was suffering from severe famine due to the prolonged blockade. The king of Israel hears reports that the Syrians have abandoned their camp, but he suspects it might be a deceptive tactic to draw out the desperate inhabitants. In this verse, the king expresses his theory that the enemy is hiding in the fields to ambush anyone who tries to escape the city.
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