Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then they said to one another, “We aren’t doing right. Today is a day of good news, and we keep silent. If we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come, let’s go and tell the king’s household.”
- KJV Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.
- BSB Finally, they said to one another, “We are not doing what is right. Today is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until morning light, our sin will overtake us. Now, therefore, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
- NKJV Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”
- NASB Then they said to one another, “We are not doing the right thing. This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent about it; if we wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now then come, let’s go and inform the king’s household.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The lepers conclude they must not stay silent on a day of good news, and resolve to tell the king. It models the duty to share salvation with others.
Overview
Convicted that withholding the news would bring guilt, the lepers decide to report the deliverance. Their words, 'this is a day of good news, and we keep silent,' capture the impulse of true gladness to be shared. The verse has long been applied to the believer's obligation to proclaim the gospel. Salvation discovered is not to be hoarded but announced.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 52:7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
- Phil 2:4each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
- Isa 41:27I am the first to say to Zion, ‘Behold, look at them;’ and I will give one who brings good news to Jerusalem.
- Hag 1:4–5“Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies waste?
- Num 32:23“But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.
- Nah 1:15Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.
- 2 Kgs 7:3Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate. They said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?
- 2 Kgs 7:6For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians to hear the sound of chariots, and the sound of horses, even the noise of a great army; and they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us.”
- 2 Kgs 5:26–27He said to him, “Didn’t my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive groves and vineyards, and sheep and cattle, and male servants and female servants?
- Luke 2:10The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all the people.
- Prov 24:16for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 7:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.