מלכים ב, פרק ז׳, פסוק י״ג

In the midst of a devastating famine within a besieged city, a shocking report arrives claiming the enemy camp has been abandoned. A royal servant proposes a daring scouting mission, relying on a grim but undeniable logic to convince the king to take the risk.

The primary approach among commentators is that the servant's argument is designed to overcome the fear of sending men into a potential enemy ambush. He presents a dark reality where the Israelites have absolutely nothing to lose. If the scouts remain inside the city walls, they are destined to die of starvation, sharing the fate of the surviving residents [רש״י, רלב״ג]. Conversely, if they are captured and killed by the enemy, their end will be no different than the multitudes who have already perished from the famine [מצודת ציון, מלבי״ם, מצודת דוד]. Some add that a swift death by the sword is actually preferable to the slow agony of starvation, making the gamble entirely worthwhile [אלשיך]. Furthermore, the servant's confidence in the mission's success is bolstered by a previous prophecy delivered by Elisha [חומת אנך].

This desperate logic applies not only to the human population but also to the physical condition of the animals. The horses suggested for the mission are just as emaciated and starving as the people. Throughout the siege, animals were the first to succumb to the famine. The few that survived were kept alive strictly for urgent military necessities, which explains why so few horses were available to begin with [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, צאינה וראינה].

A question arises regarding the specific proposal to take five horses, especially since only two chariots are ultimately dispatched. One perspective suggests a simple practical shift: it was later decided that two chariots were perfectly sufficient to investigate the enemy camp and uncover the truth [רלב״ג]. Another approach provides a different background, proposing that the number five directly hints at the specific members of the scouting party. This group consisted of the three sons of the leper Gehazi, accompanied by two legally valid witnesses. Gehazi himself was excluded from the mission because a previous false oath disqualified him from providing testimony, leaving the two chariots specifically designated for the two valid witnesses. As for why additional horses are not sent, this view explains that the Aramean army had employed witchcraft, effectively paralyzing the rest of the horses in the Israelite camp and preventing them from moving [אהבת יהונתן].