2 Kings 6:24

2 Kings 6:24 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass after this, that Ben–hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
• New International Version (NIV)Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.

Context of 2 Kings 6:24

22Elisha answered, ‘You must not kill them. That would not be right. You did not win a fight against them with your weapons. Give them some food and water. Then they can eat and drink before they go back to their master.’ 23So the king of Israel made a big feast for them. They had a lot of food and drink. Then he sent them back to their master, the king of Syria. After this happened, no more groups of Syrian soldiers came to attack Israel. But later, King Ben-Hadad of Syria sent his whole army to attack Samaria. His soldiers made their camp all around the city. 25As a result, there was a famine in the city. The Syrian army were all around the city for a long time. Food in the city was very expensive. A donkey's head cost 80 pieces of silver. A small cup of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver. 26While the king of Israel was walking on the wall of the city, a woman shouted to him, ‘Please help me, my master the king!’

2 Kings 6:24 word by word

וַֽיְהִי֙ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן וַיִּקְבֹּ֛ץ בֶּן־הֲדַ֥ד מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֖ם אֶת־כָּל־מַחֲנֵ֑הוּ וַיַּ֕עַל וַיָּ֖צַר עַל־שֹׁמְרֽוֹן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And it came to pass after thisאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• that Ben–hadadבֶּן־הֲדַדben-hădad · Ben-hadadH1130
• kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Syriaאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
• gatheredקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
• all his hostמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
• and went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• and besiegedצוּרtsûr · to confineH6696
• Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111

Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:24

• 2 Kings 17:5The king of Assyria took his army and he marched through all the land of Israel. He attacked Samaria. His army made their camp around the city for three years.
• 2 Kings 18:9When Hezekiah had been king for four years, Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, took his army to attack Samaria. That was when Hoshea had been king of Israel for seven years. The Assyrian army made their camp around the city of Samaria.
• 2 Kings 25:1Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, marched with all his army to attack Jerusalem. He arrived on the 10th day of the 10th month, in the 9th year when Zedekiah had ruled Judah. His soldiers made their camp all around the city. They built heaps of earth all around Jerusalem's walls.
• Deuteronomy 28:52They will attack all your towns, everywhere in the land that the Lord your God has given to you. They will knock down the strong walls that you thought would keep you safe. They will make their camps around your towns until they can take the towns for themselves.
• 1 Kings 20:1Ben-Hadad was the king of Syria. He got all his army together. 32 other kings with their horses and chariots joined with him. He went to attack the city of Samaria. He put his army all around it and then he attacked it.
• 1 Kings 22:31The king of Syria had said to his 32 chariot officers, ‘Only fight the king of Israel. Do not fight against anyone else, whoever they are.’
• Ecclesiastes 9:14There was a small city and only a few people lived in it. A powerful king came to attack that city. His army made their camp around the city. They built heaps of earth all around it.

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6:24

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24After this - Perhaps some years after - when the miracle and the kind treatment were alike forgotten.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-33Verses 24-33 Learn to value plenty, and to be thankful for it; see how contemptible money is, when in time of famine it is so freely parted with for any thing that is eatable! The language of Jehoram to the woman may be the language of despair. See the word of God fulfilled; among the threatenings of God's judgments upon Israel for their sins, this was one, that they should eat the flesh of their own children, De 28:53-57. The truth and the awful justice…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24-25The famine was so severe that people ate and sold normally forbidden foods at high prices. For example, donkey meat was forbidden in the laws about unclean foods (Leviticus 11:1–7). Dove's dung might have been a type of wild vegetable, but during sieges, people sometimes ate dung (Isaiah 36:12). The dove's dung might also have been used as fuel.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. Ben-hadad ... besieged Samaria--This was the predicted accomplishment of the result of Ahab's foolish and misplaced kindness (1Ki 20:42).Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 6:24

• Armies
• Israel
• Samaria
• Siege

In the dictionaries

• Samaria
• Syria
• Samaria, Samaritan
• Syria, Ashur
• Band
• Elisha
• Jehoram
• Send
• Benhadad
• Israel, Kingdom of

Commentaries on 2 Kings 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings