New International Version
2 Kings 6:25
25There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels.
2 Kings 6:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And there was a great famine in Samaria, as they besieged it, until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five shekels of silver.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.
- New Living Translation (NLT)As a result, there was a great famine in the city. The siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung sold for five pieces of silver.
Context of 2 Kings 6:25
23So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel’s territory. 24Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels. 26As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” 27The king replied, “If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?”
Read all of 2 Kings 62 Kings 6:25 word by word
וַיְהִ֨י רָעָ֤ב גָּדוֹל֙ בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן וְהִנֵּ֖ה צָרִ֣ים עָלֶ֑יהָ עַ֣ד הֱי֤וֹת רֹאשׁ־חֲמוֹר֙ בִּשְׁמֹנִ֣ים כֶּ֔סֶף וְרֹ֛בַע הַקַּ֥ב דִּבְיוֹנִ֖ים בַּחֲמִשָּׁה־כָֽסֶף׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And there was a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- famineרָעָבrâ‛âb · famineH7458
- in Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
- and, behold, they besiegedצוּרtsûr · to confineH6696
- it, until an ass’sחֲמוֹרchămôr chămôr · donkeyH2543
- headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- for fourscoreשְׁמֹנִיםshemônîym shemônîym · eightyH8084
- of silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
- and the fourth partרֹ֫בַעrôba‛ · fourthH7255
- of a cabקַבqab · kabH6894
- of dove’s dungחֲרֵי־יוֹנִיםchărêy-yônîym chărâ'yôn · dove-dungH2755
- of dove’s dungיוֹנָהyônâh · doveH3123
- of dove’s dungדִּבְיוֹנִיםdibyôn cheryôn · quanoH1686
- for fiveחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
Cross-references for 2 Kings 6:25
- 2 Kings 6:28Then he asked her, “What’s the matter?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’
- 2 Kings 7:4If we say, ‘We’ll go into the city’—the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die.”
- 2 Kings 25:3By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.
- 1 Kings 18:2So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria,
- Jeremiah 14:13But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ”
- Jeremiah 32:24“See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see.
- Jeremiah 52:6By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.
- Ezekiel 4:13The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”
Commentaries on 2 Kings 6:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25And, behold, they besieged it - They had closed it in on every side, and reduced it to the greatest necessity. An ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver - I suppose we are to take the ass's head literally; and if the head sold for so much, what must other parts sell for which were much to be preferred? The famine must be great that could oblige them to eat any part of an animal that was proscribed by the law; and it must be still greater that…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25As the donkey was “unclean,” it would not be eaten except in the last resort; and its head would be its worst and cheapest part. Cab - This measure is not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. According to the rabbinical writers it was the smallest of all the dry measures in use among the Jews, being the sixth part of a seah, which was the third part of an ephah. If it was about equal to two of our quarts, the “fourth part of a cab” would be about a pint…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. 2525. an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver--Though the ass was deemed unclean food, necessity might warrant their violation of a positive law when mothers, in their extremity, were found violating the law of nature. The head was the worst part of the animal. Eighty pieces of silver, equal to £5 5s. the fourth part of a cab--A cab was the smallest dry measure. The proportion here stated was nearly half a pint for 12s. 6d. dove's dung--is…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 6:25
In the dictionaries
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
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