2 Kings 6:25

Contextual Overview

²⁴Some time later, King Ben-hadad of Aram brought all his military units together and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. ²⁴ It happened after this, that Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Shomron. ²⁴ And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. ²⁴ Afterward Ben-hadad king of Syria mustered his entire army and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁴ Later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered his whole army and surrounded and attacked Samaria. ²⁴ Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked and besieged Samaria. ²⁴But it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered his whole army together and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁴ Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria. ²⁴ But afterward Ben-hadad King of Aram gathered all his hoste, and went vp, and besieged Samaria. ²⁴Now it happened afterwards, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his military camp and went up and besieged Samaria.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a great famine: 2 Kings 6:28, 2 Kings 6:29, 2 Kings 7:4, 2 Kings 25:3, 1 Kings 18:2, Jeremiah 14:13-15, Jeremiah 14:18, Jeremiah 32:24, Jeremiah 52:6

an ass's head: If the pieces of silver were drachms, the whole would amount to about 2£ 9s; which was a great price for so mean a part of this unclean animal. Ezekiel 4:13-16

dove's dung: This probably denotes, as Bochart, Scheuchzer, and others suppose, a kind of pulse, or vetches, which the Arabs still call pigeon's dung. "They never," says Dr. Shaw (Travels, p. 140), "constitute a dish by themselves, but are strewed singly as a garnish over cuscasowe, pillowe, and other dishes. They are besides in the greatest repute after they are parched in pans and ovens; then assuming the name leblebby;" and he thinks they were so called from being pointed at one end, and acquiring an ash colour in parching.

Reciprocal: Genesis 12:10 - was a Genesis 41:55 - famished 2 Samuel 21:1 - a famine 1 Kings 8:37 - in the land famine 1 Kings 16:17 - besieged Tirzah 2 Kings 7:1 - a measure of fine flour 2 Kings 18:27 - eat 2 Chronicles 6:28 - if there be dearth Psalms 59:15 - for meat Isaiah 36:12 - that they may Lamentations 1:11 - seek Ezekiel 5:16 - and will Amos 4:6 - and want

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there was a great famine in Samaria,.... No care, perhaps, having been taken to lay up stores against a siege:

and, behold, they besieged it until an ass's head was [sold] for fourscore [pieces] of silver; shekels, as the Targum explains the word in the next clause, which amounted to about nine or ten pounds of our money; a great price for the head of such a creature, by law unclean, its flesh disagreeable, and of that but very little, as is on an head:

and the fourth part of a cab of doves' dung for five pieces of silver; some of the Jewish writers say h, this was bought for fuel, which was scarce: Josephus says i, for salt, and so Procopious Gazaeus, and Theodoret; others, for dunging the lands, which is the use of it in Persia k for melons; neither of which are probable; most certainly it was for food; but as doves' dung must be not only disagreeable, but scarce affording any nourishment, something else must be meant; some have thought that the grains found in their crops, or in their excrements, undigested, and picked out, are meant; and others, their crops or craws themselves, or entrails; but Bochart l is of opinion, that a sort of pulse is meant, as lentiles or vetches, much the same with the kali or parched corn used in Israel, see 1 Samuel 17:17 and a recent traveller m observes, that the leblebby of the Arabs is very probably the kali, or parched pulse, of the Scriptures, and has been taken for the pigeons' dung mentioned at the siege of Samaria; and indeed as the "cicer" (a sort of peas or pulse) is pointed at one end, and acquires an ash colour by parching, the first of which circumstances answers to the figure, the other to the usual colour of pigeons' dung, the supposition is by no means to be disregarded: a "cab" was a measure with the Jews, which held the quantity of twenty four egg shells; according to Godwin n, it answered to our quart, so that a fourth part was half a pint; and half a pint of these lentiles, or vetches, or parched pulse, was sold for eleven or twelve shillings.

h R. Jonah in Ben Melech, Kimchi & Abarbinel in loc. i Antiqu. l. 9. c. 4. sect. 4. k Universal History, vol. 5. p. 90. l Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 1. c. 7. col. 44, &c. m Shaw's Travels, p. 140. n Moses & Aaron, B. 6. c. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As 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.

Dove’s dung - Most commentators understand by this expression a sort of pulse which is called “dove’s dung,” or “sparrow’s dung” in Arabic. But it is possible that the actual excrement of pigeons is meant. The records of sieges show that both animal and human excrement have been used as food - under circumstances of extreme necessity.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 6:25. And, 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 could oblige them to purchase so mean a part of this unclean animal at so high a price. The piece of silver was probably the drachm, worth about seven pence three farthings of our money; the whole amounting to about two pounds nine shillings.

And the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung — The cab was about a quart or three pints. Dove's dung, חריונים chiriyonim. Whether this means pigeon's dung literally, or a kind of pulse, has been variously disputed by learned men. After having written much upon the subject, illustrated with quotations from east, west, north, and south, I choose to spare my reader the trouble of wading through them, and shall content myself with asserting that it is probable a sort of pease are meant, which the Arabs to this day call by this name. "The garvancos, cicer, or chick pea," says Dr. Shaw, "has been taken for the pigeon's dung, mentioned in the siege of Samaria; and as the cicer is pointed at one end, and acquires an ash colour in parching, the first of which circumstances answers to the figure, the second to the usual colour of dove's dung, the supposition is by no means to be disregarded."

I should not omit saying that dove's dung is of great value in the East, for its power in producing cucumbers, melons, &c., which has induced many learned men to take the words literally. Bochart has exhausted this subject, and concludes that a kind of pulse is meant. Most learned men are of his opinion.