2 Kings 6 · Verse 25

2 Kings 6:25

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.
2 Kings 6:25, King James Version

2 Kings 6:25 in other translations

BSBSo there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
WEBThere was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
ASVAnd 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 kab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
YLTand there is a great famine in Samaria, and lo, they are laying siege to it, till the head of an ass is at eighty silverlings, and a forth of the cab of dovesdung at five silverlings.
DARBYAnd there was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was worth eighty silver-pieces, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung five silver-pieces.
BBEAnd they became very short of food in Samaria; for they kept it shut in till the price of an ass's head was eighty shekels of silver, and a small measure of doves' droppings was five shekels of silver.
WebsterAnd there was a great famine in Samaria: and behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

What does 2 Kings 6:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
25. 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 thought by Bochart to be a kind of pulse or pea, common in Judea, and still kept in the storehouses of Cairo and Damascus, and other places, for the use of it by pilgrim-caravans; by Linnæus, and other botanists, it is said to be the root or white bulb of the plant Ornithogalum umbellatum, Star of Beth-lehem. The sacred historian does not say that the articles here named were regularly sold at the rates described, but only that instances were known of such high prices being given.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 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 color in parching, the first of which circumstances answers to the figure, the second to the usual color 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, etc., 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.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 6:24-33

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…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 6:24-33 →

2 Kings 6:25 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיְהִ֨יvay.Hiand it wasH1961
רָעָ֤בra.'Ava famineH7458
גָּדוֹל֙ga.dOlgreatH1419
בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹןbe.Sho.me.Ronin SamariaH8111
וְהִנֵּ֖הve.hi.Nehand there!H2009
צָרִ֣יםtza.Rim[they were] laying siegeH6696
עָלֶ֑יהָ'a.Lei.haon itH5921
עַ֣ד'aduntilH5704
הֱי֤וֹתhe.YotwasH1961
רֹאשׁ\־rosh-[the] head ofH7218
חֲמוֹר֙cha.mOra donkeyH2543
בִּשְׁמֹנִ֣יםbish.mo.Nimfor eightyH8084
כֶּ֔סֶףKe.sefsilverH3701
וְרֹ֛בַעve.Roa'and [the] fourth part ofH7255
הַקַּ֥בha.Kavthe kabH6894
דִּבְיוֹנִ֖יםcha.rei.yo.nimquano<s>H1686
בַּחֲמִשָּׁה\־ba.cha.mi.shah-for fiveH2568
כָֽסֶף\׃Kha.sefsilverH3701

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 6:25

  • Jeremiah 52:6

    And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

  • Jeremiah 14:18

    If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

  • 2 Kings 6:28-29

    And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

  • Jeremiah 14:13-15

    Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place. Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart. Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.

  • Jeremiah 32:24

    Behold the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it.

  • 2 Kings 25:3

    And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

  • Ezekiel 4:13-16

    And the Lord said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them. Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth. Then he said unto me, Lo, I have given thee cow’s dung for man’s dung, and thou shalt prepare thy bread therewith. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem: and they shall eat bread by weight, and with care; and they shall drink water by measure, and with astonishment:

  • 2 Kings 7:4

    If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

  • 1 Kings 18:2

    And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

  • Leviticus 26:26

    And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a great famine.
28,29; 7:4; 25:3; 1Ki 18:2; Jer 14:13-15,18; 32:24; 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.
Eze 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.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Kings 6:24

    And it came to pass after this, that Ben–hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

  • 2 Kings 6:25

    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.

  • 2 Kings 6:26

    And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

Read all of 2 Kings 6

2 Kings 6:25 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y hubo grande hambre en Samaria, teniendo ellos cerco sobre ella; tanto, que la cabeza de un asno era vendida por ochenta piezas de plata, y la cuarta de un cabo de estiércol de palomas por cinco piezas de plata.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il y eut une grande famine dans Samarie; et voici, ils la serraient de près, jusqu’à ce que la tête d’un âne fut à 80 sicles d’argent, et le quart d’un kab de fiente de pigeon à cinq sicles d’argent.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und es entstand eine große Hungersnot in Samaria; und siehe, sie belagerten es, bis ein Eselskopf achtzig Sekel Silber und ein Viertel Kab Taubenmist fünf Sekel Silber galt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Factaque est fames magna in Samaria: et tamdiu obsessa est, donec venundaretur caput asini octoginta argenteis, et quarta pars cabi stercoris columbarum quinque argenteis.