Elisha and the Siege of Samaria

24 And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathereth all his camp, and goeth up, and layeth siege to Samaria, 25 and 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. 26 And it cometh to pass, the king of Israel is passing by on the wall, and a woman hath cried unto him, saying, 'Save, my lord, O king.' 27 And he saith, 'Jehovah doth not save thee—whence do I save thee? out of the threshing-floor, or out of the wine-vat?' 28 And the king saith to her, 'What—to thee?' and she saith, 'This woman said unto me, Give thy son, and we eat him to-day, and my son we eat to-morrow; 29 and we boil my son and eat him, and I say unto her on the next day, Give thy son, and we eat him; and she hideth her son.' 30 And it cometh to pass, at the king's hearing the words of the woman, that he rendeth his garments, and he is passing by on the wall, and the people see, and lo, the sackcloth 'is' on his flesh within. 31 And he saith, 'Thus doth God do to me, and thus He doth add—if it remain—the head of Elisha son of Shaphat—upon him this day.' 32 And Elisha is sitting in his house, and the elders are sitting with him, and 'the king' sendeth a man from before him; before the messenger doth come unto him, even he himself said unto the elders, 'Have ye seen that this son of the murderer hath sent to turn aside my head? see, at the coming in of the messenger, shut the door, and ye have held him fast at the door, is not the sound of the feet of his lord behind him?' 33 He is yet speaking with them, and lo, the messenger is coming down unto him, and he saith, 'Lo, this 'is' the evil from Jehovah: what—do I wait for Jehovah any more?'

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

Commentary on 2 Kings 6:24-33

(Read 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, Deuteronomy 28:53-57. The truth and the awful justice of God were displayed in this horrible transaction. Alas! what miseries sin has brought upon the world! But the foolishness of man perverts his way, and then his heart frets against the Lord. The king swears the death of Elisha. Wicked men will blame any one as the cause of their troubles, rather than themselves, and will not leave their sins. If rending the clothes, without a broken and contrite heart, would avail, if wearing sackcloth, without being renewed in the spirit of their mind, would serve, they would not stand out against the Lord. May the whole word of God increase in us reverent fear and holy hope, that we may be stedfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labour is not in vain in the Lord.