2 Kings 6:25 (ASV)

Passage

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 kab of dove`s dung for five [pieces] of silver.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 6:23 And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

2 Kings 6:24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad 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 kab 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.

2 Kings 6:27 And he said, If Jehovah do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the threshing-floor, or out of the winepress?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "great", "famine", "samaria", "behold", "besieged", "until", "head", and "sold". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "great" and "famine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "And it came to pass after this..." into verse 26's "And as the king of Israel was...", so "great" and "famine" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "great" and "famine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.