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

2 KINGS 6:24KJV
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2 Kings 6:24 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 6:24 mean?

2 Kings 6:24 describes how Benhadad, the king of Syria, gathered his entire army and laid siege to the city of Samaria. This verse marks the beginning of a major crisis for the people of Samaria, as they become surrounded and cut off by a powerful enemy.

The verse is part of a historical account in the book of 2 Kings, which records the ongoing conflict between Israel and Syria. Benhadad, the Syrian king, is the main figure taking action here, and his decision to besiege Samaria sets the stage for the severe famine and hardship that follow in the story. The verse highlights the seriousness of the threat facing Samaria and prepares the reader for the dramatic events that will unfold in the next passages.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 6:24

  • בֶּן־הֲדַד (Benhadad): This is the name of the Syrian king, meaning "son of Hadad," with Hadad being a major Syrian deity. The use of this name emphasizes the foreign and powerful nature of the enemy.
  • צָבָא (tsava’, “host”): This word refers to a large, organized military force. The verse stresses that Benhadad did not come with a small raiding party but with his full army, underlining the seriousness of the siege.
  • וַיַּצַּר (vayyatsar, “besieged”): This verb means to surround and put pressure on a city, cutting it off from supplies. The word choice highlights the method of warfare used and the desperation it would cause inside Samaria.

Why 2 Kings 6:24 matters

  • This verse sets up the context for the extreme famine and suffering described in the following verses, showing that the hardship was a direct result of the siege.
  • It clarifies that the threat to Samaria was not just a minor attack but a full-scale military operation led by a powerful foreign king.
  • Understanding this verse helps the reader see the gravity of the situation facing Israel and the dramatic nature of the deliverance that will come later in the narrative.

Where else these words appear

“Benhadad” Hebrew H1130 · used in 24 verses

  • 1 Kings 15:18 Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,
  • 1 Kings 20:16 And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
  • 2 Kings 8:9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

“besieged” Hebrew H6696 · used in 38 verses

  • Exodus 23:22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.
  • 1 Kings 15:27 And Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him; and Baasha smote him at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines; for Nadab and all Israel laid siege to Gibbethon.
  • Esther 8:11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

“Samaria” Hebrew H8111 · used in 101 verses

  • 1 Kings 13:32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
  • 2 Kings 13:1 In the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
  • 2 Chronicles 28:9 But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.

“Syria” Hebrew H758 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 10:22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.
  • 1 Kings 22:35 And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
  • 1 Chronicles 2:23 And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath, and the towns thereof, even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.