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 6:26KJV
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2 Kings 6:26 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 6:26 mean?

2 Kings 6:26 describes a moment when the king of Israel is walking along the city wall and a woman calls out to him, desperately asking for help and addressing him as "my lord, O king." This verse shows the king being confronted directly by his people during a time of crisis.

The setting is Samaria under siege, with the people suffering greatly from famine and fear. The king, likely Jehoram, is approached by a woman in distress as he inspects the city defenses. Her cry for help highlights the desperation inside the city and sets up the king’s troubled response in the following verses.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 6:26

  • "Help" (יָשַׁע, yashaʿ): This word means to save or deliver. The woman is not just asking for advice or comfort—she is pleading for rescue from a dire situation, showing how severe the crisis is.
  • "Cried" (צָעַק, tsaʿaq): This verb means to cry out loudly, often in distress or urgent need. The use of this word emphasizes the woman’s desperation and the public nature of her plea.
  • "Wall" (חוֹמָה, choma): The mention of the wall places the scene during a siege, with the king inspecting the city’s defenses and the people’s suffering being visible and immediate.

Why 2 Kings 6:26 matters

  • This verse makes clear the personal pressure on the king, as the suffering of the people is brought directly to him, not hidden behind palace walls.
  • The woman’s plea shows the depth of the crisis in Samaria, preparing the reader for the shocking details that follow in the narrative.
  • The verse connects the king’s leadership to the real, desperate needs of his people, highlighting the tension and helplessness of the situation during the siege.

Where else these words appear

“cried” Hebrew H6817 · used in 53 verses

  • Genesis 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
  • Deuteronomy 26:7 And when we cried unto the LORD God of our fathers, the LORD heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression:
  • 2 Kings 8:5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.

“wall” Hebrew H2346 · used in 123 verses

  • Exodus 14:22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
  • Nehemiah 2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
  • Isaiah 36:11 Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews' language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.