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.

2 KINGS 6:29KJV
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2 Kings 6:29 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 6:29 mean?

2 Kings 6:29 describes a desperate and horrifying situation during a siege, where one woman tells the king that she and another woman agreed to eat their sons for survival. She says they boiled and ate her son, but when it was time to eat the other woman's son, the other woman hid him. This verse shows the extreme suffering and breakdown of normal life in Samaria during the siege.

The speaker is a woman from Samaria, talking directly to the king of Israel as he passes by on the city wall. The city is under siege by the Arameans, and food has become so scarce that people are driven to unthinkable acts. This story is meant to show the depth of the crisis and the king’s helplessness in the face of such suffering.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 6:29

  • "boiled" (בָּשַׁל, bashal): This word means to cook by boiling, emphasizing the literal and desperate act the women committed, not just a metaphorical statement.
  • "eat" (אָכַל, akhal): The verb for eating here is the standard word, but in this context, it highlights the horror and unnaturalness of the act.
  • "hid" (צָפַן, tsaphan): This word means to hide or conceal. The second woman’s action of hiding her son shows her desperation and perhaps regret or fear after the first act.

Why 2 Kings 6:29 matters

  • This verse clears up any idea that the famine was mild; it shows just how severe and tragic the situation in Samaria had become.
  • The verse highlights the king’s inability to help his people, setting up his frustration and the tension in the following verses.
  • The story connects to earlier warnings in the Torah about the consequences of turning away from God, where such extreme famine was described as a possible result.

Where else these words appear

“boiled” Hebrew H1310 · used in 24 verses

  • Genesis 40:10 And in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes:
  • Leviticus 8:31 And Moses said unto Aaron and to his sons, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and there eat it with the bread that is in the basket of consecrations, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his sons shall eat it.
  • 2 Kings 4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

“hid” Hebrew H2244 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
  • 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait,(for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him,(for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.