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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 2 Kings 6:24–33.
This last paragraph of this chapter should, of right, have been the first of the next chapter, for it begins a new story, which is there continued and concluded. Here is,
I.The siege which the king of Syria laid to Samaria and the great distress which the city was reduced to thereby.
The Syrians had soon forgotten the kindnesses they had lately received in Samaria, and very ungratefully, for aught that appears without any provocation, sought the destruction of it, Kg2 6:24. There are base spirits that can never feel obliged. The country, we may suppose, was plundered and laid waste when this capital city was brought to the last extremity, Kg2 6:25. The dearth which had of late been in the land was probably the occasion of the emptiness of their stores, or the siege was so sudden that they had not time to lay in provisions; so that, while the sword devoured without, the famine within was more grievous (Lam 4:9): for, it should seem, the Syrians designed not to storm the city, but to starve it. So great was the scarcity that an ass's head, that has but little flesh on it and that unsavoury, unwholesome, and ceremonially unclean, was sold for five pounds, and a small quantity of fitches, or lentiles, or some such coarse corn, then called dove's dung, no more of it than the quantity of six eggs, for five pieces of silver, about twelve or fifteen shillings. 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 anything that is eatable.
II.The sad complaint which a poor woman had to make to the king, in the extremity of the famine.
He was passing by upon the wall to give orders for the mounting of the guard, the posting of the archers, the repair of the breaches, and the like, when a woman of the city cried to him, Help, my lord, O king! Kg2 6:26. Whither should the subject, in distress, go for help but to the prince, who is, by office, the protector of right and the avenger of wrong? He returns but a melancholy answer (Kg2 6:27): If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I? Some think it was a quarrelling word, and the language of his fretfulness: "Why dost thou expect anything from me, when God himself deals thus hardly with us?" Because he could not help her as he would, out of the floor or the wine-press, he would not help her at all. We must take heed of being made cross by afflictive providences. It rather seems to be a quieting word: "Let us be content, and make the best of our affliction, looking up to God, for, till he help us, I cannot help thee." 1. He laments the emptiness of the floor and the wine-press. These were not as they had been; even the king's failed. We read (Kg2 6:23) of great provisions which he had a command, sufficient for the entertainment of an army, yet now he has not wherewithal to relieve one poor woman. Scarcity sometimes follows upon great plenty; we cannot be sure that tomorrow shall be as this day, Isa 56:12; Psa 30:6. 2. He acknowledges himself thereby disabled to help, unless God would help them. Note, Creatures are helpless things without God, for every creature is that, all that, and only that, which he makes it to be. However, though he cannot help her, he is willing to hear her (Kg2 6:28): "What ails thee? Is there anything singular in thy case, or dost thou fare worse than thy neighbours?" Truly yes; she and one of her neighbours had made a barbarous agreement, that, all provisions failing, they should boil and eat her son first and then her neighbour's; hers was eaten (who can think of it without horror?) and now her neighbour hid hers, Kg2 6:28, Kg2 6:29. See an instance of the dominion which the flesh has got above the spirit, when the most natural affections of the mind may be thus overpowered by the natural appetites of the body. See the word of God fulfilled; among the threatenings of God's judgments upon Israel for their sins this was one (Deu 28:53-57), that they should eat the flesh of their own children, which one would think incredible, yet it came to pass.
III.The king's indignation against Elisha upon this occasion.
He lamented the calamity, rent his clothes, and had sackcloth upon his flesh (Kg2 6:30), as one heartily concerned for the misery of his people, and that it was not in his power to help them; but he did not lament his own iniquity, nor the iniquity of his people, which was the procuring cause of the calamity; he was not sensible that his ways and his doings had procured this to himself; this is his wickedness, for it is bitter. The foolishness of man perverteth his way, and then his heart fretteth against the Lord. Instead of vowing to pull down the calves at Dan and Beth-el, or letting the law have its course against the prophets of Baal and of the groves, he swears the death of Elisha, Kg2 6:31. Why, what is the matter? What had Elisha done? his head is the most innocent and valuable in all Israel, and yet that must be devoted, and made an anathema. Thus in the days of the persecuting emperors, when the empire groaned under any extraordinary calamity, the fault was laid on the Christians, and they were doomed to destruction. Christianos ad leones - Away with the Christians to the lions. Perhaps Jehoram was in this heat against Elisha because he had foretold this judgment, or had persuaded him to hold out, and not surrender, or rather because he did not, by his prayers, raise the siege, and relieve the city, which he though he could do but would not; whereas till they repented and reformed, and were ready for deliverance, they had no reason to expect that the prophet should pray for it.
IV.The foresight Elisha had of the king's design against him, Kg2 6:32.
He sat in his house well composed, and the elders with him, well employed no doubt, while the king was like a wild bull in a net, or like the troubled sea when it cannot rest; he told the elders there was an officer coming from the king to cut off his head, and bade them stop him at the door, and not let him in, for the king his master was just following him, to revoke the order, as we may suppose. The same spirit of prophecy that enabled Elisha to tell him what was done at a distance authorized him to call the king the son of a murderer, which, unless we could produce such an extraordinary commission, it is not for us to initiate; far be it from us to despise dominion and to speak evil of dignities. He appealed to the elders whether he had deserved so ill at the king's hands: "See whether in this he be not the son of a murderer?" For what evil had Elisha done? He had not desired the woeful day, Jer 17:16.
V.The king's passionate speech, when he came to prevent the execution of his edict for the beheading of Elisha.
He seems to have been in a struggle between his convictions and his corruptions, knew not what to say, but, seeing things brought to the last extremity, he even abandoned himself to despair (Kg2 6:33): This evil is of the Lord. Therein his notions were right and well applied; it is a general truth that all penal evil is of the Lord, as the first cause, and sovereign judge (Amo 3:6), and this we ought to apply to particular cases: if all evil, then this evil, whatever it is we are now groaning under, whoever are the instruments, God is the principal agent of it. But his inference from this truth was foolish and wicked: What should I wait for the Lord any longer? When Eli, and David, and Job, said, It is of the Lord, they grew patient upon it, but this bad man grew outrageous upon it: "I will neither fear worse nor expect better, for worse cannot come and better never will come: we are all undone, and there is no remedy." It is an unreasonable thing to be weary of waiting for God, for he is a God of judgment, and blessed are all those that wait for him.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
“Some time later King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army; he marched against Samaria and laid siege to it.” This is that Ben-hadad who had been condemned to death by God; and Ahab had received the order to execute him. But he spared his life and sent him back in peace. Therefore the Arameans besieged the city and prolonged the siege for many days, because their army occupied the whole surrounding area, so that bread began to be more and more scarce, and famine ruled. And when [the citizens] did not find the usual sustenance and food, they fell on the corpses of the dead. For the Scripture relates that there were certain mothers who decided to kill their children to assuage their hunger. And after one of them had put her son to death, when her companion in crime hid her own son (in order to save him) and broke the contract, an argument rose between them, and they both went before the judge. And they began to expound their reasons before the king, that is, Jehoram, the son of Ahab. The king, seeing that that was a harsh trial for him, was taken over by a violent rage against Elisha. For he thought [the prophet] was the cause of his disaster. Therefore he said, “Yesterday he gave abundant goods to Aramean robbers, and today has given sufficient bread to his disciples, and they are not lacking food, but he has no care for the people of his city and abandons them in their need.” And he swore that on that day itself he would take revenge on Elisha for the blood of his people. But Jehoram had no right to accuse the prophet, but rather Ahab, his father, who had scorned the prophets. In fact, if he had been persuaded by their words and had killed Ben-hadad, that [king] would have never besieged Samaria and would have never thrown him into such calamities.From the symbolic point of view the atrocious famine which tortured the Samaritans for so many days and forced them to eat in such an abominable manner shows the lack of heavenly nourishment, which affected in those days all the nations of the earth. So the city of Samaria signifies the whole of humankind, and its famine represents the famine of all. But Elisha made it disappear through his prayer, as well as through the grace of Christ. The sick were fortified by his strength, and “those who were full hired themselves out for bread.” This means that the apostles, announcers [of the gospel], have transmitted to the Gentiles the knowledge of salvation, and it has flowed, as Isaiah predicted, like “the waters covering the sea.” In the same manner it had been decreed before God that the hungry should eat the crop of the foolish and that the thirsty should absorb his goods, as the friend of the righteous Job said. Indeed, as the Samaritans plundered the food that they had collected for the Arameans and the needs of their army and brought it into their army, so the church of the Gentiles took the holy books which were preserved in the Hebrew synagogues, and gave them for the benefit of their descendants.
“Famine in Samaria became so great that a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver.” The donkey’s head, which the Scripture reports here to be so expensive, signifies the teaching coming from the ravings of the philosophers and the scientists of the world. And it was an abominable and rotting food but was very precious when the famine reigned over the earth, and there was no one to break and give the bread to those children who asked for it, that is, until the advent of Christ.“And one-fourth of a kab of dove’s dung [was sold] for five shekels of silver.” Even though the symbol is contrary—in fact, it does not fit in with the Word—but because the righteous are likened to a dove, we say that the kab of dove’s dung represents the teaching of the law of Moses, if we compare it with the gospel of Christ. So it can be said that it was mud, a mud precious to the Jews at that time, with which they covered their eyes, which were to be opened soon by the spiritual bath and the gospel of Christ.
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Summary
In 2 Kings 6:27, King Jehoram of Israel, facing a devastating siege and famine in Samaria, responds to a desperate woman's plea for help with a rhetorical question that profoundly reveals his utter helplessness and the complete depletion of all natural resources. His words underscore the dire circumstances of his people, highlighting the limits of human power and implicitly redirecting the focus to the ultimate, divine source of all true aid and provision, a truth soon to be dramatically demonstrated by God's miraculous intervention.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is situated within a harrowing narrative of siege and famine in Samaria, the capital of Israel, by Ben-hadad, king of Syria (Arameans), as detailed from 2 Kings 6:24. The preceding verses describe the escalating horror of the siege, which has driven the inhabitants to unimaginable desperation, culminating in acts of cannibalism, specifically mentioned in 2 Kings 6:28-29. A woman approaches King Jehoram, crying out for "help," which in this context likely means justice or intervention in a dispute over a pact to eat their children. The king's immediate reaction—tearing his clothes—is a powerful display of grief and anguish, revealing his own deep distress and perceived impotence in the face of such widespread suffering and the complete exhaustion of national resources. His subsequent words in verse 27 set the stage for the miraculous intervention that the prophet Elisha will announce in 2 Kings 7:1, shifting the narrative from human despair to divine deliverance.
Historical & Cultural Context
The siege of Samaria by the Arameans (Syrians) was a common military tactic in the ancient Near East, designed to starve out a city into submission. Famine was a devastating consequence of such sieges, often leading to extreme measures for survival, including the horrifying practice of cannibalism, which was a known curse for covenant disobedience, as warned in Deuteronomy 28:53-57. Samaria, as the capital of the Northern Kingdom, was a strategic target, and its suffering reflected the dire state of the entire nation. The king's mention of "barnfloor" and "winepress" is culturally significant, as these were the primary locations for processing and storing the two main agricultural staples of ancient Israel: grain and the produce of the vine and olive tree. Their emptiness signified not merely a lack of food but a complete collapse of the agricultural economy and the very means of sustenance, indicating utter destitution and the absence of any natural source of relief.
Key Themes
King Jehoram's rhetorical question in this verse powerfully encapsulates several key themes prevalent in the book of 2 Kings and the broader prophetic narrative. Firstly, it highlights Human Helplessness and the limitations of earthly power, even that of a king, when confronted with overwhelming circumstances or divine judgment. Jehoram, despite his royal authority, is utterly incapable of providing for his people. Secondly, his statement implicitly points to Divine Sovereignty and Provision. Though spoken in despair, the phrase "If the LORD do not help thee" acknowledges that true, ultimate, and supernatural help must come from God alone, especially when all human avenues are exhausted. This theme is central to the subsequent narrative, where God's miraculous intervention through Elisha demonstrates His power to provide beyond human capacity, as seen in 2 Kings 7. Finally, the verse vividly portrays the Extreme Famine and Desperation that gripped Samaria, emphasizing the severity of the crisis and the depth of the people's suffering, which served as a stark reminder of the consequences of national sin and the need for repentance.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This is the sacred, covenant name of God, often translated as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh," signifying "the Self-Existent or Eternal One." By invoking "the LORD," King Jehoram, despite his personal failures and the nation's apostasy, acknowledges the ultimate authority and power of Israel's God. His question, "If the LORD do not help thee," is not a denial of God's existence but a desperate recognition that if the covenant God, the ultimate source of blessing and curse, withholds help, then no earthly power, including his own, can possibly provide it. It underscores the theological reality that true deliverance comes only from the divine.
This primitive root means "to be open, wide or free," and by implication, "to be safe." Causatively, it means "to free or succor," encompassing concepts like defending, delivering, preserving, rescuing, and bringing salvation. When King Jehoram states, "If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?", he is using the same word for help, highlighting the contrast between his own limited, human capacity to "succor" or "deliver" and the infinite, salvific power implied when the LORD is the subject of that action. It emphasizes that true, comprehensive deliverance from such a dire situation can only originate from God.
The "barnfloor" was a threshing floor, a flat, open area where grain was threshed to separate the edible kernels from the chaff. It was the primary place where the staple food (grain) was processed and stored. Its emptiness signified the complete absence of bread, the most basic sustenance, indicating that the very foundation of their food supply had been depleted, leaving no "place" from which to draw provision.
The "winepress" was a trough or vat, typically dug out, where grapes (for wine) and olives (for oil) were crushed and pressed. Wine and oil were crucial components of the ancient Israelite diet and economy, representing liquid sustenance and valuable commodities. The emptiness of the winepress, alongside the barnfloor, signifies the total lack of all agricultural produce—no grain, no wine, no oil—leaving the people utterly without food or drink, and thus without any natural means of sustenance.
Verse Breakdown
"And he said, If the LORD do not help thee"
King Jehoram's opening statement, spoken in response to a woman's desperate cry, immediately shifts the focus from his own human capacity to the divine. His words express not only his personal despair but also a theological acknowledgment, however desperate, that ultimate help must originate from YHWH, the God of Israel. It implies a recognition that the current calamity is either a result of God's judgment or a situation only God can resolve.
"whence shall I help thee?"
This is a powerful rhetorical question. The king is not asking for information but making a declarative statement about his utter powerlessness. It conveys that if the supreme divine power is not intervening, then his own meager human authority and resources are absolutely futile. It highlights the stark reality of human limitation in the face of overwhelming, divinely ordained, or permitted circumstances.
"out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?"
These specific examples concretize the king's helplessness. By mentioning the two primary sources of agricultural sustenance—grain (from the barnfloor) and wine/oil (from the winepress)—he emphasizes that not only is his treasury empty, but the very land itself has ceased to yield, or its produce has been entirely consumed. This illustrates the total depletion of all natural, earthly means of provision, leaving no hope from conventional sources.
Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs several literary devices to convey the depth of the crisis and the king's despair. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question ("whence shall I help thee?"), which is not meant to elicit an answer but to emphasize the king's complete inability to provide help, thereby highlighting his profound helplessness and the direness of the situation. This is reinforced by Merism, where "barnfloor" and "winepress" are used to represent the entirety of agricultural produce. By mentioning these two extreme points (staple food and drink/oil), the king signifies the complete absence of any form of sustenance, symbolizing total destitution. The overall context of the siege and famine also leans into Hyperbole, as the situation is described in such extreme terms (e.g., cannibalism in surrounding verses) to impress upon the reader the utter desperation. Finally, there is a subtle Irony in the king's statement; as the supposed shepherd and provider of his people, he is utterly incapable, underscoring the spiritual and physical bankruptcy of the nation and its leadership.
Theological and Thematic Connections
King Jehoram's desperate rhetorical question in 2 Kings 6:27 serves as a profound theological statement on human dependency and divine sovereignty. It articulates the truth that there are circumstances beyond human capacity, where all earthly resources and power prove utterly insufficient. In such moments of extreme crisis and depletion, the only true and ultimate source of help is God Himself. This verse implicitly challenges the notion of self-sufficiency and calls humanity to acknowledge its inherent limitations, redirecting hope and expectation from finite human means to the infinite power and provision of the Almighty. It sets the stage for God's miraculous intervention, demonstrating that His help often manifests precisely when human hope has vanished, thereby magnifying His glory and faithfulness.
Reflection and Application
The stark reality depicted in 2 Kings 6:27 offers a powerful mirror for our own lives and societies. We often place our trust in human systems, economic stability, political leaders, or personal resources to provide security and solve our problems. However, this verse reminds us that there are moments—whether personal crises, national calamities, or global pandemics—when all human efforts and provisions prove utterly inadequate. King Jehoram's despairing words compel us to confront the limits of our own strength and to recognize that true, ultimate help, especially in the face of overwhelming odds, must come from a source beyond ourselves. It is an invitation to humility and a call to radical dependence on God. When our "barnfloors" are empty and our "winepresses" dry, it is precisely then that our faith is tested and refined, prompting us to cry out to the Lord, trusting in His infinite capacity to provide even when all earthly avenues are closed. This verse encourages us to cultivate a posture of prayer and unwavering faith, knowing that God's resources are never depleted and His power is limitless.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the specific nature of the famine King Jehoram was referring to?
The famine was a direct result of the prolonged siege of Samaria by the Aramean (Syrian) army under King Ben-hadad, as described in 2 Kings 6:24. The siege cut off all supplies to the city, leading to a severe scarcity of food. The desperation became so extreme that prices for even unclean animals soared, and people resorted to cannibalism, as horrifically detailed in 2 Kings 6:28-29, where two women made a pact to eat their own children. King Jehoram's mention of the "barnfloor" and "winepress" being empty underscores that all conventional sources of food—grain, wine, and oil—were completely exhausted.
How does King Jehoram's response relate to the prophet Elisha's role in this narrative?
King Jehoram's despairing statement, "If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?", sets the stage for Elisha's prophetic intervention. Immediately after this encounter, the king, in his anguish, vows to kill Elisha (2 Kings 6:31), mistakenly blaming the prophet for the calamity or his inability to resolve it. However, Elisha, despite the king's threat, then delivers a powerful prophecy of abundance and deliverance from the famine, declaring that by the next day, food would be plentiful and cheap (2 Kings 7:1). Thus, Jehoram's acknowledgment that only the LORD can help serves as a theological prelude to God's miraculous provision through His prophet, demonstrating that divine power can indeed overcome human impossibility.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
King Jehoram's desperate cry, "If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?" finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound answer in Jesus Christ. Humanity, in its fallen state, is perpetually in a spiritual siege, facing a famine of righteousness and life, utterly incapable of saving itself or providing for its deepest needs. Just as the barnfloor and winepress of Samaria were empty, so too are human efforts and resources barren in the face of sin and death. Jesus, however, is the divine "Help" that King Jehoram implicitly longed for. He is the Bread of Life, who satisfies spiritual hunger, and the Living Water, who quenches spiritual thirst. Where human kings and earthly provisions fail, Christ's resources are infinite and inexhaustible. His sacrifice on the cross was the ultimate divine provision, a super-abundant feast that takes away the sin of the world and offers eternal life (John 1:29). He invites all who are weary and burdened to come to Him, promising rest and true sustenance (Matthew 11:28). In Christ, the empty barnfloor of human striving is filled with grace, and the dry winepress of despair overflows with the new wine of salvation and joy, demonstrating that our ultimate help comes not from earthly means, but from the boundless generosity of our God, revealed fully in His Son.