Some time later, Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army and marched up to besiege Samaria.
Parallel translations
- WEB After this, Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
- KJV And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
- NKJV And it happened after this that Ben-Hadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
- NASB Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad the king of Aram gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
- NLT Some time later, however, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army and besieged Samaria.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Later Benhadad gathers his whole army and besieges Samaria. The renewed war brings Israel to severe extremity.
Overview
The earlier peace proves temporary as the Syrian king mounts a full-scale siege of the capital. The shift from raids to total blockade sets up the famine and desperation that follow. It shows that Israel's deliverances did not produce lasting repentance or security. The dire situation becomes the backdrop for another mighty act of God through Elisha's word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Kgs 20:1Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.
- Deut 28:52They will besiege all the cities throughout your land, until the high and fortified walls in which you trust have fallen. They will besiege all your cities throughout the land that the LORD your God has given you.
- 2 Kgs 17:5Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
- 1 Kgs 22:31Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
- Eccl 9:14There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
- 2 Kgs 25:1So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
- 2 Kgs 18:9In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 6:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.