Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 6
The king of Aram could no longer send small groups of soldiers in Israel to demand taxes and to rob the people. In the past, that method of attack had been very successful (5:1-2). However, since the incident in 2 Kings 6:8-23, Aram’s soldiers were refusing to rob Israel’s people.
So Ben-Hadad, Aram’s king, decided to attack Israel in a different way. He sent his whole army into Israel, instead of just a small group. He told them not to rob people, but instead to surround Samaria, the capital city of northern and central Israel. So, they camped round the city, and they would not allow anyone to enter it or to leave it. After some time, the inhabitants of Samaria would run out of food. Then, they would have to hand over their city to Ben-Hadad and his army.
This seems to have happened during the 7 years that harvests failed in Israel (8:1). So, even before Aram’s army arrived, prices were already expensive. Formerly, that had not upset Samaria’s inhabitants too much, because they were rich. However, after the army surrounded the city, even rich people had to use all their money to buy food.
The food that the people could buy was very poor, even at those great prices. The laws in Leviticus 11:1-8 do not permit Israel’s people to eat various animals including donkeys (small horses). However, in this desperate situation, the head of a donkey became a valuable piece of meat. People who could not afford that meat might, for a lower price, buy seeds with a disgusting name. However, they had to eat something simply to remain alive.
This Ben-Hadad seems to be the same king whose life Ahab saved in 1 Kings 20:30-34. Ben-Hadad was a very evil king.
Next part: An appeal for help in a desperate situation (2 Kings 6:26-27)
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