2 Kings 25:3On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was severe in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
The setting
Jerusalem, July 586 BC. The fourth month, ninth day. Mothers hide dead children, people eat leather, the wealthy sell gold for crumbs. Modern Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: heartbroken recording unthinkable suffering
The original word
ra'ab (רעב) — famine so severe that social order collapses
Why it matters
Archaeologists found cooking pots with human bone fragments from this siege
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 25:3
This specific date means the siege lasted exactly 18 months to the day
Common misconceptionPeople assume this is just about physical hunger, but 'no bread for the people of the land' meant complete societal collapse - currency, law, and family structure all failed.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 25:3
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 25:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 25:3 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is grieving, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is lamenting. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include human suffering, desperation, siege effects. Notable phrases: famine was severe; no bread for the people.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grieving
“By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you…”
— Genesis 3:19
“Jesus wept.”
— John 11:35
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”
— Psalms 22:1
“They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.”
— Psalms 22:18
“for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;”
— Romans 3:23
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 25:3 mean to you, today?
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