2 Kings 6:24It happened after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
The setting
Samaria, Israel, ~848 BC. King Ben-hadad II of Damascus marshals his entire army and surrounds the capital. The kindness shown to his soldiers apparently meant nothing...
The emotion here: dismayed at recording how mercy seemed to fail
The original word
tsar (צוּר) — to bind up, besiege, lay siege with intent to starve out
Why it matters
This siege lasted so long that people resorted to cannibalism inside the city
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 6:24
This happens 'after this' - right after the mercy feast, suggesting it didn't work
Common misconceptionMost people think this proves Elisha's mercy was naive. But Ben-hadad is a different king with different motives - mercy to raiders doesn't guarantee peace with their sovereign.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 6:24
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 6:24 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 6:24 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. The setting is the battlefield. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include warfare, crisis. Notable phrases: gathered all his army; besieged Samaria.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 6:24 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "anxious"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.