2 Kings Chapter 6 — Miracles and the Siege of Samaria
Elisha performs miracles like making an ax head float and revealing a spiritual army before witnessing the desperate famine caused by a Syrian siege.
1The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we live and meet with you is too small for us.
2Please let us go to the Jordan, and each man take a beam from there, and let’s make us a place there, where we may live.”
3One said, “Please be pleased to go with your servants.”
4So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood.
5But as one was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. Then he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.”
6The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” He showed him the place. He cut down a stick, threw it in there, and made the iron float.
7He said, “Take it.” So he put out his hand and took it.
8Now the king of Syria was at war against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.”
9The man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you not pass this place, for the Syrians are coming down there.”
10The king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once or twice.
11The king of Syria’s heart was very troubled about this. He called his servants, and said to them, “Won’t you show me which of us is for the king of Israel?”
12One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
13He said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.”
14Therefore he sent horses, chariots, and a great army there. They came by night and surrounded the city.
15When the servant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. His servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
16He answered, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, please open his eyes, that he may see.” the LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.
18When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.”
19Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” He led them to Samaria.
20When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “LORD, open these men’s eyes, that they may see.”
21The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?”
22He answered, “You shall not strike them. Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, then go to their master.”
23He prepared a great feast for them. After they ate and drank, he sent them away and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria stopped raiding the land of Israel.
24After this, Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his army, and went up and besieged Samaria.
25There was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab*A kab was about 2 liters, so a fourth of a kab would be about 500 milliliters or about a pint of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
26As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”
27He said, “If the LORD doesn’t help you, where could I get help for you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?”
28Then the king asked her, “What is your problem?”
29So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give up your son, that we may eat him;’ and she has hidden her son.”
30When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. Now he was passing by on the wall, and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth underneath on his body.
31Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”
32But Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Then the king sent a man from before him; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Behold, when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold the door shut against him. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”
33While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him. Then he said, “Behold, this evil is from the LORD. Why should I wait for the LORD any longer?”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
2 Kings 6:16
“He answered, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.””
This verse is a classic expression of faith in God’s unseen protection over physical threats.
2 Kings 6:17
“Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, please open his eyes, that he may see.” The LORD opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.”
It illustrates the reality of a spiritual realm that is often invisible to the human eye.
Chapter Summary
2 Kings Chapter 6 begins with the sons of the prophets needing a larger meeting space. While cutting wood by the Jordan, a borrowed ax head falls into the river; Elisha performs a miracle by making the iron float. The narrative shifts to the war between Syria and Israel. Elisha uses his prophetic gift to warn the king of Israel of Syrian ambushes, frustrating the king of Syria. When Syria sends an army to capture Elisha in Dothan, Elisha prays for his terrified servant’s eyes to be opened, revealing a mountain filled with divine chariots of fire. Elisha then blinds the Syrian troops, leads them to Samaria, and orders that they be fed and released rather than killed. However, the peace is temporary. King Benhadad later besieges Samaria, causing a famine so severe that the people resort to horrific measures for survival. The chapter ends with the king of Israel blaming Elisha for the disaster and seeking his life.
Frequently Asked Questions
After a man lost a borrowed ax head in the Jordan River, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the spot where the iron had fallen, causing the ax head to rise to the surface so the man could retrieve it.
When the Lord opened his eyes, the servant saw that the mountainside was filled with horses and chariots of fire, representing a heavenly host protecting Elisha from the surrounding Syrian army.
Elisha misled the blinded army to the capital city of Israel to show the king and the Syrians that the prophet was under divine protection, and then he showed mercy by providing them with a feast instead of execution.
The famine was caused by a prolonged military siege led by Benhadad, the king of Syria, which cut off all food supplies and trade into the city of Samaria.
Study Note
The high price of 'dove’s dung' mentioned during the famine is sometimes interpreted by scholars as a literal reference to waste used for fuel or a colloquial name for a cheap vegetable or seed.
Related Chapters
2 Kings 5
The previous chapter details Elisha’s healing of Naaman the Syrian, providing context for the relations between the two nations.
2 Kings 7
This chapter continues the story of the siege of Samaria and the fulfillment of Elisha's prophecy regarding the end of the famine.
Psalm 34
This Psalm speaks of the angel of the Lord encamping around those who fear Him, mirroring Elisha's vision of the chariots of fire.
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