2 Kings 25:3 kjv
And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.
2 Kings 25:3 nkjv
By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
2 Kings 25:3 niv
By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.
2 Kings 25:3 esv
On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
2 Kings 25:3 nlt
By July 18 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah's reign, the famine in the city had become very severe, and the last of the food was entirely gone.
2 Kings 25 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:26 | "When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake..." | Famine as a covenant curse for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:52-53 | "They shall besiege you...until your high and fortified walls fall...and you shall eat the fruit of your own body..." | Prophetic warning of extreme famine and cannibalism during siege. |
| 2 Kgs 8:1 | "Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life... ‘Go, you and your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the LORD has called for a famine...'" | Example of a God-ordained famine in Israel. |
| Jer 14:12 | "Though they fast, I will not hear their cry; and though they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence." | Prophecy of divine judgment through famine, sword, and pestilence. |
| Jer 27:8 | "If any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation...with sword, famine, and pestilence..." | Famine as a punishment for resisting God's plan. |
| Jer 39:2 | "In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city." | Parallel dating, pinpointing the exact timing of the city's breach after the famine. |
| Jer 52:6 | "On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city..." | Parallel account of this verse from Jeremiah, confirming the suffering. |
| Lam 2:11-12 | "My eyes are spent with weeping...children and infants languish in the streets of the city. To their mothers they cry, 'Where is bread and wine?' as they faint in the streets of the city..." | Poignant description of the famine's effects on children in Jerusalem. |
| Lam 4:4-5 | "The tongue of the infant clings to the roof of its mouth for thirst; the children beg for food...Those who feasted on dainties perish in the streets..." | Detailed depiction of starvation and its effects on the population. |
| Lam 4:10 | "The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people." | Extreme consequence of famine: cannibalism. |
| Ezek 4:16-17 | "Son of man, behold, I will break the supply of bread in Jerusalem. They shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety...that they may lack bread and water, and be appalled..." | Prophetic portrayal of severe food rationing leading to famine in Jerusalem. |
| Ezek 5:16 | "When I send on them the deadly arrows of famine...and when I send upon you famine and wild beasts, and you come to an end through pestilence and blood..." | Famine as one of God's four severe judgments (sword, famine, beast, pestilence). |
| Amos 8:11 | "Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD." | Spiritual famine contrasted with physical, but highlights the devastation of any lack of sustenance. |
| Isa 3:1-2 | "For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah support and supply, all supply of bread and all supply of water..." | Prophecy of God removing all provisions from Judah, leading to collapse. |
| Joel 1:17-18 | "The seeds shrivel under the clods; the storehouses are desolate; the granaries are torn down because the grain has dried up. How the beasts groan!" | Depiction of famine affecting agriculture and livestock. |
| Zep 1:13 | "Their wealth shall be a spoil, and their houses a desolation. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them." | Economic ruin and inability to enjoy provisions due to judgment. |
| Ps 37:19 | "They shall not be put to shame in evil times; in the days of famine they shall have abundance." | Promise of God's provision for the righteous even in famine. |
| Ps 33:18-19 | "Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine." | God's protection for the faithful even during times of scarcity. |
| Rev 6:5-6 | "When he opened the third seal...and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” | Prophecy of severe food shortages in the last days, illustrating famine. |
| Mt 24:7 | "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places." | Jesus' prophecy of famines as signs of the end times, a continuing tribulation. |
2 Kings 25 verses
2 Kings 25 3 Meaning
This verse starkly portrays the desperate conditions inside Jerusalem during the prolonged Babylonian siege, specifically highlighting the extreme famine that had engulfed the city by the ninth day of the fourth month. The phrase "no food for the people of the land" underscores that this was not a mere scarcity but an absolute depletion of provisions, affecting the common populace most severely and leading to widespread starvation. It describes the peak of suffering immediately preceding the city's fall, fulfilling dire prophecies regarding Judah's rebellion against God.
2 Kings 25 3 Context
This verse marks a critical juncture in the final days of Jerusalem, during the long siege laid by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. After over a year and a half of siege, the city's provisions were completely exhausted. It stands as a climactic fulfillment of generations of prophetic warnings (like those by Jeremiah and Ezekiel) that pronounced God's judgment upon Judah for its idolatry, rebellion, and breaking of the covenant, despite His patient warnings through His prophets. The fall of Jerusalem was not a defeat of Yahweh but rather His judgment executed through Babylon, exposing the futility of relying on military might or the mere physical presence of the Temple without true obedience. The severe famine shatters any illusion of Jerusalem's impregnability or divine favor regardless of the people's actions.
2 Kings 25 3 Word analysis
- On the ninth day: This specific dating highlights the prolonged nature of the siege (which lasted from the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, as mentioned in 2 Kgs 25:1) and the culmination of suffering. It provides precise historical detail to the event.
- of the fourth month: Refers to the month Tammuz in the Babylonian calendar (corresponding to June/July), which in the Israelite calendar would be around the middle of summer. This period of high temperature would exacerbate the suffering from famine and lack of water.
- the famine (רָעָב - ra'av): A severe and widespread lack of food. In biblical context, famine is frequently depicted as a consequence of sin and a tool of divine judgment, signaling covenant curses (Lev 26:26, Deut 28:48). It reflects God's withdrawing His providential sustenance from a disobedient people. This Hebrew word appears often in judgment contexts, distinguishing it from general hardship.
- was so severe (חָזַק - chazaq): The root means "strong, mighty, firm, severe." Here it intensifies "famine," indicating extreme, overwhelming intensity. It emphasizes the dreadful state beyond mere scarcity to a critical and deadly deprivation.
- in the city (עִיר - 'ir): Refers to Jerusalem, specifically. Jerusalem was God's chosen city, where His Temple stood. Its suffering underscores that God's judgment spares no one, not even His own city, when the covenant is continually violated. It stands in contrast to the historical understanding of Jerusalem's divine protection (e.g., during Sennacherib's siege in Isa 36-37), showing that such protection was conditional upon faithfulness.
- that there was no food (אֵין לֶחֶם - ein lechem): This phrase means "there was no bread" or "no provision/food."
lechem(לֶחֶם), while literally "bread," often serves as a metonym for all essential food or provisions. The emphatic "no" highlights absolute depletion, not just shortage. It signifies the complete breakdown of supply chains and personal stores, leading to utter destitution. - for the people of the land (עַם הָאָרֶץ - 'am ha'aretz): This term generally refers to the common, free citizens, distinguished from the royal court, nobility, or specific groups like priests or exiles. Here, it underscores that the suffering was pervasive and afflicted the entire populace, from the lowest ranks, who likely suffered most acutely. It implies that the effects of the famine were widely distributed, affecting the whole societal fabric, not just a few.
Words-group analysis:
- "On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe": This precise temporal marker, coupled with the emphatic "so severe," conveys the devastating impact of time. It illustrates how the long duration of the siege progressively worsened the food situation, transforming a difficult scarcity into an agonizing starvation point. It speaks of a slow, torturous collapse.
- "no food for the people of the land": This phrase paints a picture of universal desperation and ultimate deprivation. The lack of "food" (basic sustenance) for "the people of the land" (the general populace) demonstrates the scale of the crisis and highlights the collective suffering of those caught within the city's walls, leaving no one exempt from the bitter consequences.
2 Kings 25 3 Bonus section
The famine described in 2 Kings 25:3 echoes themes found elsewhere in the Bible where hunger serves as a crucible. It brings humanity face-to-face with utter dependency – on external provisions and ultimately, on God Himself. This verse highlights not only the physical lack but also the spiritual hunger of a nation that had repeatedly turned away from its true sustenance, the Word of God. The physical famine here could be seen as a direct consequence of a long-standing spiritual famine within Judah, where the people rejected the spiritual nourishment and guidance provided by God through His Law and prophets. In such a severe context, false hopes and idolatrous practices provided no comfort or escape from divine judgment.
2 Kings 25 3 Commentary
2 Kings 25:3 is a grim and poignant declaration of Jerusalem's final agony under Babylonian siege. It describes the peak of human suffering directly resulting from Judah's persistent sin and God's just judgment. The verse is remarkably concise, yet it profoundly conveys the unbearable physical torment of widespread starvation that decimated the inhabitants. This level of destitution highlights the complete unraveling of society, signaling the breaking of all defenses and the absolute inability to sustain life within the once-proud walls. The specific date not only places the event precisely within the historical timeline leading to Jerusalem's breach but also underscores the long, agonizing months endured before this breaking point was reached. This extreme suffering served as a tangible manifestation of the curse of Deuteronomy and the fulfillments of prophetic warnings against an unrepentant people, underscoring that God does not abandon His word, whether in blessing or in judgment.