2 Kings 25:3

2Ki 25:3 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.

Ver. 3. The famine prevailed in the city.] Insomuch as that the fathers did eat their sons, and the sons their fathers. {Eze 5:10 Lam 4:10} The pestilence also prevailed at the same time. {Jer 21:6-7; Jer 24:10}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 25:3. The famine prevailed in the city — So that for a long time they ate their bread, as Ezekiel foretold they should do, (Eze 4:16,) by weight and with care, and drunk their water by measure and with astonishment, perceiving the quantity of it lessening fast every day, and having no hope of a fresh supply. Thus they were punished for their gluttony and excess, their fulness of bread, and feeding themselves without fear. At length there was no bread for the people of the land — For the common people, who, upon the approach of the Babylonian army, had flocked from all parts of the country, to secure themselves and their families, but only for the great men. Now they eat their own children for want of food, as had been foretold by one prophet, (Eze 5:10,) and is bewailed by another, Lam 4:3, &c. Jeremiah, in this extremity, earnestly persuaded the king to surrender, but his heart was hardened to his destruction.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Insomuch that the mothers did eat their children, Lam. 4:10.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed--In consequence of the close and protracted blockade, the inhabitants were reduced to dreadful extremities; and under the maddening influence of hunger, the most inhuman atrocities were perpetrated (Lam 2:20, Lam 2:22; Lam 4:9-10; Eze 5:10). This was a fulfilment of the prophetic denunciations threatened on the apostasy of the chosen people (Lev 26:29; Deu 28:53-57; Jer 15:2; Jer 27:13; Eze 4:16).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 3. 2Kg 25:2.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(3) And on the ninth day of the fourth month.—The text is supplemented from Jer_39:2; Jer_52:6. The Syriac, however, has, “And in the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, in the fifth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine prevailed,” &c.; which may be original. (Comp. 2Ki_25:1.)

The famine prevailed.—Not that the scarcity was first felt on that day, but that it then had reached a climax, so that defence was no longer possible. The horrors of the siege are referred to in Lam_2:11 seq., Lam_2:19 seq., Lam_4:3-10; Eze_5:10; Bar_2:3. As in the famine of Samaria and the last siege of Jerusalem, parents ate their own offspring. (Comp. the prophetic threats of Lev_26:29; Deu_28:53 seq.; Jer_15:2 seq., Jer_27:13; Eze_4:16 seq.)

The people of the land.—The population of the city, especially the families which had crowded into it from the country. Thenius, as usual, insists that the militia are meant. But these are the “men of war” (2Ki_25:4).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. And on the ninth day of the fourth month] The words in italic omitted here by the scribe, can be filled up from Jer_39:2; Jer_52:6.

the famine prevailed] R.V. was sore. The verb is that which is found used of famine in Gen_41:56-57, though we have a different word for a sore famine in Gen_43:1. The rendering of R.V. is from A.V. in Jer_39:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of the. Protestants supply, "fourth month," as it is in the parallel passage, Jeremias lii. 6., And in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month. In Jeremias xxxix. 2., we read, in the fourth month, the fifth day of the month, the city was broken up, or a breach was made in the outer wall. In the course of a few days, the princes of Babylon seized the middle gate; and the famine became so intolerable, that, on the 9th, it was judged expedient to abandon the city. (Haydock) --- During this siege it is thought, (Calmet) that mothers eat their children, (Lamentations iv. 10., and Baruch ii. 3.) and children their parents, Ezechiel v. 10. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The fourth month; which word is easily understood, by comparing this and the first verse, and Jer 39:2; 52:6, where it is expressed.

For the people of the land, i.e. for the common sort of people, who flocked thither from all parts, upon the approach of the Babylonian army; but only for the great men and soldiers. See of the grievousness of this famine, Lam 4:10; Eze 5:10,12.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

3. The fourth month — The word fourth has here been properly supplied by our translators from the parallel in Jer_52:6. It must have anciently fallen out of this text by the oversight of a copyist.

Famine prevailed — And its horrors are evidenced in Eze_5:10, and especially Lam_2:11-12; Lam_2:19; Lam_4:3-10. Not only in the city was there suffering from hunger, but the people of the land — that is, of the surrounding country, which was overrun by the Chaldean army — were destitute of bread.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And on the ninth day of the fourth month. The text of Kings is hero incomplete, and has to be restored from Jer_52:6. Ourtranslators have supplied the missing words. The famine prevailed in the city (see the comment on ver. 2). As I have elsewhere observed, "The intensity of the suffering endured may be gathered from Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Josephus. The complexions of the men grew black with famine; (Lam_4:8 Lam_5:10) their skin was shrunk and parched; (Lam_4:8) the rich and noble women searched the dunghills for setups of offal; (Lam_4:5) the children perished for want, or were even devoured by their parents (Lam_2:20 Lam_4:3, Lam_4:4, Lam_4:10; Eze_5:10) water was scarce, as well as food, and was sold at a; (Lam_5:4) third part of the inhabitants died of the famine, and the plague which grew out of it" (Eze_5:12) (see the "Speaker"s Commentary," vol. it. p. 147). And there was no bread for the people of the land. Bread commonly fails comparatively early in a siege. It was some time before the fall of the city that Ebed-Meleeh expressed his fear that Jeremiah would starve, since there was no more bread in the place. (see Jer_38:9)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The people - For the common people, but only for the great men. Now they eat their own children for want of food, Lam. iv, 3, &c. Jer. in this extremity, earnestly persuaded the king to surrender; but his heart was hardened to his destruction.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

fourth month

i.e. July.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.