Bible Strands
2 Kings 17:5
Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative describes the Assyrian monarch’s military campaign against the northern kingdom immediately after he arrests King Hoshea for diplomatic treachery and unpaid tribute.
The words — The verb וַיָּצַר (va.ya'tsar) specifies a tight military encirclement, while וַיַּעַל (va.ya'al) literally means "he went up," denoting the Assyrian army’s advance from lower territories into the highlands.
The thread — The Assyrian siege of Samaria is recorded in 2 Kings 17:5, referenced chronologically in 2 Kings 18:9, and echoed in the prophetic warning of Hosea 13:16 and the later Babylonian siege in 2 Kings 25:1.
Why it lands — The text states that a prolonged siege preceded the city's capture, requiring the reader to recognize the direct consequence of political rebellion against the ruling empire.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years.
Cross-references
- Hosea 13:16 Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.
- 2 Kings 18:9 In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it.
- 2 Kings 25:1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
- Jeremiah 52:4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.