Singapore Moses Supporter Messenger of God, CEO in IT industry, Astronaut, Scientist

"This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him." 2 Kings 6:28-29

The OT account of two mothers starving during the siege of King Ben-hadad in Samaria at the time of great famine tugs at the heart, but does not justify the act of murder. The siege and famine drove prices for food out of reach for poor people. One day the king of Israel passed a wall, where a woman cried out, “Help, my lord, O king” (2 Kings 6:26). Approaching, he asked her what was wrong. She replied that she had a son, and that the woman with her had told her to boil the son so they could eat him, which they did. The next day, the woman who no longer had a child asked the other woman to hand over her son for them to eat, but the woman hid her son. The king felt a great heaviness upon his heart. In mournful horror at what they had done and sadness for the dead child, he tore his clothes.

And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. (2 Kings 6:30)

He did not punish the women for the murder of the boy, but sent a messenger to Elisha swearing his vengeance upon him as God's representative. As the King saw it, God had cursed the land with misery and suffering.

The narrative of the two starving mothers was most likely used to illustrate the desperate situation in Samaria; for what could be worse than the plight of women who would devour their own young in order to survive? Then, as now, the idea was reprehensible.

July 29 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Emo Tenorio Supporter Shomer

I humbly submit that your answer maybe found in the account of besieged Samaria as told in 2 Kings 6:28 

Today as we read this account some may ask how could mothers do such a thing?
I submit the answer would be short and not so sweet to hear.

Modern day abortion eats the future of societies that practice this dark, devious and abhorrent deed, this is done behind closed doors by the willing merchants of death and sold as freedom and choice.

Consider that they were a starving people....... what's our esoteric excuse to God?

In the Lord's freedom 1 Cor 16:13..................warrior on

July 29 2014 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

2 Kings 6:24-29: This is the only Bible reference that I could find relating directly to your question.

Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria. There was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”read more. He said, “If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you? From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” And the king said to her, “What is the matter with you?” And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’; but she has hidden her son.”

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Cannibalism

My Faithlife Study Bible (FSB) says this about it:

2 Kings 6:29 she had hidden her son The woman’s horrific story is characteristic of texts describing cities under siege in biblical and other ancient Near Eastern literature (compare Deut 28:52-57; Lam 2:20; Lam 4:10 --"The hands of compassionate women have boiled their own children; they became their food during the destruction of the daughter of my people." Ezek 5:10).

December 10 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report