King James Version

2 Kings 6:25

And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

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Hebrew

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וַיְהִ֨יvayhiand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be”, the next action in the storyH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.רָעָ֤בraavhungerרָעָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “hunger”, the ordinary formH7458hunger (more or less extensive)dearth, famine, [phrase] famished, hunger.גָּדוֹל֙gadolgreatגָּדוֹלadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “great”, the ordinary formH1419great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent[phrase] aloud, elder(-est), [phrase] exceeding(-ly), [phrase] far, (man of) great (man, matter, thing,-er,-ness), high, long, loud, mighty, more, much, noble, proud thing, [idiom] sore, ([idiom]) very.בְּשֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹןbeshomeronin Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןpreposition, noun, proper name — “in Samaria”H8111Shomeron, a place in PalestineSamaria.וְהִנֵּ֖הvehinehand loהִנֵּהconjunction, particle, demonstrative — “and lo”H2009lo!behold, lo, see.צָרִ֣יםtsarimadversaryצוּרverb, qal, participle, absolute — “adversary”, a verb used as a describing wordH6696to cramp, i.e. confine (in many applications, literally and figuratively, formative or hostile)adversary, assault, beset, besiege, bind (up), cast, distress, fashion, fortify, inclose, lay siege, put up in bags.עָלֶ֑יהָaleyhaaboveעַלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…עַ֣דadevenעַדpreposition — “even”H5704as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)against, and, as, at, before, by (that), even (to), for(-asmuch as), (hither-) to, [phrase] how long, into, as long (much) as, (so) that, till, toward, until, when, while, ([phrase] as) yet.הֱי֤וֹתheyotbeהָיָהverb, qal, infinitive construct — “be”, the to-form of the verbH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.רֹאשׁroshheadרֹאשׁnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “head”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7218the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)band, beginning, captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company, end, [idiom] every (man), excellent, first, forefront, (be-)head, height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), [idiom] lead, [idiom] poor, principal, ruler, sum, top.חֲמוֹר֙chamorassחֲמוֹרnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “ass”, the ordinary formH2543a male ass (from its dun red)(he) ass.בִּשְׁמֹנִ֣יםbishmonimin eightyשְׁמֹנִיםpreposition, adjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “in eighty”, the ordinary formH8084eighty, also eightietheighty(-ieth), fourscore.כֶּ֔סֶףkesefmoneyכֶּסֶףnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “money”, the ordinary formH3701silver (from its pale color); by implication, moneymoney, price, silver(-ling).וְרֹ֛בַעverovaand fourth participleרֹבַעconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “and fourth participle”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7255a quarterfourth participleהַקַּ֥בhaqavthe cabקַבdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the cab”, the ordinary formH6894a hollow, i.e. vessel used as a (dry) measurecab.חריchrydoves' dungחֲרֵי־יוֹנִיםnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “doves' dung”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2755excrements of doves {or a vegetable}doves' dung.יוניםyvnymdoveיוֹנָהnoun, common, feminine, plural, absolute — “dove”, the ordinary formH3123a dove (apparently from the warmth of their mating)dove, pigeon.דִּבְיוֹנִ֖יםdivyonimdove's dungדִּבְיוֹןnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “dove's dung”, the ordinary formH1686probably some cheap vegetable, perhaps a bulbous rootdove's dung.בַּחֲמִשָּׁהbachamishahin fiveחָמֵשׁpreposition, adjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, absolute — “in five”, the ordinary formH2568fivefif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece).כָֽסֶףkhasefmoneyכֶּסֶףnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “money”, the ordinary formH3701silver (from its pale color); by implication, moneymoney, price, silver(-ling).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And there was a great famine in Samaria; and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

Young’s Literal Translation

and there is a great famine in Samaria, and lo, they are laying siege to it, till the head of an ass is at eighty silverlings, and a forth of the cab of dovesdung at five silverlings.

World English Bible

There 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 of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.

Darby Translation

And there was a great famine in Samaria; and behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was worth eighty silver-pieces, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung five silver-pieces.

Douay-Rheims

And there was a great famine in Samaria: and so long did the siege continue, till the head of an ass was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cabe of pigeon’s dung, for five pieces of silver.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was valued at fifty pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung at five pieces of silver.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐγένετο λιμὸς μέγας ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ· καὶ ἰδοὺ περιεκάθηντο ἐπʼ αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἐγενήθη κεφαλὴ ὄνου πεντήκοντα ἀργυρίου, καὶ τέταρτον τοῦ κάβου κόπρου περιστερῶν πέντε ἀργυρίου.