Samaria, during a siege, was afflicted with a great famine; and a very extraordinary occurrence is related with respect to it[202].
"24. And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
"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.
"26. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
"27. And he said, if the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barn-floor, or out of the wine-press?
"28. And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
"29. 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: and she hath hid her son.
"30. 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.
"31. Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
"32. But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him; but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head! look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
"33. And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?"
This was one of the cities of Palestine. The country in which it is situated was at one time greatly infested with lions. The inhabitants were always at variance with their neighbours the Jews,--who detested them. The Samaritans having built a temple on Mount Gerizim, similar to that at Jerusalem, insisting that Gerizim was the spot which God had originally consecrated, the Jews never forgave them for so doing, either in precept or practice. Their malice pursued them everywhere; they called them rebels and apostates; and held them in such utter detestation, that to say,--"There goes a Samaritan," was a phrase equivalent to that of "There goes a serpent." This hatred was returned with nearly equal force by the Samaritans; insomuch, that when the Jews were building their temple, they did all they could to prevent the execution of it.
