In what city did some of the Jews resort to cannibalism? Why did this happen and what was the cause of it? When the king heard what had happened, he was upset. Should he have been surprised that this occurred?
Answer: In II Kings 6:24, we read that Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, went up and besieged the city of Samaria. It lasted so long that it caused a famine within the city and the people were starving. They resorted to eating donkey’s heads and dove droppings (II Kings 6:25) and finally, at least two women in the city resorted to cannibalism (II Kings 6:28-29) by eating their own children. Although the siege was brought about by the king of Syria, ultimately this famine and subsequent suffering was a judgment from the Lord upon the people of Israel for their idolatry. The king of Israel was so upset when he heard of the cannibalism that he tore his clothes, but in reality, he should have expected something just like that. In Leviticus 26:27-29, God warned his people that if they turned away from Him and were disobedient, one of the results would be famine so severe that the people would resort to eating the flesh of their children. The sad truth is that all of this terrible tragedy could have been avoided through obedience and faithfulness to God.