2 Kings 17:5-6
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Here's a thought: that "for three years" isn't just a time marker; it underscores the sheer stubbornness and escalating brutality of this invasion. It highlights that Samaria didn't fall immediately, but endured a long, devastating siege, making the eventual conquest all the more tragic.
Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The king of Assyria's actions here are the direct result of Israel's ongoing rebellion and idolatry, which the prophet Hosea has been warning about for years. This siege and eventual fall of Samaria mark the final destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the exile of its people, fulfilling God's judgment for their persistent unfaithfulness. What follows is the Assyrians repopulating the land with foreigners, leading to the formation of the Samaritan people and a new religious and political landscape.
History wasn't just names and dates; it was lives dramatically altered by overwhelming powers. This verse captures a moment where a superpower turned its gaze towards a smaller kingdom, setting the stage for devastation.
The Mighty Empire
The King of Assyria represented one of the most formidable military forces of the ancient Near East. Their empire was known for its brutal efficiency, its vast resources, and its relentless expansion. When this superpower 'invaded all the land,' it wasn't a minor skirmish; it was a full-scale conquest designed to subjugate and absorb.
The Target: Samaria
Samaria was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It had a history of its own struggles, including periods of spiritual decline and political instability. For this mighty empire to lay siege to it for 'three years' signifies a determined effort to crush this kingdom entirely, demonstrating the immense pressure and threat faced by the people of Israel.
Three years is a long time to live under the shadow of death, with hope dwindling and supplies running out. This extended siege wasn't just a military tactic; it was a prolonged period of suffering and despair.
More Than Just War
A siege of this length meant more than just battles. It meant starvation, disease, and the constant psychological torment of knowing that escape was impossible and surrender meant loss of everything.
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The Slow Crushing
The three-year duration emphasizes the Assyrians' strategic patience and the fierce, though ultimately doomed, resistance of Samaria. It speaks to a deliberate, drawn-out process of breaking the city's will and its ability to sustain itself. This wasn't a swift victory but a methodical dismantling of a nation's hope and strength.
Understand the original words
ṣûr · Hebrew Verb
To surround a city or fortress with military force with the intent of isolating it, cutting off supplies, and ultimately forcing surrender or destruction.
The fall of Samaria wasn't a sudden event but the culmination of decades of Assyrian pressure and Israel's attempts to break free, leading to the end of the northern kingdom.
732 BC
Assyrian Conquest of Northern Israel
Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria conquered Galilee and Gilead, the northern and eastern parts of the Israelite kingdom. He deported many Israelites and installed Assyrian governors.
c. 730 BC
Hoshea Becomes King of Israel
After a period of Assyrian control and likely turmoil, Hoshea emerged as king of the rump state of Israel, centered around Samaria. He paid tribute to Assyria.
c. 724 BC
Hoshea Rebels Against Assyria
Hoshea stopped paying tribute to Assyria and, seeking independence, made an alliance with Egypt. This act of defiance directly provoked the Assyrian response.
c. 724-722 BC— this verse
Siege of Samaria
Shalmaneser V of Assyria besieged the capital city of Samaria. The siege lasted for three years, during which the city faced immense hardship and starvation.
722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Deportation
Samaria fell to the Assyrians. The remaining population of the northern kingdom of Israel was exiled to various parts of the Assyrian Empire, effectively ending the northern kingdom.
721 BC
Sargon II Completes the Conquest
Although Shalmaneser V likely initiated the final siege, it was Sargon II, who ascended the Assyrian throne in 722 BC, that completed the conquest and deportation of Samaria's inhabitants.
This passage continues the narrative, detailing the Assyrian king's further aggression against other cities of Judah, showing the escalating threat that began in Samaria.
2 Kings 18:13It highlights the specific historical event of Sennacherib's invasion of Judah and his capture of many fortified cities, which directly followed the fall of Samaria and demonstrates the wider Assyrian expansion.
Isaiah 8:3-4This prophecy speaks of Damascus and Samaria being conquered, directly referencing the imminent destruction of these northern kingdoms, as Samaria's fall was a fulfillment of such pronouncements.
Hosea 10:6This verse prophesies that Samaria itself will be carried away as tribute to a foreign king, directly foretelling the fate described in 2 Kings 17:5.
Here's a thought: that "for three years" isn't just a time marker; it underscores the sheer stubbornness and escalating brutality of this invasion. It highlights that Samaria didn't fall immediately, but endured a long, devastating siege, making the eventual conquest all the more tragic.
The king of Assyria's actions here are the direct result of Israel's ongoing rebellion and idolatry, which the prophet Hosea has been warning about for years. This siege and eventual fall of Samaria mark the final destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the exile of its people, fulfilling God's judgment for their persistent unfaithfulness. What follows is the Assyrians repopulating the land with foreigners, leading to the formation of the Samaritan people and a new religious and political landscape.
The king of Assyria's actions here are the direct result of Israel's ongoing rebellion and idolatry, which the prophet Hosea has been warning about for years. This siege and eventual fall of Samaria mark the final destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the exile of its people, fulfilling God's judgment for their persistent unfaithfulness. What follows is the Assyrians repopulating the land with foreigners, leading to the formation of the Samaritan people and a new religious and political landscape.
"Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria and placed them in Hala…" — Here's a thought: that "for three years" isn't just a time marker; it underscores the sheer stubbornness and escalating brutality of this invasion. It highlights that Samaria didn't fall immediately,…
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Last reviewed October 2026
