“If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?”
The full verse · 2 Kings 6:27 · KJV
And he , If the do not thee, shall I thee? out of the , or out of the ?
Asked by
Asked to
A desperate woman of Samaria who had approached the king for help during the famine, and ultimately the broader crowd witnessing this public appeal.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe king uses these questions to deflect responsibility and highlight his powerlessness, essentially declaring that if God has withdrawn provision, he has no earthly resources to offer relief.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe woman responded by recounting how she and another woman had agreed to eat their sons, that they had eaten her son, but the other woman had hidden her son the next day (2 Kings 6:28-29). The king tore his clothes in anguish, revealing sackcloth underneath, and vowed to execute Elisha that same day (2 Kings 6:30-31).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe king’s triple question expresses both exasperation and theological accuracy. He opens with a conditional that assumes God’s refusal to help, then asks how he could possibly succeed where God has failed. The Hebrew construction emphasizes impossibility. His mention of threshing floor and winepress is rhetorically effective, these specific locations represent Israel’s agricultural wealth, now completely exhausted. By framing his response as questions rather than flat refusal, the king shifts responsibility upward to God while simultaneously admitting his own impotence. This moment captures the theological crisis of the siege: when covenant curses fall (Deuteronomy 28:53-57), even kings stand helpless. The questions carry bitter irony, a king who should provide now begs understanding for his inability.
When earthly helpers throw up their hands, God remains able. This king’s honest admission of powerlessness should drive us not to despair but to the only Source who never runs dry. When friends, finances, or even faith leaders cannot meet our desperate needs, we must turn directly to God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). James 1:5 promises that God gives generously to all who ask. Rather than blaming human limitations, recognize them as signposts pointing toward divine sufficiency and grace that flows even in famine.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
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