2 Kings 6:25

a great famine in Samaria The walls were protection enough, but the enemy lay outside, and the provisions came to an end.

an ass's head This would not, except in dire extremity, be taken for food, but they were in such straits in Samaria that 80 shekels of silver were now given for it.

a kab So R.V. The measure is not mentioned elsewhere, but is said to have been the sixth part of a seah, which is more frequently spoken of. The kab is put as an equivalent to the Greek χοῖνιξ.

dove's dung Supposed by some to be the name of a very worthless kind of pulse, which in ordinary times nobody dreamt of eating, but of which now a small quantity fetched a large price. That excrement has been used for food in times of famine we have examples (Joseph. B. F.v. 2 Kings 13:7), but that dove's dung should have been specially gathered for this purpose would be very strange. There could be but so small a supply. It appears better therefore to take the words as the name of some vegetable. The Germans call -assafœtida" Teufelsdreck= devil's dung. Josephus says, without any warrant, that this -dove's dung was bought by the people instead of salt".