מלכים ב, פרק י״ח, פסוק י׳

The fall of the city of Samaria marks the tragic conclusion of a prolonged and devastating siege. To capture the full weight of this event, the timeline is carefully tracked using the parallel reigns of the kings of Judah and Israel, highlighting exactly how long the city held out before the Assyrian conquest.

The historical record notes that the siege began during the fourth year of King Hezekiah's reign, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea of Israel, and concluded in Hezekiah's sixth year. On the surface, this creates a mathematical puzzle. The difference between the fourth and sixth years appears to be only two years, yet the timeline states the city was captured after three years.

The primary approach among commentators [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ] resolves this by explaining that the capture occurred at the very start of the third year of the siege. In this view, the city endured two full years of blockade and fell just as the third year began. This interpretation is supported by similar biblical phrasing regarding the cancellation of debts and the release of slaves, where the specific term used for the end of a period can actually signify the beginning of a new one [רד״ק].

Conversely, another perspective maintains a more literal understanding of the timeframe [מצודת דוד, וכן תרגום יונתן המובא ברד״ק]. According to this approach, the city was captured at the very end of three full years. To align the math, these commentators explain that the Assyrian blockade must have started at the exact beginning of Hezekiah's fourth year and ended at the very close of his sixth year, meaning the siege lasted for three complete years.