And at the end of three years they took it: even in the sixth year of Hezekiah, that is in the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken. (2 Kings 18:10)
This is a good demonstration of the common ancient habit of counting inclusively. From the fourth to the sixth years of Hezekiah we today reckon an interval of two years, but the ancients counted years four, five, and six, three years (see p. 136).
They took it.
The plural “they” is of interest. It might refer to the Assyrians in general, but that is hardly likely, for the previous verse speaks of Shalmaneser as coming against Samaria and besieging it. It has been suggested that the “they” here probably refers to Shalmaneser and someone associated with him. This may have been Shalmaneser’s general and successor on the throne, Sargon (see on ch. 17:6).