Amplified Bible
2 Kings 4:43
43His servant said, “How am I to set [only] this before a hundred [hungry] men?” He said, “Give it to the people so that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’ ”
2 Kings 4:43 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
- New International Version (NIV)“How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But his servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" So he repeated, "Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, 'They shall eat and have some left.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the Lord: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’ ”
Context of 2 Kings 4:43
41But he said, “Bring flour.” And he threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people so that they may eat.” Then there was nothing harmful in the pot. 42Now [at another time] a man from Baal-shalisha came and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and fresh ears of grain [in the husk] in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give it to the people [affected by the famine] so that they may eat.” His servant said, “How am I to set [only] this before a hundred [hungry] men?” He said, “Give it to the people so that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’ ” 44So he set it before them, and they ate and left some, in accordance with the word of the Lord.
Read all of 2 Kings 42 Kings 4:43 word by word
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ מְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹ מָ֚ה אֶתֵּ֣ן זֶ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י מֵ֣אָה אִ֑ישׁ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר תֵּ֤ן לָעָם֙ וְיֹאכֵ֔לוּ כִּ֣י כֹ֥ה אָמַ֛ר יְהוָ֖ה אָכֹ֥ל וְהוֹתֵֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And his servitorשָׁרַתshârath · to ministerH8334
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- What, should I setנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- this beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- an hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
- menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- Giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- that they may eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and shall leaveיָתַרyâthar · to remainH3498
Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:43
- 2 Kings 4:12And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her and she stood before him.
- Matthew 14:16But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”
- Matthew 15:33The disciples said to Him, “Where are we to get enough bread in this isolated place to feed so large a crowd?”
- Mark 6:37But He replied, “You give them something to eat!” And they asked Him, “Shall we go and buy 200 denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
- Mark 8:4His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this isolated place to feed these people?”
- Luke 9:13But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.”
- John 6:9“There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people?”
- Matthew 14:20and they all ate and were satisfied. They picked up twelve full baskets of the leftover broken pieces.
- Matthew 15:37And they all ate and were satisfied, and they gathered up seven full baskets of the broken pieces that were left over.
- Matthew 16:8But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you have no bread?
- Mark 6:42They all ate and were satisfied.
- Mark 8:20“And [when I broke] the seven [loaves] for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they answered, “Seven.”
- Luke 9:17They all ate and were [completely] satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were [abundant and were] picked up—twelve baskets full.
- John 6:11Then Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated; the same also with the fish, as much as they wanted.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 4:43
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 43Thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof - It was God, not the prophet, who fed one hundred men with these twenty loaves, etc. This is something like our Lord's feeding the multitude miraculously. Indeed, there are many things in this chapter similar to facts in our Lord's history: and this prophet might be more aptly considered a type of our Lord, than most of the other persons in the Scriptures who have been thus honored.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 43This miracle was a faint foreshadowing of our Lord‘s far more marvelous feeding of thousands with even scantier materials. The resemblance is not only in the broad fact, but in various minute particulars, such as the distribution through the hands of others; the material, bread; the surprised question of the servant; and the evidence of superfluity in the fragments that were left (see the marginal references). As Elijah was a type of the Baptist, so…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 38-44Verses 38-44 There was a famine of bread, but not of hearing the word of God, for Elisha had the sons of the prophets sitting before him, to hear his wisdom. Elisha made hurtful food to become safe and wholesome. If a mess of pottage be all our dinner, remember that this great prophet had no better for himself and his guests. The table often becomes a snare, and that which should be for our welfare, proves a trap: this is a good reason why we should not…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 42-44barley bread from the first ripe grain: This offering was like the first crops usually given to God (Leviticus 23:20) and to the priests (Deuteronomy 18:4–5) as their share. During the famine, Elisha shared the offering with everyone. Elisha fed a hundred people with a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread, which foreshadowed the miraculous acts Jesus did (Matthew 14:15–21; 15:32–38). Nothing is impossible for God (Matthew 19:26; Luke…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4343. They shall eat, and shall leave thereof--This was not a miracle of Elisha, but only a prediction of one by the word of the Lord. Thus it differed widely from those of Christ (Mt 15:37; Mr 8:8; Lu 9:17; Joh 6:12).Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 4:43
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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