2 Kings 4:40

2 Kings 4:40 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
• New International Version (NIV)The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they poured out some for the men to eat. But while they were eating of the stew, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.

Context of 2 Kings 4:40

38When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it. 41Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. 42Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

2 Kings 4:40 word by word

וַיִּֽצְק֥וּ לַאֲנָשִׁ֖ים לֶאֱכ֑וֹל וַ֠יְהִי כְּאָכְלָ֨ם מֵהַנָּזִ֜יד וְהֵ֣מָּה צָעָ֗קוּ וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ מָ֤וֶת בַּסִּיר֙ אִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָכְל֖וּ לֶאֱכֹֽל׃Read the interlinear

• And they poured it outיָצַקyâtsaq · to pour: pourH3332
• for the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
• to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• to eatהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• the stewנָזִידnâzîyd · stewH5138
• theyהֵ֫מָּהhêm hêmmâh · they(masc.)H1992
• cried outצָעַקtsâ‛aq · to cryH6817
• cried outאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• There is deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• in the potסִירsîyr sîyrâh sirâh · potH5518
• O manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• And they could notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• And they could notיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201

Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:40

• 2 Kings 4:9Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God.
• 2 Kings 1:9Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’”
• Deuteronomy 33:1This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death.
• 1 Kings 17:18“O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
• Exodus 10:17Now please forgive my sin once more and appeal to the LORD your God, that He may remove this death from me.”
• Exodus 15:23And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)
• Mark 16:18they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”

Commentaries on 2 Kings 4:40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40There is death in the pot - As if they had said, "We have here a deadly mixture; if we eat of it, we shall all die."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. 39-41The men quickly realized the young man's wild gourds were poisonous. They didn't want to be poisoned or waste the stew during a famine, so they asked Elisha for help. The flour symbolized God's miraculous provision of food.Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 4:40

• Elisha
• Gilgal
• Miracles

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• man of God
• Aside
• Careful
• Desire
• Gourd
• Daniel, Book of
• Death
• Elisha

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