Christian Standard Bible
2 Kings 4:40
40They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot, man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.
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. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were. They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew they cried out, “There’s death in the pot, man of God!” And they were unable to eat it. 41Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot. 42A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with his sack full of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”
Read all of 2 Kings 42 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- So they poured outיָצַקyâtsaq · to pour: pourH3332
- for the menאֱנוֹשׁ'ĕnôsh · humanH582
- to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- of the pottageנָזִידnâzîyd · stewH5138
- that they cried outצָעַקtsâ‛aq · to cryH6817
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- deathמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
- in the potסִירsîyr sîyrâh sirâh · potH5518
- And they couldיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:40
- 2 Kings 4:9Then she said to her husband, “I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God,
- 2 Kings 1:9So King Ahaziah sent a captain with his fifty men to Elijah. When the captain went up to him, he was sitting on top of the hill. He announced, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down! ’”
- Deuteronomy 33:1This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave the Israelites before his death.
- 1 Kings 17:18She said to Elijah, “Man of God, what do you have against me? Have you come to call attention to my iniquity so that my son is put to death?”
- Exodus 10:17Please forgive my sin once more and make an appeal to the Lord your God, so that he will just take this death away from me.”
- Exodus 15:23They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter — that is why it was named Marah.
- Mark 16:18they will pick up snakes; if they should drink anything deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get 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
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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