EasyEnglish Bible 2018
2 Kings 4:39
39One of the prophets went out into the fields to get some herbs to put in the soup. He found a wild plant and he picked some of its fruits. He filled the pockets of his coat with them. He brought the fruits back with him and he cut them into pieces. He put the pieces into the pot of soup. But he did not know what they were.
2 Kings 4:39 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.
- New International Version (NIV)One of them went out into the fields to gather herbs and found a wild vine and picked as many of its gourds as his garment could hold. When he returned, he cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were.
- English Standard Version (ESV)One of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.
Context of 2 Kings 4:39
37She came in to the room. She bent down low near Elisha's feet with her face towards the ground. Then she took her son and she left the room. 38After that, Elisha went back to Gilgal. There was a famine in that region. The group of prophets came to meet with Elisha. He said to his servant, ‘Put the large pot over the fire. Cook some soup for the prophets.’ One of the prophets went out into the fields to get some herbs to put in the soup. He found a wild plant and he picked some of its fruits. He filled the pockets of his coat with them. He brought the fruits back with him and he cut them into pieces. He put the pieces into the pot of soup. But he did not know what they were. 40They poured out the soup for the men to eat. But when they started to eat it, they shouted, ‘Man of God, this soup will kill us!’ They could not eat it. 41Then Elisha said, ‘Bring some flour.’ He put the flour into the pot. He said, ‘Now pour out some more soup for the people to eat.’ Then there was nothing in the soup that would hurt them.
Read all of 2 Kings 42 Kings 4:39 word by word
וַיֵּצֵ֨א אֶחָ֣ד אֶל־הַשָּׂדֶה֮ לְלַקֵּ֣ט אֹרֹת֒ וַיִּמְצָא֙ גֶּ֣פֶן שָׂדֶ֔ה וַיְלַקֵּ֥ט מִמֶּ֛נּוּ פַּקֻּעֹ֥ת שָׂדֶ֖ה מְלֹ֣א בִגְד֑וֹ וַיָּבֹ֗א וַיְפַלַּ֛ח אֶל־סִ֥יר הַנָּזִ֖יד כִּֽי־לֹ֥א יָדָֽעוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- into the fieldשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: countryH7704
- to gatherלָקַטlâqaţ · to gatherH3950
- herbsאוֹרָה'ôrâh · herbH219
- and foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- a wildשָׂדֶהώâdeh ώâday · land: wildlifeH7704
- vineגֶּ֫פֶןgephen · vineH1612
- gourdsפַּקֻּעֹתpaqqû‛âh · gourdH6498
- his lapבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
- fullמְלֹאmelô' melô' melô · fullnessH4393
- and cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- and shredפָּלַחpâlach · to cleaveH6398
- into the potסִירsîyr sîyrâh sirâh · potH5518
- of pottageנָזִידnâzîyd · stewH5138
- for they knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:39
- Isaiah 5:4I did everything that I could to help my vineyard. I could have done no more! But when I waited to get sweet grapes from the vines, there were only bitter ones! Why was that?
- Jeremiah 2:21I planted you in my land, like the very good seed of a vine. But see how you have changed! You have become like a wild vine. Your grapes are bad and useless.
- Matthew 15:13Jesus replied, ‘Those Pharisees are like plants that my Father God did not put in the ground. Like a farmer, he will completely pull all those plants out of the ground.
- Hebrews 12:15Remember that God is very kind. Nobody should refuse to let God help them. Make sure that nobody among you causes trouble so that people turn against God. A person who is angry against God is like poison. He spoils many other people's lives so that God does not accept them.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 4:39
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 39Wild gourds - This is generally thought to be the coloquintida, the fruit of a plant of the same name, about the size of a large orange. It is brought hither from the Levant, and is often known by the name of the bitter apple; both the seeds and pulp are intensely bitter, and violently purgative. It ranks among vegetable poisons, as all intense bitters do; but, judiciously employed, it is of considerable use in medicine.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 39A wild vine - Not a real wild vine, the fruit of which, if not very palatable, is harmless; but some climbing plant with tendrils. The plant was probably either the Ecbalium elaterium, or “squirting cucumber,” the fruit of which, egg-shaped, and of a very bitter taste, bursts at the slightest touch, when it is ripe, and squirts out sap and seed grains; or the Colocynthis, which belongs to the family of cucumbers, has a vine-shaped leaf, and bears a fruit…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
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3939. went out into the field to gather herbs--Wild herbs are very extensively used by the people in the East, even by those who possess their own vegetable gardens. The fields are daily searched for mallow, asparagus, and other wild plants. wild vine--literally, "the vine of the field," supposed to be the colocynth, a cucumber, which, in its leaves, tendrils, and fruit, bears a strong resemblance to the wild vine. The "gourds," or fruit, are of the color…Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 4:39
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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