New International Version
2 Kings 4:42
42A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said.
2 Kings 4:42 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And there came a man from Baal–shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
- English Standard Version (ESV)A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, "Give to the men, that they may eat."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)One day a man from Baal-shalishah brought the man of God a sack of fresh grain and twenty loaves of barley bread made from the first grain of his harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”
Context of 2 Kings 4:42
40The 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. 41Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He put it into the pot and said, “Serve it to the people to eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot. A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. 43“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.’ ” 44Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.
Read all of 2 Kings 42 Kings 4:42 word by word
וְאִ֨ישׁ בָּ֜א מִבַּ֣עַל שָׁלִ֗שָׁה וַיָּבֵא֩ לְאִ֨ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֜ים לֶ֤חֶם בִּכּוּרִים֙ עֶשְׂרִֽים־לֶ֣חֶם שְׂעֹרִ֔ים וְכַרְמֶ֖ל בְּצִקְלֹנ֑וֹ וַיֹּ֕אמֶר תֵּ֥ן לָעָ֖ם וְיֹאכֵֽלוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And there cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- from Baal–shalishaבַּ֫עַל שָׁלִשָׁהba‛al shâlishâh · Baal-shalishahH1190
- and broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · food: breadH3899
- of the firstfruitsבִּכּוּרִיםbikkûr · firstfruitH1061
- twentyעֶשְׂרִים‛eώrîym · twentyH6242
- of barleyשְׂעֹרָהώe‛ôrâh ώe‛ôrâh ώe‛ôr ώe‛ôr · barleyH8184
- and full ears of cornכַּרְמֶלkarmel · plantationH3759
- in the huskצִקָּלֹןtsiqlôn · sackH6861
- thereof. And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- unto the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- that they may eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:42
- 1 Samuel 9:4So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha, but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.
- 2 Kings 4:38Elisha returned to Gilgal and there was a famine in that region. While the company of the prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these prophets.”
- Exodus 23:16“Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.
- Deuteronomy 12:6there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
- Deuteronomy 26:2take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name
- 1 Samuel 9:7Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
- 2 Chronicles 11:13The priests and Levites from all their districts throughout Israel sided with him.
- Proverbs 3:9Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
- 1 Corinthians 9:11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
- Galatians 6:6Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.
- 2 Kings 7:1Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.”
- Deuteronomy 8:8a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey;
- Deuteronomy 32:14with curds and milk from herd and flock and with fattened lambs and goats, with choice rams of Bashan and the finest kernels of wheat. You drank the foaming blood of the grape.
- John 6:9“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
Commentaries on 2 Kings 4:42
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 42Bread of the first-fruits - This was an offering to the prophet, as the first-fruits themselves were an offering to God. Corn in the husk - Probably parched corn or corn to be parched, a very frequent food in the East; full ears, before they are ripe, parched on the fire.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 42Baal-shalisha - Fifteen Roman miles north of Lydda, in the Sharon plain to the west of the highlands of Ephraim. It was, apparently, the chief city of the “land of Shalisha” (marginal reference). Bread of the first fruits - It appears by this that the Levitical priests having withdrawn from the land of Israel (see 2 Chronicles 11:13-14), pious Israelites transferred to the prophets, whom God raised up, the offerings required by the Law to be given to the…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
Topics related to 2 Kings 4:42
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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