Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 King 4:38 - 4:44

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 King 4:38 - 4:44


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Among Tthe Sons of the Prophets

v. 38. And Elisha came again,
at some other time, to Gilgal, in the hill country of Central Canaan. And there was a dearth in the land, a severe famine; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, receiving instruction from him as their teacher. And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets, who evidently took their meals in common.

v. 39. And one,
one of the pupils, went out into the field to gather herbs, any greens which might still be available, and found a wild vine, a plant on the order of a grape-vine, either a wild cucumber or the poisonous colocynth, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not, they were not familiar with the plant and its dangerous properties.

v. 40. 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!
From the bitterness and the immediate evil effect they concluded that the food was poisonous and fatal. And they could not eat thereof.

v. 41. But he said, Then bring meal,
this being merely an outward symbol or token of the miracle which was performed. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot, there was no longer any evil effect from eating the food it contained.

v. 42. And there came a man from Baal-shallsha,
a district somewhat to the west of Gilgal, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, for these, by Law, belonged to the servants of Jehovah, twenty loaves of barley and full ears of corn in the husk thereof, roasted ears of grain, which he carried in a sack. And he, Elisha, said, Give unto the people that they may eat.

v. 43. And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men?
The quantity was not large enough to feed such a great number of people. He said again, Give the people that they may eat; for thus saith the Lord, He had revealed this fact to Elisha, They shall eat and shall leave thereof.

v. 44. So he set it before them, and they did eat,
the quantity being increased in a miraculous manner in the course of the meal, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord, as in the case of the greater miracles of Christ, Mat_14:16; Mat_15:36; Joh_6:11-12. The Lord, according to His bountiful goodness, takes care of His children, for He is fully able to satisfy all their wants