2 Kings 4:42

42 A man came from ¹Baal-shalishah, ²bringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, ³“Give to the men, that they may eat. ”

2 Kings 4:42 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 4:42

And there came a man from Baalshalisha
Of which place (See Gill on 1 Samuel 9:4), the Targum is, from the south country:

and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of
barley;
so that it was now barley harvest, and this the first fruits of it, which, according to the law, ( Leviticus 23:10 ) , was to be brought to the priest; but being forbid in the land of Israel going up to Jerusalem, religious men brought their firstfruits to the prophets, and here to Elisha, the father of them; believing it would be dispensed with, and acceptable, since they were not allowed to carry them to the proper person; and in this time of famine was very agreeable to the man of God, supposing it only a present:

and full ears of corn in the husk thereof;
these were green ears of corn, which they used to parch; but might not be eaten until the firstfruits were offered, and then they might, ( Leviticus 23:14 ) , the Targum renders it, "in his garment", in the skirt of his clothes; and to the same purpose are the Syriac and Arabic versions; and so Jarchi interprets it; and Ben Gersom says, it signifies some vessel in which he brought them:

and he said, give unto the people, that they may eat;
Elisha did not reserve this offering or present for himself, but, as he had freely received, he freely gave.

2 Kings 4:42 In-Context

40 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.

41 He said, “Then bring flour. ” And he threw it into the pot and said, “Pour some out for the men, that they may eat. ” And there was no harm in the pot.

42 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. ”

43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men? ” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left. ’”

44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

Cross References

• 1. 4:42 [1 Sam. 9:4]
• 2. 4:42 [1 Sam. 9:7]
• 3. 4:42 See Matt. 14:16-21; 15:32-38; Mark 6:37-44; 8:4-9; Luke 9:13-17; John 6:5-13