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2 Kings 4:40

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 2 Kings 4:40 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “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 man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

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 man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
2 Kings 4:40 — American Standard Version

Context — 2 Kings 4

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.
38And Elisha came again to Gilgal. And there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.
39And 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.
40So 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 man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
41But he said, Then bring meal. 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.
42And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
43And his servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith Jehovah, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“So they poured out for the men to eat, etc.] When the pottage was boiled, they poured it out into dishes or basins, for the sons of the prophets 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; poison, the cause of death; the pottage was so exceeding bitter, that they concluded there must be some poisonous herb in it; and coloquintida is so bitter, that it is called “the gall of the earth”: and they could not eat thereof: they stopped eating, it being so very disagreeable, and, as they supposed, dangerous.”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Death - That is, some deadly thing. 4 Kings (2 Kings) 4:41”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“O thou: Kg2 4:9, Kg2 1:9, Kg2 1:11, Kg2 1:13; Deu 33:1; Kg1 17:18 death: Exo 10:17, Exo 15:23; Mar 16:18 4 Kings (2 Kings) 4:41”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification