2 Kings 4:39

_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._ Went out into the field to gather herbs. Wild herbs are very extensively used by people in the East, even by those who possess kitchen-gardens. The fields are daily searched for mallows, asparagus, and other wild plants. WILD VINE, х_ GEPEN_ (H1612) _ SAADEH_ (H7704)] - 'vine of the field;' supposed to be the colo-cynth, a cucumber which, in its leaves, tendrils, and fruit, bears a strong resemblance to the wild vine. The 'gourds,' or fruit, are of the colour and size of an orange, bitter to the taste, causing colic, and exciting the nerves; largely eaten, they would occasion such a derangement of the stomach and bowels as to be followed by death. The meal

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 feed ourselves without fear. When we are receiving the supports and comforts of life, we must keep up an expectation of death, and a fear of sin. We must acknowledge God's goodness in making our food wholesome and nourishing; I am the Lord that healeth thee. Elisha also made a little food go a great way. Having freely received, he freely gave. God has promised his church, that he will abundantly bless her provision, and satisfy her poor with br...

Verse 39. _WILD 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....

A 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 as large as an orange, very bitter, from which is prepared the drug sold as colocynth. This latter plant grows abundantly in Palestine. HIS LAP FULL - literally, “his shawl full.” The prophet brought the fruit home in his “shawl” or “outer garment.”...

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 4:1 TYPICAL MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ELISHA. General _introduction_._ _The miracles of this chapter are all of them miracles of mercy. The first and last consist in the multiplying of food, and thus belong to the same class as our Lord's feeding the four and the five thousands, and Elijah's increasing the meal and oil of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:10). It serves no useful purpose to ask how miracles of this class were wrought. The inspired writers have not told us; and our own thoughts upon the subject can at the best be mere unfounded conjectures. The rationalistic attempts which have been made to solve the mystery exhibit a weakness and feeblen

AND ONE WENT OUT INTO THE FIELDS TO GATHER HERBS,.... To put into the pottage, the gardens affording none in this time of dearth; or, however, being scarce, were at too great a price for the sons of the prophets to purchase them; and therefore one of them went out into the field to gather what common herbs he could: AND FOUND A WILD VINE, AND GATHERED THEREOF WILD GOURDS HIS LAP FULL; thought to be the same with coloquintida, the leaves of which are very like to a vine, of a very bitter taste, and a very violent purgative, which, if not remedied, will produce ulcerations in the bowels, and issue in death; some think the white brier or white vine is meant, the colour of whose berries is very inviting to look at, but very bitter and ungrateful, and it vehemently purges b; the Arabs call a sort of mushroom that is white and soft by this name c, but cannot be meant here, because it has no l...

3. THE MIRACLES CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The widow's oil multiplied (2 Kings 4:1)_ 2. The Shunammite and her reward (2 Kings 4:8) 3. The son of the Shunammite raised from the dead (2 Kings 4:18) 4. The deadly pottage healed (2 Kings 4:38) 5. The multitude fed (2 Kings 4:42) In the previous chapter Elisha appeared as the saviour of Israel, and now he acts in behalf of the widow of one of the sons of the prophets. His name is not given. Elisha had known him as one who feared the Lord. And now the widow deeply in

TWO MINOR MIRACLES OF ELISHA. The death (poison) in the pot healed and the feeding of a hundred prophets. The bread of the firstfruits (2 Kings 4:42) was by the Law the property of the priests (Numbers 18:13; Deuteronomy 18:4). Here the loaves and ears of corn are offered to prophets. In the Christian _Teaching of the Twelve Apostles_ the prophets are to be given of the firstfruits, for they are your priests. There is no similar instance in the OT....

WILD VINE: i.e.. plant with vine-like tendrils. Not the grape, but probably the colocynth....

_And one went out_ As the needful services were performed by the members of the college among themselves, it was no doubt one of them who went into the field to gather such herbs as he could find. _a wild vine_ i.e. some wild plant with vine-like tendrils, named here -vine" for want of knowledge of its true name. The colocynth has tendrils after the fashion of the wild bryony in our hedgerows. _wild gourds_ The Hebrew word is explained as meaning -wild cucumber", an egg-shaped fruit with very bitter taste. But the prickly fruit of this plant could hardly be thought fit for pottage. Others think that the -colocynth" is meant, and this was the opinion of the LXX., which renders by τολυπὴ ἀγρία, -wild pumpkin". This fruit might be mistaken for a melon. _for they knew_them _not_ Nobody among the brotherhood had sufficient skill of plants to stop their comrade, and tell him the noxious nat...