2 Kings 4:42

Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — A man from Baal-shalishah delivers twenty barley loaves to Elisha, who immediately orders the food distributed to a waiting crowd. The words — The Hebrew לֶחֶם (lechem) identifies the barley bread offered, while אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים (ish ha'elohim) designates Elisha as the man of God receiving the provision. The thread — The distribution of insufficient food for a multitude parallels the accounts in Matthew 14:16 and John 6:9, where leaders are directed to feed crowds with minimal supplies. Why it lands — The text commands immediate obedience to release meager resources, requiring the reader to act on the directive before evaluating human scarcity.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וְאִ֨ישׁve./'Ishand/ a man בָּ֜אba'he came מִבַּ֣עַלmi./Ba.'alfrom/ Baal שָׁלִ֗שָׁהsha.Li.shahShalisha וַיָּבֵא֩va/i.ya.Ve'and/ he brought לְאִ֨ישׁle./'Ishto/ [the] man of הָאֱלֹהִ֜יםha./'E.lo.Him<the>/ God לֶ֤חֶםLe.chembread of בִּכּוּרִים֙bi.ku.Rimfirst-fruits עֶשְׂרִֽים־'es.rim-twenty לֶ֣חֶםLe.chembread[s] of שְׂעֹרִ֔יםse.'o.Rimbarley<s>וְכַרְמֶ֖לve./khar.Meland/ new corn בְּצִקְלֹנ֑וֹbe./tzik.lo.N/oin/ sack/ his וַיֹּ֕אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said תֵּ֥ןtengive [it]לָעָ֖םla./'Amto the/ people וְיֹאכֵֽלוּ׃ve./yo.Khe.luso/ they may eat

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

1 Samuel 9:7 “If we do go,” Saul replied, “what can we give the man? For the bread in our packs is gone, and there is no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?”
Matthew 14:16 “They do not need to go away,” Jesus replied. “You give them something to eat.”
John 6:9 “Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”
John 6:13 So they collected them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
1 Samuel 9:4 So Saul passed through the hill country of Ephraim and then through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find the donkeys. He and the servant went through the region of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they went through the land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them.
2 Kings 7:1 Then Elisha said, “Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the LORD says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, a seah of fine flour will sell for a shekel, and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel.’”
Matthew 15:32 Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”
Exodus 23:16 You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.
Deuteronomy 8:8 a land of wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey;
Deuteronomy 12:6 To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks.