2 Kings 4 · Verse 43

2 Kings 4:43

And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
2 Kings 4:43, King James Version

2 Kings 4:43 in other translations

BSBBut his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”
WEBHis servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for the LORD says, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’”
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd his minister saith, ‘What--do I give this before a hundred men?' and he saith, ‘Give to the people, and they eat, for thus said Jehovah, Eat and leave;'
DARBYAnd his attendant said, How shall I set this before a hundred men? And he said, Give the people that they may eat; for thus saith Jehovah: They shall eat, and shall have to spare.
BBEBut his servant said, How am I to put this before a hundred men? But he said, Give it to the people for food; for the Lord says, There will be food for them and some over.
WebsterAnd his servitor said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave of it.

What does 2 Kings 4:43 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
43. They shall eat, and shall leave thereof--This was not a miracle of Elisha, but only a prediction of one by the word of the Lord. Thus it differed widely from those of Christ (Mt 15:37; Mr 8:8; Lu 9:17; Joh 6:12).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 43 Thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof - It was God, not the prophet, who fed one hundred men with these twenty loaves, etc. This is something like our Lord's feeding the multitude miraculously. Indeed, there are many things in this chapter similar to facts in our Lord's history: and this prophet might be more aptly considered a type of our Lord, than most of the other persons in the Scriptures who have been thus honored.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 4:38-44

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…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 4:38-44 →

2 Kings 4:43 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙vai.Yo.merand he saidH559
מְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹme.Sha.re.Toservant hisH8334
מָ֚הmahwhat?H4100
אֶתֵּ֣ן'e.Tenwill I putH5414
זֶ֔הZehthisH2088
לִפְנֵ֖יlif.Nei<to> beforeH6440
מֵ֣אָהMe.'aha hundredH3967
אִ֑ישׁ'IshmanH376
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
תֵּ֤ןtengive [it]H5414
לָעָם֙la.'Amto the peopleH5971
וְיֹאכֵ֔לוּve.yo.Khe.luso they may eatH398
כִּ֣יkiforH3588
כֹ֥הkhohthusH3541
אָמַ֛ר'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אָכֹ֥ל'a.Kholthey will eatH398
וְהוֹתֵֽר\׃ve.ho.Terand they will have more than enoughH3498

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 4:43

  • Luke 9:13

    But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

  • Matthew 14:20

    And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

  • John 6:9

    There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

  • Matthew 16:8-10

    Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

  • John 6:11-13

    And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

  • Matthew 15:33-34

    And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

  • Mark 6:37-39

    He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

  • Matthew 14:16-17

    But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

  • Matthew 15:37

    And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

  • Luke 9:17

    And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

  • Mark 8:4

    And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

  • Mark 8:20

    And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
his servitor.
12
What.
Mt 14:16,17; 15:33,34; Mr 6:37-39; 8:4; Lu 9:13; Joh 6:9
They shall eat.
Mt 14:20; 15:37; 16:8-10; Mr 6:42,43; 8:20; Lu 9:17; Joh 6:11-13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 2 Kings 4:42

    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.

  • 2 Kings 4:43

    And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

  • 2 Kings 4:44

    So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

Read all of 2 Kings 4

2 Kings 4:43 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y respondió su sirviente: ¿Cómo he de poner esto delante de cien hombres? Mas él tornó á decir: Da á la gente para que coman, porque así ha dicho Jehová: Comerán, y sobrará.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et celui qui le servait, dit: Comment mettrai-je ceci devant 100 hommes? Et il dit: Donne-le au peuple, et qu’ils mangent; car ainsi dit l’ Éternel: On mangera, et il y en aura de reste.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sein Diener sprach: Wie soll ich dieses hundert Männern vorsetzen? Und er sprach: Gib es den Leuten, daß sie essen! denn so spricht Jehova: Man wird essen und übriglassen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Responditque ei minister ejus: Quantum est hoc, ut apponam centum viris? Rursum ille ait: Da populo, ut comedat: hæc enim dicit Dominus: Comedent, et supererit.