2 Kings 4:42-43

Elisha Miraculously Feeds a Hundred People

4:42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet ¹  – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. ²  Elisha ³  said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 4:43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” ⁴  He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” ⁵ 

[4:42]  ¹ tn Heb “man of God.”

[4:42]  ² tn On the meaning of the word צִקְלוֹן (tsiqlon), “ear of grain,” see HALOT 148 s.v. בָּצֵק and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.

[4:42]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:43]  ⁴ tn Heb “How can I set this before a hundred men?”

[4:43]  ⁵ tn The verb forms are infinitives absolute (Heb “eating and leaving over”) and have to be translated in light of the context.