2 Kings 4:43
New International Version
“How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”

New Living Translation
“What?” his servant exclaimed. “Feed a hundred people with only this?” But Elisha repeated, “Give it to the people so they can eat, for this is what the LORD says: Everyone will eat, and there will even be some left over!”

English Standard Version
But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’”

Berean Standard Bible
But 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.’ ”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’ ”

New American Standard Bible
But his attendant said, “How am I to serve this to a hundred men?” Nevertheless he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for this is what the LORD says: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’”

NASB 1995
His attendant said, “What, will I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’”

NASB 1977
And his attendant said, “What, shall I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’”

Legacy Standard Bible
And his attendant said, “What, will I give this before one hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says Yahweh, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’”

Amplified Bible
His servant said, “How am I to set [only] this before a hundred [hungry] men?” He said, “Give it to the people so that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’”

Christian Standard Bible
But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men? ” “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’ ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set 20 loaves before 100 men?"” Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’”

American Standard Version
And 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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And his Minister said to him: “What! Shall I give this before a hundred men?” And Elisha said to him: “Give to the people and they shall eat, because thus says LORD JEHOVAH: ‘They shall eat and they shall have a surplus.’”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And his servant said, Why should I set this before a hundred men? and he said, Give to the people, and let them eat; for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat and leave.

Contemporary English Version
"There's not enough here for 100 people," his servant said. "Just give it to them," Elisha replied. "The LORD has promised there will be more than enough."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And his servant answered him: How much is this, that I should set it before a hundred men? He said again: Give to the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord: They shall eat, and there shall be left.

English Revised Version
And his servant said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But his servant asked, "How can I set this in front of a hundred people?" "Give it to the people to eat," the man of God said. "This is what the LORD says: They will eat and even have some left over."

Good News Translation
but he answered, "Do you think this is enough for a hundred men?" Elisha replied, "Give it to them to eat, because the LORD says that they will eat and still have some left over."

International Standard Version
Elisha's attendant asked, "What? Will this serve 100 men?" But he replied, "Distribute it to the people so they can eat, because this is what the LORD says: 'They will eat and have a surplus!'"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And his servant said: 'How should I set this before a hundred men?' But he said: 'Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith the LORD: They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.'

Literal Standard Version
And his minister says, “How do I give this before one hundred men?” And he says, “Give to the people, and they eat, for thus said YHWH: Eat and leave”;

Majority Standard Bible
But 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.’”

New American Bible
But his servant objected, “How can I set this before a hundred?” Elisha again said, “Give it to the people to eat, for thus says the LORD: You will eat and have some left over.”

NET Bible
But his attendant said, "How can I feed a hundred men with this?" 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.'"

New Revised Standard Version
But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the LORD, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’”

New Heart English Bible
His servant said, "What, should I set this before a hundred men?" But he said, "Give the people, that they may eat; for thus says the LORD, 'They will eat, and will have some left over.'"

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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.

World English Bible
His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for Yahweh says, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’”

Young's Literal Translation
And 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;'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Feeding a Hundred Men
42Now 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. 43But 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.’” 44So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.…

Cross References
Luke 9:13
But Jesus told them, "You give them something to eat." "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered, "unless we go and buy food for all these people."

John 6:9
"Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?"


Treasury of Scripture

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 said the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

his servitor

2 Kings 4:12
And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

What

Matthew 14:16,17
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat…

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? …

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? …

They shall eat

Matthew 14:20
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

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.

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? …

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2 Kings 4
1. Elisha multiplies the widow's oil
8. He obtains a son for the good Shunammite
18. He restores her son when dead
38. At Gilgal he heals the deadly pottage
42. He satisfies a hundred men with twenty loaves














(43) Servitor.--Minister, or attendant.

What, should I set this before an hundred men?--Or, How am I to set? &c. (Comp. Matthew 14:33.)

He said again.--And he said.

They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.--Heb., eating and leaving! an exclamatory mode of speech, natural in hurried and vehement utterance.

Verse 43. - And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? The servant felt that the quantity was quite insufficient, and thought it absurd to invite a hundred men to sit down to a meal, which would not satisfy a fifth of the number; but Elisha repeated his command. He said again, Give the people, that they may eat. This time, however, he added an explanation of the proceeding: for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. God had supernaturally intimated to him that the quantity of food would prove ample for the hundred men; they would show that they had had enough by leaving some of it. And the result was as predicted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But his servant
מְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹ (mə·šā·rə·ṯōw)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8334: To attend as a, menial, worshipper, to contribute to

asked,
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“How
מָ֚ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

am I to set
אֶתֵּ֣ן (’et·tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

twenty loaves
זֶ֔ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

before
לִפְנֵ֖י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

a hundred
מֵ֣אָה (mê·’āh)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 3967: A hundred

men?”
אִ֑ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

“Give
תֵּ֤ן (tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

it to the people
לָעָם֙ (lā·‘ām)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

to eat,”
וְיֹאכֵ֔לוּ (wə·yō·ḵê·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 398: To eat

said Elisha,
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“for
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

this is what
כֹ֥ה (ḵōh)
Adverb
Strong's 3541: Like this, thus, here, now

the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

says:
אָמַ֛ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘They will eat
אָכֹ֥ל (’ā·ḵōl)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 398: To eat

and have [some] left over.’”
וְהוֹתֵֽר׃ (wə·hō·w·ṯêr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 3498: To jut over, exceed, to excel, to remain, be left, to leave, cause to abound, preserve


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OT History: 2 Kings 4:43 His servant said What should I set (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 4:42
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