“And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Kings 4:38 Mean?
This verse introduces one of Elisha's more domestic miracles — the healing of poisoned stew. The setting is practical and unglamorous: there's a famine, Elisha is with the prophetic community at Gilgal, and people need to eat. His response is immediate and practical: set on the great pot, make stew for everyone.
The phrase "the sons of the prophets were sitting before him" suggests they were his students, gathered for instruction. Even during famine, the teaching community continues. They're hungry, but they're together. Elisha doesn't dismiss them or tell them to fend for themselves — he feeds them.
Gilgal itself carries significance. It was the first place Israel camped after crossing the Jordan under Joshua, the place where they were circumcised and the "reproach of Egypt" was rolled away. It's a location associated with new beginnings and covenant renewal. But now it's a place of dearth — scarcity where there was once abundance. The contrast underscores how far things have fallen under the northern kings' unfaithfulness.
Reflection Questions
- 1.When have you experienced someone meeting a simple, practical need at exactly the right moment? How did it affect you?
- 2.Why do you think Elisha's first response to famine was feeding people rather than explaining why the famine came?
- 3.In your difficult seasons, do you tend to isolate or gather? What difference does community make?
- 4.What's the 'great pot' in your life — the practical, unglamorous way you serve the people around you?
Devotional
There's a famine in the land, and Elisha's response isn't a grand prophetic declaration or a rebuke of national sin. It's "set on the great pot." Make stew. Feed the people in front of you.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is meet a physical need. Elisha could have used this moment to preach about why the famine came — the nation's idolatry, the kings' unfaithfulness. Instead, he sees hungry people and decides to feed them. The theology can come later. Right now, they need to eat.
This is a model for ministry that many churches and organizations miss. People who are hungry, grieving, scared, or exhausted aren't ready for your deep insights. They're ready for a pot of stew. Meet the immediate need first. Everything else follows from there.
The image of the prophetic community sitting together during famine is also worth noticing. They didn't scatter. They didn't each try to survive alone. They gathered around their teacher and waited. In seasons of scarcity, community isn't a luxury — it's survival. Who are you gathered with in your difficult seasons? And when someone around you is hungry — literally or figuratively — what's your great pot?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Elisha came again to Gilgal,.... Where he was with Elijah a little before his assumption to heaven, Kg2 2:1 and…
There was a dearth in the land - Rather, “The famine was in the land.” The seven years’ dearth of which Elisha had…
Came again to Gilgal - He had been there before with his master, a short time prior to his translation.
Set on the great…
We have here Elisha in his place, in his element, among the sons of the prophets, teaching them, and, as a father,…
Elisha at Gilgal heals the noxious Pottage (Not in Chronicles)
38. Elisha came again to Gilgal There are no notes of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture