2 Kings / Question
A man brought Elisha twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain. Elisha ordered it given to the people, even though his servant questioned how it could feed a hundred men. They ate and had some left, “according to the word of the LORD” (2 Kings 4:42–44).
In 2 Kings 4:42–44, a man brings Elisha “the man of God” a small supply of firstfruits bread and grain. Elisha orders that it be given to the gathered people to eat. A servant objects that the amount seems far too small for a hundred men. Elisha repeats the command and reports Yahweh’s word that they will eat and still have some left. This short scene sits among a chain of Elisha stories that highlight practical needs in everyday life and how Elisha’s spoken direction guides action. Immediately before, Elisha neutralizes a dangerous pot of stew during a time of scarcity (2Kgs.4.38-2Kgs.4.41).
This short episode presents Elisha as “the man of God” whose spoken direction carries Yahweh’s authority. A concrete gift—firstfruits bread and grain—becomes provision for a gathered community, and the outcome (everyone eating and leftovers) is explicitly linked to Yahweh’s word.
A careful answer keeps the immediate passage, the book's argument, and the whole-Bible storyline together, so the question is answered in context instead of as a detached idea.
Start with 2 Kings 4:42-44, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
42There came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. He said, Give to the people, that they may eat.
43His servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus says Yahweh, They shall eat, and shall leave of it.
44So he set it before them, and they ate, and left of it, according to the word of Yahweh.