What Does 2 Kings 4:39 Mean?

(39) **Herbs.**—A rare word. (See Isaiah 26:19.) The Targum renders “greens.” The LXX. retains the Hebrew word; the Syriac and Arabic render “mallows.” Thenius thinks that αριωθ, the reading of the LXX., points to another word derived from a different root, and meaning “to pluck,” so that the word would denote *legumina*. **A wild vine.**—Vulg., “quasi vitem silvestrem,” *i.e.*, a running plant, like a vine. **Wild gourds.**—In 1Kings 6:18 a related word is used to describe one of the decorations of the Temple (“knops”). Wild gourds, or cucumbers (*cucumeres agrestes*, or *asinini*), are oval in shape, and taste bitter. Their Hebrew name (*paqqû‘ôth*) is expressive of the fact that when ripe they are apt to *burst* upon being touched. If eaten they act as a violent purgative. They were mistaken on the present occasion for edible gourds, a favourite food of the people (Numbers 11:5). The Vulg. renders “colocynth,” or coloquintida, a plant of the same family, bearing large orange-like fruits, which are very bitter, and cause colic (*cucumis colocynthi, L*.). Keil supposes this to be the “wild vine” intended. **They knew them not.**—And so did not stop the young man from his shredding.