Original Word: פַקֻּעָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: paqqu`ah
Pronunciation: pak-KOO-oth
Phonetic Spelling: (pak-koo-aw')
KJV: gourd
NASB: gourds
Word Origin: [from the same as H6497 (פֶּקַע - gourds)]

1. the wild cucumber (from splitting open to shed its seeds)

gourd

From the same as peqa'; the wild cucumber (from splitting open to shed its seeds) -- gourd.

see HEBREW peqa'

Word Origin
from the same as peqaim
Definition
gourds
NASB Translation
gourds (1).

מַּקֻּעֹת noun [feminine] plural gourds (wild cucumbers, citrullus colocynthis, with purgative properties, according to Post^{Hastings DB ii. 250} De^{Ri HWB 278 f.} ᵐ5 κολοκυνθις; > momordica (or ecballium) elaterium, which is not a vine; compare Syriac , fruit of colocynthis (or the similar cucumis prophetarum, Löw^l.c. Brock); — construct שָׂדֶה ׳פ 2 Kings 4:39.

מַּר see פרר.

Biblical Context

Pַqּȗʿâ appears in the record of Elisha and the sons of the prophets at Gilgal during a regional famine (2 Kings 4:38-41). A disciple gathers unfamiliar produce from a “wild vine” and slices the fruit into the communal stew. The text then says, “they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they began to eat the stew, they cried out, ‘O man of God, there is death in the pot!’ And they could not eat it” (2 Kings 4:40). Elisha’s subsequent miracle—adding flour so that “there was nothing harmful in the pot” (verse 41)—frames pַqּȗʿâ within a larger narrative of divine provision that dominates the Elijah-Elisha cycles.

Historical and Narrative Setting

1. Time of National Distress: The famine (2 Kings 4:38) recalls covenant warnings about agricultural failure when Israel strays from the LORD (Leviticus 26:20). The poisonous stew dramatizes the precariousness of life under such circumstances.
2. Prophetic Community Life: The account highlights the sons of the prophets living communally and depending on foraged food. Their vulnerability sets the stage for Elisha’s restorative intervention, reinforcing his role as covenant mediator.
3. Miraculous Reversal: Elisha’s action parallels Moses’ healing of bitter water at Marah (Exodus 15:25) and foreshadows Christ’s transformation of water into wine (John 2:1-11), displaying the same divine authority over creation.

Botanical and Cultural Considerations

Ancient commentators commonly identify the plant with colocynth (Citrullus colocynthis), whose attractive melon-like gourds disguise a drastic purgative toxin. The contrast between appetizing appearance and lethal reality reinforces the biblical warning against judging by sight alone (1 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 14:12). The episode also illustrates the difficulty of food procurement during famine—edible and inedible plants intermingle, and discernment is literally a matter of life and death.

Theological and Symbolic Significance

1. Discernment and Dependence: The disciples’ inability to recognize the dangerous plant underscores the necessity of spiritual discernment and the prophet’s guidance.
2. Sanctification of the Ordinary: Elisha uses flour, an everyday staple, to neutralize poison. Scripture frequently shows God employing simple means—a staff, salt, water, or bread—to convey His power, teaching that efficacy rests not in the object but in divine command.
3. Foreshadowing Redemption: The removal of death from the pot prefigures the gospel, where Christ neutralizes the curse of sin. The wholesome stew that follows anticipates the messianic banquet where death is swallowed up forever (Isaiah 25:6-9).

Lessons for Ministry

• Shepherds must guard doctrine as carefully as Elisha guarded the physical well-being of his disciples; foreign admixtures can corrupt a congregation’s “stew” (Galatians 5:9).
• In times of scarcity, God’s servants are called to creativity and faith, trusting the LORD to transform inadequate or even harmful circumstances into blessing.
• The narrative commends communal interdependence: the problem is discovered, confessed, and resolved within the fellowship of believers rather than in isolation.

Typological Echoes and New Testament Parallels

• Poison Removed → Sin Remitted (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Flour Added → Bread of Life Given (John 6:35).
• Community Sustained → Church Nourished (Acts 2:42-47).

Summary

Though פַקֻּעָה occurs only once, its context links Israel’s prophetic tradition, the faithfulness of God amid famine, and the gospel pattern of death reversed through divine intervention. The wild gourd episode invites readers to vigilance against hidden dangers, confidence in the Lord’s power to redeem every threat, and joyful participation in the community life He sustains.

פַּקֻּעֹ֥ת פקעת pakkuOt paq·qu·‘ōṯ paqqu‘ōṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts