Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 4:39

"And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not." — 2 Kings 4:39 (ASV)

Herbs. —A rare word. . The Targum renders “greens.” The Septuagint retains the Hebrew word; the Syriac and Arabic render “mallows.” Thenius thinks that αριωθ, the reading of the Septuagint, points to another word derived from a different root, and meaning “to pluck,” so that the word would denote legumina.

A wild vine. —Vulgate, “quasi vitem silvestrem,” i.e., a running plant, like a vine.

Wild gourds. —In 1 Kings 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 favorite food of the people (Numbers 11:5). The Vulgate 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.