2 Kings 4:38
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.
Cross-references
In 2 Kings 4:42, Elisha multiplies bread for the people during the same famine, continuing the theme of miraculous provision.
In 2 Kings 4:1, a widow of a prophet's son seeks Elisha's help, showing the ongoing ministry to the prophetic community in the same chapter.
2 Kings 2:3 introduces the 'sons of the prophets' at Bethel, the same group later seen sitting before Elisha in the famine.
2 Kings 8:1 refers back to the same famine Elisha predicted — connecting the famine mentioned here to the larger narrative of the Shunammite woman.
In 2 Kings 6:1, the sons of the prophets ask Elisha for more space, another episode with the same group.
Genesis 12:10 also mentions 'a famine in the land' — the exact same phrase. Abraham responds by leaving; Elisha stays and feeds the prophets.
Leviticus 26:26 describes the covenant curse of food shortage — the famine in this verse reflects that divine judgment.
Deuteronomy 28:22-24 lists drought and famine as covenant curses — the famine here is a historical instance of those warnings.
Deuteronomy 28:38-40 details covenant curses of crop failure and locusts, giving a theological backdrop to the famine in Elisha's time.
In Amos 4:6, God sends famine as judgment, echoing the dearth in Elisha's time but with a different theological purpose.