| <p> ''''' wı̄ld ''''' ( פקּעת שׂדה , <i> ''''' paḳḳu‛ōth sādheh ''''' </i> , 2 Kings 4:39 ): The root פקע , <i> '''''pāḳa‛''''' </i> , means "to split" or "burst open," and on this ground these "wild gourds" have been identified with the fruit of the squirting cucumber ( <i> Ecballium elaterium </i> ). This little gourd, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, when fully ripe falls suddenly when touched or shaken, the bitter, irritating juice is squirted to a considerable distance, and the seeds are thrown all around. It is exceedingly common in Palestine, and its familiar poisonous properties, as a drastic cathartic, made it unlikely that under any circumstances its fruit could be mistaken for any edible gourd; it is, too, in no way vinelike ("wild vine," 2 Kings 4:39 ) in appearance; the stem is stiff and upright, and there are no tendrils. The traditional plant, <i> Cucumis prophetarium </i> , which grows in the desert, and has very small "gourds," has nothing really to recommend it. By far the most probable plant is the Colocynth ( <i> Citrullus colocynthis </i> ), belonging like the last two, to [[Natural]] Order, <i> Cucurbitaceae </i> . This view has the support of the [[Septuagint]] and [[Vulgate]] (Jerome's <i> [[Latin]] [[Bible]] </i> , 390-405 ad) It is a vinelike plant which spreads over the ground or attaches itself by its spiral tendrils to other plants. The rounded "gourds" are 3 inches or more in diameter, and contain a pulp intensely bitter and, in any but minute quantities, extremely poisonous. </p>
| | Wild Gourd <ref name="term_44574" /> |
| <ref name="term_4264"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/gourd,+wild Wild Gourd from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref> | | <ref name="term_44574"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/wild+gourd Wild Gourd from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref> |
