2 Kings 4

ENGWEBEnglish44 verses

1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. You know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take for himself my two children to be slaves.”

2Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me: what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your handmaid has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.”

3Then he said, “Go, borrow containers from of all your neighbors, even empty containers. Don’t borrow just a few.

4You shall go in, and shut the door on you and on your sons, and pour out into all those containers; and you shall set aside that which is full.”

5So she went from him, and shut the door on her and on her sons; they brought the containers to her, and she poured out.

6When the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” He said to her, “There isn’t another container.” The oil stopped flowing.

7Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

8It fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman; and she persuaded him to eat bread. So it was, that as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat bread.

9She said to her husband, “See now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passes by us continually.

10Please let us make a little room on the wall. Let us set for him there a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp stand. It shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in there.”

11One day he came there, and he turned into the room and lay there.

12He said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him.

13He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have cared for us with all this care. What is to be done for you? Would you like to be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.”

14He said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Most certainly she has no son, and her husband is old.”

15He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the door.

16He said, “At this season, when the time comes around, you will embrace a son.” She said, “No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your handmaid.”

17The woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came around, as Elisha had said to her.

18When the child was grown, one day he went out to his father to the reapers.

19He said to his father, “My head! My head!” He said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

20When he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then died.

21She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door on him, and went out.

22She called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the servants, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.”

23He said, “Why would you want go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “It’s alright.”

24Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward! Don’t slow down for me, unless I ask you to.”

25So she went, and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her afar off, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, there is the Shunammite.

26Please run now to meet her, and ask her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” She answered, “It is well.”

27When she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, “Leave her alone; for her soul is troubled within her; and Yahweh has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

28Then she said, “Did I desire a son of my lord? Didn’t I say, Do not deceive me?”

29Then he said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand, and go your way. If you meet any man, don’t greet him; and if anyone greets you, don’t answer him again. Then lay my staff on the face of the child.”

30The mother of the child said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” He arose, and followed her.

31Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Therefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

32When Elisha had come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid on his bed.

33He went in therefore, and shut the door on them both, and prayed to Yahweh.

34He went up, and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child grew warm.

35Then he returned, and walked in the house once back and forth; and went up, and stretched himself on him. Then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

36He called Gehazi, and said, “Call this Shunammite!” So he called her. When she had come in to him, he said, “Take up your son.”

37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.

38Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was a famine in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, “Set on the great pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

39One went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered of it wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of stew; for they didn’t recognize them.

40So they poured out for the men to eat. As they were eating some of the stew, they cried out, and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” They could not eat of it.

41But he said, “Then bring meal.” He cast it into the pot; and he said, “Pour out for the people, that they may eat.” There was no harm in the pot.

42A man from Baal Shalishah came, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. He said, “Give to the people, that they may eat.”

43His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give the people, that they may eat; for Yahweh says, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’”

44So he set it before them, and they ate, and left some of it, according to Yahweh’s word.

Commentary

Chapter 4 Great service Elisha had done, in he foregoing chapter, for the three kings: to his prayers and prophecies they owed their lives and triumphs. One would have expected that the next chapter would tell us what honours and what dignities were conferred on Elisha for this, that he should immediately be preferred at court, and made prime-minister of state, that Jehoshaphat should take him home with him, and advance him in his kingdom. No, the wise man delivered the army, but no man remembered the wise man, Eccl. 9:15. Or, if he had preferment offered him, he declined it: he preferred the honour of doing good in the schools of the prophets before that of being great in the courts of princes. God magnified him, and that sufficed him—magnified him indeed, for we have him here employed in working no fewer than five miracles. I. He multiplied the poor widow’s oil (v. 1-7). II. He obtained for the good Shunammite the blessing of a son in her old age (v. 8–17). III. He raised that child to life when it was dead (v. 18–27). IV. He healed the deadly pottage (v. 38–41). V. He fed 100 men with twenty small loaves (v. 42–44).Verses 1-7 Elisha’s miracles were for use, not for show; this recorded here was an act of real charity. Such also were the miracles of Christ, not only great wonders, but great favours to those for whom they were wrought. God magnifies his goodness with his power.I. Elisha readily receives a poor widow’s complaint. She was a prophet’s widow; to whom therefore should she apply, but to him that was a father to the sons of the prophets, and concerned himself in the welfare of their families? It seems, the prophets had wives as well as the priests, though prophecy went not by entail, as the priesthood did. Marriage is honourable in all, and not inconsistent with the most sacred professions. Now, by the complaint of this poor woman (v. 1), we are given to understand, 1. That her husband, being one of the sons of the prophets, was well know to Elisha. Ministers of eminent gifts and stations should make themselves familiar with those that are every way their inferiors, and know their character and state. 2. That he had the reputation of a godly man. Elisha knew him to be one that feared the Lord, else he would have been unworthy of the honour and unfit for the work of a prophet. He was one that kept his integrity in a time of general apostasy, one of the 7000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal. 3. That he was dead, though a good man, a good minister. The prophets—do they live for ever? Those that were clothed with the Spirit of prophecy were not thereby armed against the stroke of death. 4. That he died poor, and in debt more than he was worth. He did not contract his debts by prodigality, and luxury, and riotous living, for he was one that feared the Lord, and therefore durst not allow himself in such courses: nay, religion obliges men not to live above what they have, nor to spend more than what God gives them, no, not in expenses otherwise lawful; for thereby, of necessity, they must disable themselves, at last, to give every one his own, and so prove guilty of a continued act of injustice all along. Yet it may be the lot of those that fear God to be in debt, and insolvent, through afflictive providences, losses by sea, or bad debts, or their own imprudence, for the children of light are not always wise for this world. Perhaps this prophet was impoverished by persecution: when Jezebel ruled, prophets had much ado to live, and especially if they had families. 5. That the creditors were very severe with her Two sons she had to be the support of her widowed state, and their labour is reckoned assets in her hand; that must go therefore, and they must be bondmen for seven years (Ex. 21:2) to work out this debt. Those that leave their families under a load of debt disproportionable to their estates know not what trouble they entail. In this distress the poor widow goes to Elisha, in dependence upon the promise that the seed of the righteous shall not be forsaken. The generation of the upright may expect help from God’s providence and countenance from his prophets.II. He effectually relieves this poor widow’s distress, and puts her in a way both to pay her debt and to maintain herself and her family. He did not say, Be warmed, be filled, but gave her real help. He did not give her some small matter for her present provision, but set her up in the world to sell oil, and put a stock into her hand to begin with. This was done by miracle, but it is an indication to us what is the best method of charity, and the greatest kindness one can do to poor people, which is, if possible, to help them into a way of improving what little they have by their own industry and ingenuity.1. He directed her what to do, considered her case: What shall I do for thee? The sons of the prophets were poor, and it would signify little to make a collection for her among them: but the God of the holy prophets is able to supply all her need; and, if she has a little committed to her management, her need must be supplied by his blessing and increasing that little. Elisha therefore enquired what she had to make money of, and found she had nothing to sell but one pot of oil, v. 2. If she had had any plate or furniture, he would have bidden her part with it, to enable her to be just to her creditors. We cannot reckon any thing really, nor comfortably, our own, but what is so when all our debts are paid. If she had not had this pot of oil, the divine power could have supplied her; but, having this, it will work upon this, and so teach us to make the best of what we have. The prophet, knowing her to have credit among her neighbours, bids her borrow of them empty vessels (v. 3), for, it seems, she had sold her own, towards the satisfying of her creditors. He directs her to shut the door upon herself and her sons, while she filled all those vessels out of that one.

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Translations8 · 5

AMHEVG ከነቢያትም ወገን ሚስቶች አንዲት ሴት፦ ባሌ ባሪያህ ሞቶአል፤ ባሪያህም እግዚአብሔርን ይፈራ እንደ ነበረ አንተ ታውቃለህ፤ ባለ ዕዳ ልጆቼን ባሪያዎች አድርጎ ሊወስዳቸው መጥቶአል፡ ብላ ወደ … አማርኛ ENGNIV The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know … English BCV ሰብኣያ ኻብ ማሕበር ነቢያት ዝነበረ ሓንቲ ሰበይቲ ናብ ኤልሳዕ መፂኣ “ሓሽከርካ ሰብኣየይ ሞይቱ እዩ፤ ንሱ ንእግዚኣብሄር ዝፈርሕ ከም ዝነበረ ኸዓ ትፈልጥ ኢኻ፤ ሕዚ ግና በዓል ዕዳ ንኽልቲ… ትግርኛ GAZBIB Baras dubartoota raajotaa keessaa tokko gara Elsaa'i dhaqxee,“Abbaan manaa koo, garbichi kee in du'e; inni Waaqayyoon a… Afaan Oromoo BCV GIZ ወአሐቲ ብእሲት እምውስተ እዋልደ ነቢያት ጸርኀት ኀበ ኤልሳዕ ወትቤ፦ ገብርከ ፈራሄ እግዚአብሔር ምትየ ውእቱ ወሞተ ወመጽአ በዓለ ዕዳ ይንሥኦሙ ለክልኤሆሙ ደቂቅየ ወይቅንዮሙ። giz GAZGAZ Baras dubartoota raajotaa keessaa tokko gara Elsaa'i dhaqxee,“Abbaan manaa koo, garbichi kee in du'e; inni Waaqayyoon a… Afaan Oromoo BCV aksum ሰብኣያ ኻብ ማሕበር ነቢያት ዝነበረ ሓንቲ ሰበይቲ ናብ ኤልሳዕ መፂኣ “ሓሽከርካ ሰብኣየይ ሞይቱ እዩ፤ ንሱ ንእግዚኣብሄር ዝፈርሕ ከም ዝነበረ ኸዓ ትፈልጥ ኢኻ፤ ሕዚ ግና በዓል ዕዳ ንኽልቲ… ትግርኛ AMHNIV የነቢያት ማኅበር ወገን ከሆነው የአንደኛው ሚስት፣ “አገልጋይህ ባሌ ሞቶአል፤ እርሱም እግዚአብሔርን የሚፈራ ሰው እንደ ነበር አንተ ታውቃለህ፤ አሁን ግን ባለ ዕዳ ሁለት ወንዶች ልጆቼን ባሪ… አማርኛ