2 Kings 4
4
Elisha Helps a Widow and Her Sons
1 Now a wife of one of the prophets#tn Heb “a wife from among the wives of the sons of the prophets.” appealed#tn Or “cried out.” to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord.#tn Heb “your servant feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers.#tn Heb “Go, ask for containers from outside, from all your neighbors, empty containers.” Get as many as you can.#tn Heb “Do not borrow just a few.” 4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers;#tn Heb “all these vessels.” set aside each one when you have filled it.” 5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons,#tn Heb “to her son.” “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the prophet.#tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 16, 22, 25, 27 [twice]). He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
Elisha Gives Life to a Boy
8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent#tn Heb “great,” perhaps “wealthy.” woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal.#tn Or “she urged him to eat some food.” So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal.#tn Or “he would turn aside there to eat some food.” 9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure#tn Heb “I know.” that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet.#tn Heb “holy man of God.” 10 Let’s make a small private upper room#tn Heb “a small upper room of a wall”; according to HALOT 832 s.v. עֲלִיָּה, this refers to “a fully walled upper room.” and furnish it with#tn Heb “and let’s put there for him.” a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. came for a visit; he went#tn Heb “turned aside.” into the upper room and rested.#tn Or “slept there.” 12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.”#tn Heb “Call for this Shunammite woman.” So he did so and she came to him.#tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood before him.” 13 Elisha said to Gehazi,#tn Heb “he said to him.” “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect.#tn Heb “you have turned trembling to us with all this trembling.” The exaggerated language is probably idiomatic. The point seems to be that she has taken great pains or gone out of her way to be kind to them. Her concern was a sign of her respect for the prophetic office. What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.”#tn Heb “Among my people I am living.” This answer suggests that she has security within the context of her family. 14 So he asked Gehazi,#tn Heb “and he said.” “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.”#tn Heb “Call for her.” So he did so#tn Heb “and he called her.” and she came and stood in the doorway.#tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood in the door.” 16 He said, “About this time next year#tn Heb “at this appointed time, at the time [when it is] reviving.” For a discussion of the second phrase see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57. you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers.#tn Heb “to his father, to the harvesters.” 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father#tn Heb “He”; the referent (the boy’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity. told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap#tn Heb “knees.” until noon and then died. 21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s#tn Heb “man of God’s.” bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon#sn The new moon was a time of sacrifice and special feasts (Num 28:14; 1 Sam 20:5). Apparently it was a convenient time to visit a prophet. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57. or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.”#tn Heb “peace.” 24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on.#tn Heb “lead [the donkey on] and go.” Do not stop unless I say so.”#tn Heb “do not restrain for me the riding unless I say to you.”
25 So she went to visit#tn Heb “went and came.” the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he#tn Heb “the man of God.” The phrase has been replaced by the relative pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons. saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi,#tn Heb “she said.” The narrator streamlines the story at this point, omitting any reference to Gehazi running to meet her and asking her the questions. “Everything’s fine.” 27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset.#tn Heb “her soul [i.e., ‘disposition’] is bitter.” The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 29 Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff,#tn Heb “take my staff in your hand.” and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone!#tn Heb “If you meet a man, do not greet him with a blessing; if a man greets you with a blessing, do not answer.” Place my staff on the child’s face.” 30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent must be Elisha here, since the following verse makes it clear that Gehazi had gone on ahead of them. got up and followed her back.
31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha#tn Heb “to meet him.” he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was#tn Heb “look.” the child lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in by himself and closed the door.#tn Heb “and closed the door behind the two of them.” Then he prayed to the Lord. 34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over#tn Heb “he went up and lay down over.” the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s#tn Heb “his” (also in the next two clauses). mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin#tn Or perhaps, “body”; Heb “flesh.” grew warm. 35 Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. went back and walked around in the house.#tn Heb “and he returned and went into the house, once here and once there.” Then he got up on the bed again#tn Heb “and he went up.” and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so#tn Heb “and he called for her.” and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
Elisha Makes a Meal Edible
38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him#tn Heb “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.” and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire#tn The words “the fire” are added for clarification. and boil some stew for the prophets.”#tn Heb “sons of the prophets.” 39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine.#tn Heb “a vine of the field.” He picked some of its fruit,#tn Heb “[some] of the gourds of the field.” enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices#tn Heb “he came and cut [them up].” into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful.#tc The Hebrew text reads, “for they did not know” (יָדָעוּ, yada’u) but some emend the final shureq (וּ, indicating a third plural subject) to holem vav (וֹ, a third masculine singular pronominal suffix on a third singular verb) and read “for he did not know it.” Perhaps it is best to omit the final vav as dittographic (note the vav at the beginning of the next verb form) and read simply, “for he did not know.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59. 40 The stew was poured out#tn Heb “and they poured out [the stew].” The plural subject is probably indefinite. for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. 41 He said, “Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.”#tn Or “and let them eat.” There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.
Elisha Miraculously Feeds a Hundred People
42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet#tn Heb “man of God.” – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain.#tn On the meaning of the word צִקְלוֹן (tsiqlon), “ear of grain,” see HALOT 148 s.v. בָּצֵק and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59. Elisha#tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?”#tn Heb “How can I set this before a hundred men?” He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”#tn The verb forms are infinitives absolute (Heb “eating and leaving over”) and have to be translated in light of the context. 44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted.#tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord.”
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1996 - 2007 by Biblical Studies Press, LLC
2 Kings 4
4
1And one of the wiues of the sonnes of the Prophets cryed vnto Elisha, saying, Thy seruant mine husband is dead, and thou knowest, that thy seruant did feare the Lord: and the creditour is come to take my two sonnes to bee his bondmen. 2Then Elisha saide vnto her, What shall I do for thee? tell mee, what hast thou at home? And she sayd, Thine handmayd hath nothing at home, saue a pitcher of oyle. 3And he sayde, Goe, and borowe thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, emptie vessels, and spare not. 4And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the doore vpon thee and vpon thy sonnes, and powre out into all those vessels, and set aside those that are full. 5So shee departed from him, and shut the doore vpon her, and vpon her sonnes. And they brought to her, and she powred out. 6And when the vessels were full, shee sayde vnto her sonne, Bring mee yet a vessel. And hee said vnto her, There is no moe vessels. And the oyle ceased. 7Then shee came and tolde the man of God. And he saide, Goe, and sell the oyle, and pay them that thou art in debt vnto, and liue thou and thy children of the rest. 8And on a time Elisha came to Shunem, and there a woman of great estimation constrained him to eate bread: and as he passed by, he turned in thither to eate bread. 9And she sayde vnto her husband, Beholde, I know now, that this is an holy man of God that passeth by vs continually. 10Let vs make him a litle chamber, I pray thee, with walles, and let vs set him there a bed, and a table, and a stoole, and a candlesticke, that hee may turne in thither when hee commeth to vs. 11And on a day, hee came thither and turned into the chamber, and lay therein, 12And sayd to Gehazi his seruant, Call this Shunammite: and when hee called her, she stood before him. 13Then he sayd vnto him, Say vnto her now, Beholde, thou hast had all this great care for vs, what shall we doe for thee? Is there any thing to bee spoken for thee to the King or to the captaine of the hoste? And shee answered, I dwell among mine owne people. 14Againe he sayde, What is then to be done for her? Then Gehazi answered, In deede she hath no sonne, and her husband is olde. 15Then said he, Cal her. And hee called her, and shee stoode in the doore. 16And he said, At this time appointed, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a sonne. And she sayd, Oh my Lord, thou man of God, doe not lye vnto thine handmayd. 17So the woman conceiued, and bare a sonne at that same season, according to the time of life, that Elisha had sayd vnto her. 18And when the childe was growen, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father, and to the reapers. 19And he sayde to his father, Mine head, mine head. Who sayd to his seruant, Beare him to his mother. 20And hee tooke him and brought him to his mother, and hee sate on her knees till noone, and dyed. 21Then shee went vp, and layed him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the doore vpon him, and went out. 22Then she called to her husband, and sayd, Send with me, I pray thee, one of the yong men and one of the asses: for I will haste to the man of God, and come againe. 23And he sayd, Wherefore wilt thou goe to him to day? it is neither newe moone nor Sabbath day. And she answered, All shalbe well. 24Then she sadled an asse, and sayde to her seruant, Driue, and goe forward: staye not for me to get vp, except I bid thee. 25So she went, and came vnto the man of God to mount Carmel. And when the man of God sawe her ouer against him, he sayd to Gehazi his seruant, Beholde, the Shunammite. 26Runne nowe, I say, to meete her, and say vnto her, Art thou in health? is thine husband in health? and is the child in health? And she answered, We are in health. 27And when shee came to the man of God vnto the moutaine, she caught him by his feete: and Gehazi went to her, to thrust her away: but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soule is vexed within her, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told it mee. 28Then she said, Did I desire a sonne of my lord? did I not say, Deceiue me not? 29Then he sayd to Gehazi, Gird thy loynes, and take my staffe in thine hand, and goe thy way: if thou meete any, salute him not: and if any salute thee, answere him not: and laye my staffe vpon the face of the childe. 30And the mother of the childe sayde, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. Therefore he arose, and followed her. 31But Gehazi was gone before them, and had layed the staffe vpon the face of the childe, but he neither spake nor heard: wherefore hee returned to meete him, and told him, saying, The childe is not waken. 32Then came Elisha into the house, and beholde, the childe was dead, and layed vpon his bedde. 33He went in therefore, and shut the doore vpon them twayne, and prayed vnto the Lord. 34After he went vp, and lay vpon the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes vpon his eies, and his hands vpon his handes, and stretched himselfe vpon him, and the flesh of the child waxed warme. 35And hee went from him, and walked vp and downe in the house, and went vp and spred himselfe vpon him: then the childe neesed seuen times, and opened his eyes. 36Then he called Gehazi, and sayd, Call this Shunammite. So he called her, which came in vnto him. And he said vnto her, Take thy sonne. 37And she came, and fell at his feete, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and tooke vp her sonne, and went out. 38Afterward Elisha returned to Gilgal, and a famine was in the land, and the children of the Prophets dwelt with him. And hee sayd vnto his seruant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the children of the Prophets. 39And one went out into the fielde, to gather herbes, and founde, as it were, a wilde vine, and gathered thereof wilde gourdes his garment ful, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew it not. 40So they powred out for the men to eate: and when they did eate of the pottage, they cryed out, and sayde, O thou man of God, death is in the pot: and they could not eate thereof. 41Then he said, Bring meale. And hee cast it into the potte, and sayd, Powre out for the people, that they may eate: and there was none euill in the pot. 42Then came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, euen twenty loaues of barley, and full eares of corne in the huske. And hee saide, Giue vnto the people, that they may eate. 43And his seruant answered, How shoulde I set this before an hundreth men? He sayd againe, Giue it vnto the people, that they may eate: for thus sayth the Lord, They shall eate, and there shall remaine. 44So he set it before them, and they did eate, and left ouer, according to the word of the Lord.
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