2 Kings 4

2 Kings · Chapter 4

2 Kings 4:8

1Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.2And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.3Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.4And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.6And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.8And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.9And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.10Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.11And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.12And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.13And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.14And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.15And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.16And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.17And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.18And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.19And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.20And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.21And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.22And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.23And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.24Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.25So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:26Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.27And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.28Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?29Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.30And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.31And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.32And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.33He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.34And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.35Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.36And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.38And 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.39And 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.40So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.41But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.42And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.43And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.44So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
8And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

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Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and it wasוַיְהִ֨יvay-HIH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

the dayהַיּ֜וֹםhai-YOMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

and he passed onוַיַּעֲבֹ֧רvai-ya-'a-VORH5674A
to pass

עָבַר (a.var) 1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over 1a2) to pass beyond 1a3) to pass through, traverse 1a3a) passers-through (participle) 1a3b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant) 1a4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by 1a4a) passer-by (participle) 1a4b) to be past, be over 1a5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance 1a6) to pass away 1a6a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory) 1a6b) to vanish …

Elishaאֱלִישָׁ֣ע'e-li-SHA'H0477
Elisha

אֱלִישָׁע (e.li.sah) A prophet living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.19.16; son of: Shaphat (H8202H) Also named: Elissaios (Ἐλισσαῖος "Elisha" G1666) § Elisha = "God is salvation" the great prophet who succeeded Elijah

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Shunemשׁוּנֵ֗םshu-NEMH7766
Shunem

שׁוּנֵם (shu.nem) § Shunem = "double resting place" a city in Issachar, located 5 miles (8 km) south of Mount Tabor

and [was] thereוְשָׁם֙ve-SHAMH8033G
there

שָׁם (sham) 1) there, thither 1a) there 1b) thither (after verbs of motion) 1c) from there, thence 1d) then (as an adverb of time) Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)

a womanאִשָּׁ֣ה'i-SHAHH0802G
woman

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) : woman 1) woman, wife, female 1a) woman (opposite of man) 1b) wife (woman married to a man) 1c) female (of animals) 1d) each, every (pronoun)

greatגְדוֹלָ֔הge-do-LAHH1419A
great: large

גָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel

and she urgedוַתַּחֲזֶק־va-ta-cha-zek-H2388I
to strengthen: strengthen

חָזַק (cha.zaq) : strengthen/support/encourage 1) to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be strong, grow strong 1a1a) to prevail, prevail upon 1a1b) to be firm, be caught fast, be secure 1a1c) to press, be urgent 1a1d) to grow stout, grow rigid, grow hard (bad sense) 1a1e) to be severe, be grievous 1a2) to strengthen 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to make strong 1b2) to restore to strength, give strength 1b3) to strengthen, sustain, encourage 1b4) to make strong, make bold, encourage 1b5) to make firm 1b6) to make rigid, make hard …

to eatלֶאֱכָל־le-'e-khol-H0398
to eat

אָכַל (a.khal) 1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to eat (human subject) 1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds) 1a3) to devour, consume (of fire) 1a4) to devour, slay (of sword) 1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought) 1a6) to devour (of oppression) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be eaten (by men) 1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire) 1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh) 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to cause to eat, feed with 1c2) to cause to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to feed 1d2) to cause to eat 1e) (Piel) 1e1) consume Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

foodלָ֑חֶםLA-chemH3899G
food

לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) : food(eating) 1) bread, food, grain 1a) bread 1a1) bread 1a2) bread-corn 1b) food (in general)

and it wasוַֽיְהִי֙vay-HIH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

as often asמִדֵּ֣יmi-DEIH1767
sufficiency

דַּי (day) 1) sufficiency, enough 1a) enough 1b) for, according to the abundance of, out of the abundance of, as often as

passed by heעָבְר֔וֹa-ve-ROH5674A
to pass

עָבַר (a.var) 1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over 1a2) to pass beyond 1a3) to pass through, traverse 1a3a) passers-through (participle) 1a3b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant) 1a4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by 1a4a) passer-by (participle) 1a4b) to be past, be over 1a5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance 1a6) to pass away 1a6a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory) 1a6b) to vanish …

he turned asideיָסֻ֥רya-SURH5493I
to turn aside: remove

סוּר (sur) : remove 1) to turn aside, depart 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto 1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid 1a3) to be removed 1a4) to come to an end 1b) (Polel) to turn aside 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose 1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish 1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed

there towardsשָׁ֖מָּהSHA-mahH8033G
there

שָׁם (sham) 1) there, thither 1a) there 1b) thither (after verbs of motion) 1c) from there, thence 1d) then (as an adverb of time) Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536)

to eatלֶאֱכָל־le-'e-khol-H0398
to eat

אָכַל (a.khal) 1) to eat, devour, burn up, feed 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to eat (human subject) 1a2) to eat, devour (of beasts and birds) 1a3) to devour, consume (of fire) 1a4) to devour, slay (of sword) 1a5) to devour, consume, destroy (inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought) 1a6) to devour (of oppression) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be eaten (by men) 1b2) to be devoured, consumed (of fire) 1b3) to be wasted, destroyed (of flesh) 1c) (Pual) 1c1) to cause to eat, feed with 1c2) to cause to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to feed 1d2) to cause to eat 1e) (Piel) 1e1) consume Aramaic equivalent: a.khal (אֲכַל "to devour" H0399)

foodלָֽחֶם׃LA-chemH3899G
food

לֶ֫חֶם (le.chem) : food(eating) 1) bread, food, grain 1a) bread 1a1) bread 1a2) bread-corn 1b) food (in general)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.