27 And when she came H935 to the man H376 of God H430 to the hill, H2022 she caught H2388 him by the feet: H7272 but Gehazi H1522 came near H5066 to thrust her away. H1920 And the man H376 of God H430 said, H559 Let her alone; H7503 for her soul H5315 is vexed H4843 within her: and the LORD H3068 hath hid H5956 it from me, and hath not told H5046 me.
But G1161 he answered G611 her G846 not G3756 a word. G3056 And G2532 his G846 disciples G3101 came G4334 and besought G2065 him, G846 saying, G3004 Send G630 her G846 away; G630 for G3754 she crieth G2896 after G3693 us. G2257
Henceforth G3765 I call G3004 you G5209 not G3765 servants; G1401 for G3754 the servant G1401 knoweth G1492 not G3756 what G5101 his G846 lord G2962 doeth: G4160 but G1161 I have called G2046 you G5209 friends; G5384 for G3754 all things G3956 that G3739 I have heard G191 of G3844 my G3450 Father G3962 I have made known G1107 unto you. G5213
Then G3767 saith G3004 one G1520 of G1537 his G846 disciples, G3101 Judas G2455 Iscariot, G2469 Simon's G4613 son, which G3588 should G3195 betray G3860 him, G846 Why G1302 was G4097 not G3756 this G5124 ointment G3464 sold G4097 for three hundred G5145 pence, G1220 and G2532 given G1325 to the poor? G4434 G1161 This G5124 he said, G2036 not G3756 that G3754 he G846 cared G3199 for G4012 the poor; G4434 but G235 because G3754 he was G2258 a thief, G2812 and G2532 had G2192 the bag, G1101 and G2532 bare G941 what was put therein. G906 Then G3767 said G2036 Jesus, G2424 Let G863 her G846 alone: G863 against G1519 the day G2250 of my G3450 burying G1780 hath she kept G5083 this. G846
And G2532 upon G1909 this G5129 came G2064 his G846 disciples, G3101 and G2532 marvelled G2296 that G3754 he talked G2980 with G3326 the woman: G1135 yet G3305 no man G3762 said, G2036 What G5101 seekest thou? G2212 or, G2228 Why G5101 talkest thou G2980 with G3326 her? G846
And G2532 stood G2476 at G3844 his G846 feet G4228 behind G3694 him weeping, G2799 and began G756 to wash G1026 his G846 feet G4228 with tears, G1144 and G2532 did wipe G1591 them with the hairs G2359 of her G846 head, G2776 and G2532 kissed G2705 his G846 feet, G4228 and G2532 anointed G218 them with the ointment. G3464
And G2532 they brought G4374 young children G3813 to him, G846 that G2443 he should touch G680 them: G846 and G1161 his disciples G3101 rebuked G2008 those that brought G4374 them.
And the LORD H3068 said, H559 Shall I hide H3680 from Abraham H85 that thing which H834 I do; H6213
The heart H3820 knoweth H3045 his own H5315 bitterness; H4787 and a stranger H2114 doth not intermeddle H6148 with his joy. H8057
My soul H5315 is weary H5354 of my life; H2416 I will leave H5800 my complaint H7879 upon myself; I will speak H1696 in the bitterness H4751 of my soul. H5315
So she went H3212 and came H935 unto the man H376 of God H430 to mount H2022 Carmel. H3760 And it came to pass, when the man H376 of God H430 saw her afar off, H7200 that he said H559 to Gehazi H1522 his servant, H5288 Behold, yonder is that H1975 Shunammite: H7767
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Kings 4
Commentary on 2 Kings 4 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 4
Great service Elisha had done, in the 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.
2Ki 4:1-7
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.
2Ki 4:8-17
The giving of a son to such as were old, and had been long childless, was an ancient instance of the divine power and favour, in the case of Abraham, and Isaac, and Manoah, and Elkanah; we find it here among the wonders wrought by Elisha. This was wrought in recompence for the kind entertainment which a good woman gave him, as the promise of a son was given to Abraham when he entertained angels. Observe here,
2Ki 4:18-37
We may well suppose that, after the birth of this son, the prophet was doubly welcome to the good Shunammite. He had thought himself indebted to her, but henceforth, as long as she lives, she will think herself in his debt, and that she can never do too much for him. We may also suppose that the child was very dear to the prophet, as the son of his prayers, and very dear to the parents, as the son of their old age. But here is,
2Ki 4:38-44
We have here Elisha in his place, in his element, among the sons of the prophets, teaching them, and, as a father, providing for them; and happy it was for them that they had one over them who naturally cared for their state, under whom they were well fed and well taught. There was a dearth in the land, for the wickedness of those that dwelt therein, the same that we read of, ch. 8:1. It continued seven years, just as long again as that in Elijah's time. A famine of bread there was, but not of hearing the word of God, for Elisha had the sons of the prophets sitting before him, to hear his wisdom, who were taught, that they might teach others. Two instances we have here of the care he took about their meat. Christ twice fed those to whom he preached. Elisha was in the more care about it now because of the dearth, that the sons of the prophets might not be ashamed in this evil time, but, even in the days of famine, might be satisfied, Ps. 37:19.