Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 4:18
And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
18 37. The child of the Shunammite dies, and is restored to life by Elisha (Not in Chronicles)
18. And when the child was grown ] During the years which had elapsed since the birth of the child the journeys of the prophet between Samaria and Carmel had no doubt still continued, and the feeling of reverence felt by the Shunammite at first, had grown, as we see from the subsequent narrative, into complete trust, a trust which sends her to Carmel when her sorrow comes, and makes her cling to Elisha as her chief hope for relief. ‘As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee’.
to his father to the reapers ] The whole picture is of a well-to-do home, where all was abundant. The husband is of the condition of Boaz (Rth 2:1), and servants of various kinds are ready for every duty.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
2Ki 4:18-37
And when the child was grown.
The empty home
The Bible is the most perfectly natural and human book in the world. It deals not with philosophies and theories, but with real human life. The story of the Shunammite and her child is one of the most touching episodes in Scripture, and also one of the most beautiful and finished narratives in the whole range of literature.
1. We are introduced to a great woman, a lady of great wealth and influence. She dwelt in Shunem, in the plain of Jezreel, the richest and most fertile tract of land in Palestine. She was a woman of keen spiritual perception; and as Elisha passed to and fro on his Masters business, she recognised him to be a man of true piety. I perceive, she said, that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. There is an Eastern proverb, A myrtle in the desert will be a myrtle still. So Elisha was consistent in whatever circumstances he might find himself.
2. She was also a woman of large-hearted generosity.
3. But this great woman was hiding in her heart a great disappointment: she had no child to cherish as her very own.
4. But this great woman was to pass through a great sorrow.
5. But this great woman overcame by means of great trust in God. (F. S. Webster, M. A.)
Concerning accidents
The remark was recently made by an earnest and thoughtful believer: There is no catastrophe that can possibly come to a living Christian. The tidings had just reached him of a serious accident–as we are accustomed to say–that had befallen a dear relative, known not less for piety than for marked amiability of disposition. This was the sad occasion that suggested the above remark. The words were spoken tenderly, evincing no lack of heartfelt sympathy, showing no indisposition to administer comfort in the most substantial manner. While we stood silently contemplating the situation, this Christian friend added: There is no catastrophe but the loss of faith. Very true. To abandon ones reliance upon the Heavenly Fathers care is incalculable loss. The whole universe, without faith inspiring the soul, would, indeed, become a dreary chaos, a world distorted, meaningless. Laying aside all discussion of extraordinary events which befall those who are in rebellion against God–how far these events are under the supervision of that Almighty power which is so despised, consider that no catastrophe can possibly come to the living Christian. He is not exposed to accident in any true sense. The severest revulsions may come; the sudden visitation of physical illness may change every earthly plan; even the throne upon which reason sits may be demolished; but not one nor all of these combined can touch that sacred relationship over which infinite love and power exercise perpetual guardianship. A living Christian has a living union with the Divine nature, enjoys a residence in the realm of faith, is upheld every moment by an arm that wearies not beneath the burden of universe. The child of our King–a victim of chance? Never! Sooner the covenants of God will be broken than this could be. Let every loyal heart rejoice in the absolute perpetuity of relationship with his Father, and in the consequent pledge on His part of unremitting care.
A day in a mothers life
There are times when everything goes on smoothly, and one day is like another. Again, there are times when changes come, and whole years of joy or sorrow may be concentrated into a single day. So it was with the household at Shunem. It was a hallowed day when Elisha first entered the house (2Ki 4:8). It was a joyous day when a man-child was born (2Ki 4:17). But most memorable of all was that day when the only son was lost and found; was dead, and received back to life again (verse 18-37).
I. Morning joys. It is the harvest time. Man goeth forth unto his work, and to his labour until the evening (Psa 104:22-23).
1. We see mother and child at home. She is called a great woman (2Ki 4:8). This implies not greatness in wealth, but in character (Pro 12:26; Pro 31:10-31). Doubtless she would show her greatness, not only in her management of household affairs, but in her care of her child.
2. The next scene is in the harvest field. Here, too, all is joy. The father is glad at sight of his boy. His coming is not the result of command, but of his own choice. There is such love between him and his father as makes their meeting and intercourse a joy to both. They are happy together.
II. Darkness, at noon. How soon may the brightest sky be clouded. How quickly may the happiest home be darkened by sorrow and the shadow of death. We know not what a day may bring forth.
1. It is a cry raised in the midst of innocent labour. The work going on is good and not evil. It is in accordance with Gods ordinance. It is wholesome and pure. Old and young may join in it freely. Such, at least, it was in the olden time, when the simplicity and purity of pastoral life were still known in the land (Rth 2:4). And yet here death comes. There is no place safe. There is no people or work with immunity from trouble.
2. The cry brought woe to the fathers heart. His sons voice was sweet to his ear.
3. Picture the sad home-coming. Carry him. The lad obeys. What a change. He came out full of life and frolic; he is borne back helpless as a clod. Alas, how dreadful the awakening! (2Ki 4:20). Mark her gentleness. On her knees–where often she had dandled him with delight.
III. Light at evening time. All is not lost, since God liveth. This woman, like her countrywoman of Gospel times, was great in faith. Therefore, instead of giving way to despair, she strengthens her heart in God.
1. Mark the preparation. What promptitude and decision!
2. The long ride to Carmel.
3. The passionate appeal to the prophet (verses 27-30). Nothing will satisfy her but Elisha.
4. The return and restoration (verses 32-37).
Hope has sprung up again in her breast. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Trials will come. In the darkest hour God can help. Here the child cries to his father, the father sends to the mother, the mother appeals to the prophet, and the prophet casts himself on God. So let us cast ourselves on Christ, our God and Saviour (Isa 66:13; Joh 11:25). (William Forsyth, A. M.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. When the child was grown] We know not of what age he was, very likely four or six, if not more years; for he could go out to the reapers in the harvest field, converse, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And when the child was grown,…. Perhaps was six or seven years of age, or more:
it fell on a day that he went out to his father to the reapers; it was harvest time, and the men were reaping the corn in the fields; and his father, though a wealthy man, was with them to direct them, and see they did their business well, as Boaz formerly; and the child went out from the house to the field, to see his father and the reapers, for his recreation and diversion.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Death of the Shunammite’s Son; The Shunammite’s Son Restored. | B. C. 887. |
18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother. 20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. 21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. 22 And 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. 23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. 24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee. 25 So 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: 26 Run 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. 27 And 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. 28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me? 29 Then 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. 30 And 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. 31 And 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. 32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. 34 And 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. 35 Then 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. 36 And 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. 37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
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,
I. The sudden death of the child, though so much a darling. He was so far past the perils of infancy that he was able to go to the field to his father, who no doubt was pleased with his engaging talk, and his joy of his son was greater than the joy of his harvest; but either the cold or the heat of the open field overcame the child, who was bred tenderly, and he complained to his father that his head ached, v. 19. Whither should we go with our complaints, but to our heavenly Father? Thither the Spirit of adoption brings believers with all their grievances, all their desires, teaching them to cry, with groanings that cannot be uttered, “My head, my head; my heart, my heart.” The father sent him to his mother’s arms, his mother’s lap, little suspecting any danger in his indisposition, but hoping he would drop asleep in his mother’s bosom and awake well; but the sickness proved fatal; he slept the sleep of death (v. 20), was well in the morning and dead by noon: all the mother’s care and tenderness could not keep him alive. A child of promise, a child of prayer, and given in love, yet taken away. Little children lie open to the arrests of sickness and death. But how admirably does the prudent pious mother guard her lips under this surprising affliction! Not one peevish murmuring word comes from her. She has a strong belief that the child will be raised to life again: like a genuine daughter of Abraham’s faith, as well as loins, she accounts that God is able to raise him from the dead, for thence at first she received him in a figure, Heb. xi. 19. She had heard of the raising of the widow’s son of Sarepta, and that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha; and such confidence had she of God’s goodness that she was very ready to believe that he who so soon took away what he had given would restore what he had now taken away. By this faith women received their dead raised to life, Heb. xi. 35. In this faith she makes no preparation for the burial of her dead child, but for its resurrection; for she lays him on the prophet’s bed (v. 21), expecting that he will stand her friend. O woman! great is thy faith. he that wrought it would not frustrate it.
II. The sorrowful mother’s application to the prophet on this sad occasion; for it happened very opportunely that he was now at the college upon Mount Carmel, not far off.
1. She begged leave of her husband to go to the prophet, yet not acquainting him with her errand, lest he should not have faith enough to let her go, v. 22. He objected, It is neither new moon nor sabbath (v. 23), which intimates that on those feasts of the Lord she used to go to the assembly in which he presided, with other good people, to hear the word, and to join with him in prayers and praises. She did not think it enough to have his help sometimes in her own family, but, though a great woman, attended on public worship, for which this was none of the times appointed; therefore, said the husband, “why wilt thou go to day? What is the matter?” “No harm,” said she, “It shall be well, so you will say yourself hereafter.” See how this husband and wife vied with each other in showing mutual regard; she was so dutiful to him that she would not go till she had acquainted him with her journey, and he so kind to her that he would not oppose it, though she did not think fit to acquaint him with her business. 2. She made all the haste she could to the prophet (v. 24), and he, seeing her at a distance, sent his servant to enquire whether any thing was amiss, 2Ki 4:25; 2Ki 4:26. The questions were particular: Is it well with thee? Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? Note, It well becomes the men of God, with tenderness and concern, to enquire about the welfare of their friends and their families. The answer was general It is well. Gehazi was not the man that she came to complain to, and therefore she put him off with this; she said little, and little said is soon amended (Psa 39:1; Psa 39:2), but what she did say was very patient: “It is well with me, with my husband, with the child”–all well, and yet the child dead in the house. Note, When God calls away our dearest relations by death it becomes us quietly to say, “It is well both with us and them;” it is well, for all is well that God does; all is well with those that are gone if they have gone to heaven, and all well with us that stay behind if by the affliction we are furthered in our way thither. 3. When she came to the prophet she humbly reasoned with him concerning her present affliction. She threw herself at his feet, as one troubled and in grief, which she never showed till she came to him who, she believed, could help her, v. 27. When her passion would do her service she knew how to discover it, as well as how to conceal it when it would do her disservice. Gehazi knew his master would not be pleased to see her lie at his feet, and therefore would have raised her up; but Elisha waited to hear from her, since he might not know immediately from God, what was the cause of her trouble. God discovered things to his prophets as he saw fit, not always as they desired; God did not show this to the prophet, because he might know it from the good woman herself. What she said was very pathetic. She appealed to the prophet, (1.) Concerning her indifference to this mercy which was now taken from her: “Did I desire a son of my lord? No, thou knowest I did not; it was thy own proposal, not mine; I did not fret for the want of a son, as Hannah, nor beg, as Rachel, Give me children or else I die.” Note, When any creature-comfort is taken from us, it is well if we can say, through grace, that we did not set our hearts inordinately upon it; for, if we did, we have reason to fear it was given in anger and taken away in wrath. (2.) Concerning her entire dependence upon the prophet’s word: Did I not say, Do not deceive me? Yes, she did say so (v. 16), and this reflection upon it may be considered either, [1.] As quarrelling with the prophet for deceiving her. She was ready to think herself mocked with the mercy when it was so soon removed, and that it would have been better she had never had this child than to be deprived of him when she began to have comfort in him. Note, The loss of a mercy should not make us undervalue the gift of it. Or, [2.] As pleading with the prophet for the raising of the child to life again: “I said, Do not deceive me, and I know thou wilt not.” Note, However the providence of God may disappoint us, we may be sure the promise of God never did, nor ever will, deceive us: hope in that will not make us ashamed.
III. The raising of the child to life again. We may suppose that the woman gave Elisha a more express account of the child’s death, and he gave her a more express promise of his resurrection, than is here related, where we are briefly told,
1. That Elisha sent Gehazi to go in all haste to the dead child, gave him his staff, and bade him lay that on the face of the child, v. 29. I know not what to make of this. Elisha knew that Elijah raised the dead child with a very close application, stretching himself upon the child, and praying again and again, and could he think to raise this child by so slight a ceremony as this, especially when nothing hindered him from coming himself? Shall such a power as this be delegated, and to no better man that Gehazi? Bishop Hall suggests that it was done out of human conceit, and not by divine instinct, and therefore it failed of the effect; God will not have such great favours made too cheap, nor shall they be too easily come by, lest they be undervalued.
2. The woman resolved not to go back without the prophet himself (v. 30): I will not leave thee. She had no great expectation from the staff, she would have the hand, and she was in the right of it. Perhaps God intended hereby to teach us not to put that confidence in creatures, that are servants, which the power of the Creator, their Master and ours, will alone bear the weight of. Gehazi returns re infecta–without success, without the tidings of any sign of life in the child (v. 31): The child is not awaked, intimating, to the comfort of the mother, that its death was but a sleep, and that he expected that it would shortly be awaked. In the raising of dead souls to spiritual life ministers can do no more by their own power than Gehazi here could; they lay the word, like the prophet’s staff, before their faces, but there is neither voice nor hearing, till Christ, by his Spirit, comes himself. The letter alone kills; it is the Spirit that gives life. It is not prophesying upon dry bones that will put life into them, breath must come from heaven and breathe upon those slain.
3. The prophet, by earnest prayer, obtained from God the restoring of this dead child to life again. He found the child dead upon his own bed (v. 32), and shut the door upon them twain, v. 33. Even the dead child is spoken of as a person, one of the twain, for it was still in being and not lost. He shut out all company, that he might not seem to glory in the power God had given him, or to use it for ostentation and to be seen of men. Observe,
(1.) How closely the prophet applied himself to this great operation, perhaps being sensible that he had tempted God too much in thinking to effect it by the staff in Gehazi’s hand, for which he thought himself rebuked by the disappointment. He now found it a harder task than he then thought, and therefore addressed himself to it with great solemnity. [1.] He prayed unto the Lord (v. 33), probably as Elijah had done, Let this child’s soul come into him again. Christ raised the dead to life as one having authority–Damsel, arise–young man, I say unto thee, Arise–Lazarus, come forth (for he was powerful and faithful as a Son, the Lord of life), but Elijah and Elisha did it by petition, as servants. [2.] He lay upon the child (v. 34), as if he would communicate to him some of his vital heat or spirits. Thus he expressed the earnestness of his desire, and gave a sign of that divine power which he depended upon for the accomplishment of this great work. He first put his mouth to the child’s mouth, as if, in God’s name, he would breathe into him the breath of life; then his eyes to the child’s eyes, to open them again to the light of life; then his hands to the child’s hands, to put strength into them. He then returned, and walked in the house, as one full of care and concern, and wholly intent upon what he was about. Then he went up stairs again, and the second time, stretched himself upon the child, v. 35. Those that would be instrumental in conveying spiritual life to dead souls must thus affect themselves with their case, and accommodate themselves to it, and labour fervently in prayer for them.
(2.) How gradually the operation was performed. At the first application, the flesh of the child waxed warm (v. 34), which gave the prophet encouragement to continue instant in prayer. After a while, the child sneezed seven times, which was an indication, not only of life, but liveliness. Some have reported it as an ancient tradition that when God breathed into Adam the breath of life the first evidence of his being alive was sneezing, which gave rise to the usage of paying respect to those that sneeze. Some observe here that sneezing clears the head, and there lay the child’s distemper.
(3.) How joyfully the child was restored alive to his mother (2Ki 4:36; 2Ki 4:37), and all parties concerned were not a little comforted, Acts xx. 12. See the power of God, who kills and makes alive again. See the power of prayer; as it has the key of the clouds, so it has the key of death. See the power of faith; that fixed law of nature (that death is a way whence there is no returning) shall rather be dispensed with than this believing Shunammite shall be disappointed.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Appeal to Elisha – Verses 18-30
The reference to “when the child was grown” does not mean he had become an adult, but seems to mean he had passed his infancy and had become a sizable boy. He was old enough to attend his father in the field. It was there he developed pain in his head and upon complaining to his father was sent to the house to his mother. The father evidently did not feel it a serious thing. Some have suggested a sunstroke, but it is not known what his malady was. His mother found it serious enough that she nursed him on her knee until noon, by which time he had died.
It seems odd that the Shunammite woman did not apprise the father of the child’s death. Instead she simply requested that he send her a servant and a donkey that she might go to Carmel to Elisha. The father, not knowing her intention, thought it unlikely she would be going, since it was no new moon or Sabbath, as might be kept as special worship days. When he suggested this she said that all would be well.
The body of the boy was laid on Elisha’s bed in his little room and the door shut. Then the woman set out for Carmel to see the prophet, urging the servant who accompanied her not to slow down on her account, unless she requested it. From Shunem the road would have proceeded down the valley of the Kishon River, and passed over the river to reach Mount Carmel near its mouth. Here was the site of Elijah’s victory over the Baal prophets (1 Kings chapter 18). It was a distance of more than twenty miles. From the account it would seem that the woman arrived at Carmel in a matter of a few hours at most, but this is not likely. It seems more likely it may have been the next day before she arrived. The father would not discovered the death of his son because the body was up in Elisha’s’s private room.
Elisha saw the woman coming and recognized her. He sent Gehazi to meet her to inquire of the welfare of herself and her family. To each inquiry, “Is it well with you? with your husband? with your child?” she responded that all was well. This indicates a faith in God on her part and assurance that, by coming to Elisha, the man of God, all would turn out aright. It is a lesson in faith for all the Lord’s people (Joh 6:28-29).
When the woman came into the presence of Elisha she fell at his feet and grasped him around the ankles. Gehazi came to disengage her, but the prophet forbade it. He could see that she was highly disturbed, though the Lord had not revealed to him what it was. The woman answered his unasked question by reminding him that she had not asked for a child, and that it had been born to her contrary to what she could normally expect. By this Elisha surmised that the boy had died. Thus he instructed Gehazi to gird himself for travel, to take the prophet’s staff, and hasten to Shunem. There he should lay the staff on the boy’s face. But the Shunammite woman refused to leave unless Elisha came with her. Gehazi proceeded under instruction to stop and converse with no one along the way, but to hasten to the room where the little boy lay in death. Elisha and the woman came along after him.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
2Ki. 4:22. That I may run to the man of GodNot waiting to inform her husband of the reason of her mission, lest he should dissuade her, not doubting the miraculous help she would gain from the man of God.
2Ki. 4:23. She said, It shall be wellSimply , peace. With the one single word she likewise answers G hazi (2Ki. 4:26), the Eastern Salam! it is well! for she desired silence till she could tell all the truth to the servant of Jehovah.
2Ki. 4:27. Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within herGehazi thought her eager attitude an undue freedom, not sufficiently respectful towards his master. But fervid grief stays not at punctilios, her soul is bitter.
2Ki. 4:31. There was neither voice nor hearing i.e., the dead gave no sign of life, no response to the mere staff. The act was allowed to fail, in order to show that only through humble and dependent prayer could Gods power be entreated.
2Ki. 4:34. Lay upon the childFollowing the method of his great predecessor, Elijah (1Ki. 17:21). Yet the effects differed, the resuscitation was by gradual and progressive stages.
HOMILETICS OF 2Ki. 4:18-37
A GREAT TRIAL AND ITS JOYOUS ISSUE
SORROW and joy, tears and laughter, lie close together in the ever-changing experience of human life. The source of greatest joy is often turned into a channel through which flows the bitterest anguish. The son of the Shunamite, whose advent brought gladness into the home, was also the means of bringing over it the darkest shadow of trouble. But as the star shines brightest in the night, so in the gloomiest moments of our distress are we most conscious of the radiance of the Divine presence, and are more impressed with the wisdom and glory of His works.
I. Here we have the trial of a first bereavement (2Ki. 4:18-21).
1. It was the bereavement of an only son. It was not only the loss of a child, but of the only child, and that child the son and heira child sent as a special and unlooked-for gift of heaven, as of one born out of due time. The first and fondest affections of the parental heart had centred in this child, and his loss was the heaviest affliction his parent had ever known. Words cannot depict the keen and bitter pang of a first bereavementthe heart lies pierced and bleeding, writhing in voiceless and helpless agony. Happy is the sufferer who can find relief in tears!
2. The bereavement was sudden. One moment the lad is blithe and merry in his gambols in the harvest fieldthe pride of his father, who already sees in the abundance of his fields the means of blessing the future of his son; the next moment he is smitten by the fierce rays of the sun that had ripened his fathers wealth, and he is carried to his mothers lap to die. The eyes that had watched with a mothers rapture the nimble form of her darling boy as he bounded towards the fields in the golden light of that harvest morning, with his parting kiss fresh upon her lips, are now bent in tearless grief over his corpse. A few brief hours have brought the change from light to darkness, from life to death. Ah! how sudden are the great changes of lifehow swift is the messenger of sorrow! We live a life-time in a moment, and the heart receives a scar that time will never efface.
II. Here we have a trial of faith in the Almighty power of God (2Ki. 4:22-30).
1. Sorrow should not destroy, but intensify, our faith. As soon as the first shock of alarm had subsided, the faith of the Shunamite woman in the God of Elisha asserted its power. She believed her boy might be restored. So strong was this belief that, for the time being, she hid the fact of his death from her husband. She heroically bore the grief herself, strong in the confidence of Divine interference. The soul that has no faith in God is paralyzed and helpless in sorrow. The distress that drives the believer to God, drives the unbeliever to despair. Faith is the best lever at a dead lift.
2. Faith prompts to the use of all legitimate means to attain our most ardent desires. With all speed she sought an interview with the prophet, poured her grief into his ears, and passionately entreated his help; nor would she cease her supplications until she prevailed upon him to accompany her to the home where the dead child lay The chamber of the prophet was, for the first time, the chamber of death. Faith without works is dead. It is presumption to expect God to do what we can do for ourselves. Only when we have exhausted all human means may we patiently and believingly wait for the Divine interference. We cannot save ourselves; but we are directed to ask, seek, knock.
III. Here we have the trial of a painful suspense (2Ki. 4:32-35). Elisha entered the chamber, shut the door, and was alone with the dead child and with God. Who can describe the agony of suspense that tortured that mothers heart during the few hours of the prophets absencehow hope and fear alternated? Will the door never open again? Will the prayers of the holy man prevail? Will she clasp again her living son? And yet most of us are acquainted with such moments in life. How much has sometimes depended upon a single hourupon a letterupon a telegram! Such moments have been experienced at the rescue of a wrecked crew. Will the vessel hold togetherwill the line bear the straintill the last man is saved?
IV. Here we have the sorrow of death exchanged for the joy of a miraculous resurrection (2Ki. 4:36-37). The faith and prayer of the prophet triumph. The child is restored to life, and given back to his mother. Who can describe her rapture? This my son was dead, and is alive again. A symbol of the rapid and marvellous changes in life. After a storm, a calm. Trial, conflict, despair, give place to joyous deliverance. Sorrow may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning.
LESSONS:
1. There is no home into which death does not sooner or later enter.
2. The only refuge and relief in sorrow is in God.
3. The greatest trials lead to the realization of the greatest blessings.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
2Ki. 4:18-37. The Shunammites son. I. A proud mothers delight.
(1). Her son. The pleasure she took in watching his childhood and growth, &c. He was her treasure.
(2). He was her only son. This would increase her anxiety and also her delight in him Jdg. 11:34; Luk. 9:38).
(3). The child of promise (2Ki. 4:16-17). Hebrew wives anxious to have childrenespecially to have a son. This desire is natural, not confined to Hebrews. Her husband was well off, and here was a son to inherit the fathers property and name.
(4). Harvest time. Her child sent out to play in the harvest field. She watches him depart, and thinks of the happy day he would have, and the meeting at night. II. A tender mothers trial,
(1). The child in the field. Youthful sports. Playing at harvesting. The fathers pleasure. The sunstroke. My head! my head! The fathers sorrow. Carry him to his mother. A mother the best nurse.
(2). She sees her child returning, not running by the fathers side, but carried. Her anxiety. Her fears.
(3). Nurses her child. The time drags on. The mother does not tire. The child dies. She has faith left. Faith a good companion in trouble. This child of promise could not be lostshould not die if she could help it. Carries the child into the prophets chamber. III. A good wifes example.
(1). Considers not her own feelings only, but her husbands also. How great his grief on his return, and finding death in his house!
(2). Resolves on immediate action. Will visit the man of God. Cannot do this without assistance. The distance is very great. Calculates the time can accomplish it before the day is over.
(3). Hastens to the fieldbegs for one of the young men, &c. Does not tell her husband. Would not grieve him. A hint for those who unnecessarily burden other people with their troubles. IV. A happy mothers reward.
(1). She returns with the prophet. Who would bring a doctor to a dead child? Her faith.
(2). The childs wonderful restoration to life.
(3). The first reward. Clasping the living child to her heart.
(4). Second reward. The fathers return and greeting. Pleased to find that the child is well. Astonishment at learning the history of the day. Men at their occupations little think of the trials at home. Should commend their dear ones to God.
(5). Her after rewards. The preservation and growth of this child.
LEARN:
1. To repay a mothers love and anxious care.
2. Try to bear your trial nobly without making other people bear it.
3. Jesus will aise all children up at the Last Day.Class and Desk.
2Ki. 4:18-19. His father grew young again with the pleasure of this sight, and more joyed in this spring of his hopes than in all the crops of his harvest. But what stability is there in earthly delights? The hot beams of the sun beat upon that head which much care had made tender and delicate. The child complains to his father of his pain. Oh, that grace would teach us, what nature teaches infants, in all our troubles to bemoan ourselves to our Heavenly Father!
2Ki. 4:18. A day in a mothers life. There are times when everything goes on smoothly, and one day is like another. Again there are times when changes come, and whole years of joy or sorrow may be concentrated into a single day. So it was with the household at Shunem. It was a hallowed day when Elisha first entered the house (2Ki. 4:8). It was a joyous day when a man-child was born (2Ki. 4:17). But most memorable of all was that day when the only son was lost and found; was dead, and received back to life again (2Ki. 4:18-37).
1. Morning joys. It is the harvest time. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening (Psa. 104:22-23). First, we see mother and child at home. She is called a great woman (2Ki. 4:8). This implies not greatness in wealth, but in character (Pro. 12:26; Pro. 31:10-31). Doubtless she would show her greatness not only in her management of household affairs, but in her care of her child. How tenderly she would watch over him; with what gentle wisdom she would train him in the ways in which he should go! Day by day he grew before her in strength and comeliness. He was her joy and pride. His birth had taken away her reproach; his training had developed all the deepest feelings of her nature; his fellowship was her delight, and his future the dearest hope of her life. He should live and prosper. He would yet do worthily in Shunem, and be famous in Jezreel. Oh, happy mothers,
Who carry music in their heart;
Plying the daily task with busier feet
Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat.
The next scene is in the harvest field. Here, too, all is joy. The father is glad at sight of his boy. His coming is not the result of command, but of his own choice. There is such love between him and his father as makes their meeting and intercourse a joy to both. They are happy together. See them watching the reapers, or walking hand in hand amidst the yellow corn. The fathers heart swells with gladness. His boy is more to him than all his fields. He is his only son, his heir, his treasure, the hope of his old age. He sees in him his mothers love and image, and the stay of her heart when he himself is gone. How fervently he prays: The God of Jacob bless the lad.
2. Darkness at noon. How soon may the brightest sky be clouded. How quickly may the happiest home be darkened by sorrow and the shadow of death! We know not what a day may bring forth. The sun is high and hot in the heavens. Suddenly a cry of agony is heardMy head, my head! It is the cry of a child. How strange the associationchildhood and pain! Surely here is a proof of the ravages of sin (Rom. 5:14). We may hear many sermons, and give no heed; but hard and callous is the heart that can behold the sufferings of a child and yet not feel humbled and awed before God. It is a cry raised in the midst of innocent labour. The work going on is good, and not evil. It is in accordance with Gods ordinance. It is wholesome and pure. Old and young may join in it freely. Such, at least, it was in the olden time, when the simplicity of and purity of pastoral life was still known in the land (Rth. 2:4). And yet here death comes. There is no place safe. There is no people or work with immunity from trouble. The cry brought woe to the fathers heart. His sons voice was sweet to his ear. Many a time had he heard it and been glad. But now the words my head are like a sword. Well did he know the import of that, terrible cry. He is helpless. But he knows where comfort is to be found. To his mother. It was the instinct of his heart. It was what the boy himself would have said, could he have spoken. Where is there a comforter like a mother? It may be the child is hurt. Others may make light of it: not so his mother. It may be he is weary of learning. Others may be hard and impatient: not so his mother. It may be he has committed a fault. Others may be severe and unsympathizing: not so his mother. It may be he has been stricken by sickness. Others may not understand or take heed: not so his mother. Work is laid aside. Comforts are got. Books, pictures are bought. Everything must give way to the little in valid. His mother. Sure refuge for the weary; true resting-place for the sick and stricken child. Picture the sad home-coming. Carry him. The lad obeys. What a change! He came out full of life and frolic; he is borne back helpless as a clod. His mother. Perhaps on household business intent. Perhaps preparing for the return of father and child, and busy in heart shaping joyous things. Alas! how dreadful the awakening (2Ki. 4:20). Mark her gentleness. On her kneeswhere often she had dandled him with delight. Her patience and hope. Till noon. What suspense! What hoping against hope! Her terrible distress. Died. Seemed like as if the sun had gone down at noon. All was dark. In that moment what thoughts crowded upon her soul! What a trial to her faith! God seemed to have forsaken her. Thus with many
Too common! Never morning wore
To evening, but some heart did break.
III. Light at evening time. All is not lost, since God liveth. This woman, like her countryman of Gospel times, was great in faith. Therefore, instead of giving way to despair, she strengthens her heart in God. Perhaps she said to herself, like David, Why art thou cast down, my soul? Still hope in God. Mark the preparation. What promptitude and decision! The long ride to Carmel. At other times might have admired the glory of Carmel, but now she is preoccupiedher heart is fixed. She is silent. The passionate appeal to the prophet (2Ki. 4:27-30). Nothing will satisfy her but Elisha. He is to her the man of God. He stands as the prophet of the Lord to her, in sorrow as in joy. She will not leave off till he yields. Such importunity pleads not in vain. The return and restoration (2Ki. 4:32-37). Hope has sprung up again in her breast. Nothing is too hard for the Lord. How strange and solemn the scenes in the chamber of death! How wonderful the revival! God is great. Oh, what joy when the mother clasps again to her breast her beloved boy! Nothing Diviner could she feel short of heaven. Think of the happy close of the day in that Hebrew home! Dearer than ever was the son that had been dead, and received back to life again. Stronger than ever was the faith of father and mother in the God of Jacob, who had proved their Refuge and Help in the time of trouble. With what quiet and assured peace would they kneel in prayer. With what joyful hearts would they sing praises to the God of Israel (Psa. 30:11-12). What lessons to young and old are here (Ecc. 12:1; Pro. 22:6; Eph. 6:4). Trials will come. In the darkest hour God can help. Here the child cries to his father, the father sends to the mother, the mother appeals to the prophet, and the prophet casts himself on God. So let us cast ourselves on Christ, our God and Saviour (Isa. 66:13; Joh. 11:25).The Study and Pulpit.
2Ki. 4:19. What an undivine inference was that of the Bishop of Hereford, in his sermon at Oxford upon this text, in the reign of Edward II., pursued at that time by his queen and son, that an aching and sick head of a kingdom was of necessity to be taken off, and no otherwise cured!Trapp.
2Ki. 4:20. The death of a child. I. Lightly regarded by some. II. Is the first real sorrow to many. III. A proof of the prevalence and power of sin. IV. Gives a deeper interest to the bereaved in the better land.
The death of loved children comes often suddenly, like the lightning from a clear sky, and destroys our joy and our hopes. Therefore, we should possess these gifts as not possessing them. The Lord will not abandon, in days of adversity, him who trusts in Him in days of prosperity. He who in the latter has learned sobriety, and maintained his faith, will not be without wisdom and consolation in the former, but will be composed in all adversity.Lange.
2Ki. 4:22-23. A prudent wife. I. Will control her own feelings for the sake of her husband. II. Will consult her husband on every needful occasion. III. Enjoys the respect and confidence of her husband in all things.
A pious woman does nothing without her husbands knowledge, and does not willingly call his attention to anything by which he may be saddened.Starke.
2Ki. 4:26-27. This scene is natural and very graphic. If you ask after a person whom you know to be sick, the reply at first will invariably be Well, thank God, even when the very next sentence is to inform you that he is dying. Then the falling down, clasping the feet, &c., are actions witnessed every day. I have had this done to me often before I could prevent it. So also the officious zeal of the wicked Gehazi, who would thrust the broken-hearted mother away, probably thinking her touch pollution, agrees perfectly with what we know of the man, and of the customs of the East.Thomson.
2Ki. 4:26. It is well. The verdict of hope. I. May be uttered when the heart is full of sorrow. II. Indicates an unwavering faith in God. III. May be true in a higher sense when present circumstances do not warrant the verdict.
The highest Christian optimism. I. Teaches that all is well in its relation to the wisdom and love of God. II. In its present moral bearing on ourselves. III. In its relation to the compensation and glory of the future.
2Ki. 4:27. Do not make known at once to every one you meet that which distresses you, but keep it to yourself until you find one who understands you, and whose heart you have tested. Beware lest thou treat harshly sad souls who are overcome by grief, and who seek help and consolation, and lest thou thrust them away or judge them hastily. Do not cause still more grief to a bruised heart.
2Ki. 4:31. The powerlessness of some religious acts explained. I. Not because they are not done as commanded and with all due propriety and solemnity. II. But because there is a lack of earnest, acting, living faith. III. Because there are defects and inconsistencies of religious character.
Why was Gehazis mission with the staff a failure? First of all, we maintain that it is far from certain or evident that Elisha expected his staff and his servant would be effectual in raising the dead. On the contrary, it is very possible that he meant Gehazis mission should be a failure, in order to show that the miracle could not be wrought by any supposed magic of the staff, by any mere human agency whatever. But on the other supposition, certainly admissible, and even probable, that the prophet expected his staff to resuscitate the child, the failure is thus well explained by Kitto: Elisha did not at first mean to go himself to Shunem, and for that reason sent his staff to supply the lack of his own presence. But after he had sent away the servant, his observation of the uneasiness of the mother, whom he had expected to have gone home satisfied, and her avowed determination not to leave him, induced him to alter his purpose, and, with the kindness natural to him, to forego his own engagements at Carmel, and to accompany her to her forlorn home. It was probably in consequence of this change of plan that no response was made to the first claim of faith by means of the staff. That appeal, in fact, was superseded the moment he resolved to go in person, the Lord thus reserving for the personal intercession of His prophet the honour of this marvellous deed. But Gehazis supposed unfitness to work the miracle, and the womans lack of faith in him, are facts not to be overlooked. They may be a sufficient reason for the failure of Gehazis mission. For in the realm of the miraculous, Divine Power works not blindly nor arbitrarily, but according to sacred laws. To affirm that there must be a sympathetic union or spontaneous affiliation between the human agencies employed and those deeply concerned in a given miracle, is only to say what is abundantly suggested in the Scriptures. Nor is this to degrade a class of miracles to the low plane of animal magnetism, or explain them away on naturalistic principles; yet it need not be denied that the psychological basis of animal magnetism was a medium through which many miracles were performed, and without which some miracles could not have been wrought. When the disciples, after their failure to heal a lunatic child, asked Jesus why they could not work the miracle, He replied, Because of your unbelief (Mat. 17:20, comp. Mat. 13:58; Mar. 6:56; Mar. 9:23).Whedon.
The staff of the prophet is of no use if the spirit and power of the prophet are wanting. Do not mistake the sign for the thing signified. It is God alone who can help, and His help is not dependent on external instruments and signs.
2Ki. 4:32-35. The power of prayer.
1. The best preparation for a great spiritual conflict.
2. Inspires an invincible faith.
3. Suggests the use of the best means for obtaining an answer.
4. Achieves great victories.
2Ki. 4:32-33.Merit and importunity have drawn Elisha from Carmel to Shunem. He finds his lodging taken up by that pale corpse. He shuts the door and falls to prayer. This staff of his, whatever became of the other, was long enough, he knew, to reach up to heaven, to knock at these gates, yea, to wrench them open. Bishop Hall.
2Ki. 4:34. He knew what Elijah had done in a similar case (1Ki. 17:21), and followed his example; but doubtless both Elijah and Elisha used these natural means in accordance with some special revelation that was given them. This placing of his mouth, eyes, and hands, upon those of the child, bore the same relation to this miracle which the spittle and the washing in Siloam did to the miracle by which Jesus gave sight to the man blind from his birth (Joh. 9:1-7). Divine power could have raised this child to life in answer to Elishas prayer without any other action on the part of the prophet, but Divine wisdom decreed otherwise. Christ opened one blind mans eyes by a single command; but in the other case He adopted peculiar measures to work substantially the same miracle. We cannot tell why, but we accept the facts, and argue from them the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Rom. 11:33). We do not presume to deny that our God might have adopted a different plan of redemption from the one we have, but we may well question the possibility of a wiser one, and though we cannot fathom all its mystery, we accept with joy the fact of God manifest in the flesh; and in the blessed incarnation of our Lord, to use the analogy of this miracle of Elisha, we see with wonder how the God-man stretches himself upon our cold, lifeless humanity that was dead in trespasses and sins, and even contracts himself to the narrow span of our infancy, childhood, manhood. His blessed mouth and eyes and hands come into contact with our own. He breathes upon us the Holy Ghost, and we are quickened and warmed into a new and eternal life. We are thus raised from spiritual death, and our ears hear, and our eyes see, and our hands handle the word of life.Whedon.
2Ki. 4:35. Thus the work is done by degrees and with difficulty, mystically showing how hard it is to raise one dead in sins and trespasses, and to bring the work to any good effect. To comfort a wounded conscience is as great work, saith Luther, as to raise one from the dead.Trapp.
2Ki. 4:36-37.The mother is called in to receive a new life in her twice-given son. She comes in full of joy, full of wonder, bows herself to the ground, and falls down before those feet she had so boldly laid hold of in Carmel. Oh, strong faith of the Shunammite, that could not be discouraged with the seizure and continuance of death, raising up her heart still in an expectation of that life which to the eyes of nature had been impossible, irrevocable! Oh, infinite goodness of the Almighty, that would not suffer such faith to be frustrated, that would rather reverse the laws of nature, in returning a guest from heaven, and raising a corpse from death, than the confidence of a believing heart should be disappointed!Bishop Hall.
As might be expected, there have not been wanting rationalistic interpreters who have explained this miracle as a case of suspended animation, or fit of apoplexy, and Elishas efforts as the manipulations of animal magnetism, by which sensation was restored. Of course such expositors ignore or deny the plain statement that the child was dead, and so do not explain, but contradict and torture the word of Scripture.Whedon.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
C. RESURRECTION OF THE SHUNAMMITES Song of Solomon 4:1837
TRANSLATION
(18) And the child grew, and it came to pass one day that he went unto his father to the reapers. (19) And he said unto his father, My head, my head! And he said unto the lad, Carry him unto his mother. (20) And he carried him, and brought him unto his mother, and he sat upon her knees unto noon and died. (21) And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. (22) And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray you, one of the servants, and one of the donkeys that I may hasten unto the man of God, and come again. (23) And he said, Why are you going unto him? Today is not the new moon or sabbath. And she said, it will be well. (24) And she saddled the donkey and said unto her servant, Drive, and go forward, Do not slacken for my sake the riding unless I command you. (25) And she went, and came unto the man of God unto Mt. Carmel. And it came to pass when the man of God saw her from afar, that he said unto Gehazi his servant, Behold that is the Shunammite! (26) Now run, I pray you, to meet her, and say to her, Is it well with you, Is it well with your husband, Is it well with the child? And she said, It is well. (27) And she came unto the man of God unto the mount and grasped his feet. And Gehazi drew near to thrust her away, but the man of God said, Leave her alone; for her soul is troubled, and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not declared it to me. (28) And she said, Did I ask a son from my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me? (29) And he said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you find a man, do not bless him, and if he bless you do not answer him, and you shall place my staff upon the face of the lad. (30) And the mother of the lad said, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I surely will not leave you. And he arose, and went after her. (31) And Gehazi passed over before them, and put the staff upon the face of the lad, but there was no voice nor hearing. And he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The lad was not aroused. (32) And Elisha came to the house, and behold the lad was dead, and laid upon his bed. (33) And he came and shut the door upon the two of them, and prayed unto the LORD. (34) And he got up, and lay upon the child, and put his face upon his face, his eyes upon his eyes, his hands upon his hands, and he stretched himself upon him; and he warmed the flesh of the child. (35) Then he turned and walked in the house once to and fro; and he went up and stretched himself upon him, and the lad sneezed seven times; and the lad opened his eyes. (36) And he called unto Gehazi and said, Call unto this Shunammite. And he called her and she came unto him. And he said, Take up your son. (37) And she came and fell upon his feet, and bowed to the ground. And she took up her son and went out.
COMMENTS
A four or five year time gap exists between 2Ki. 4:17-18, and the Shunammites infant has become a young lad. The child delighted in accompanying his father to the grain fields to watch the harvest operation. On one such day (2Ki. 4:18), tragedy struck. In the heat of the morning sun, the lad became the victim of a sunstroke. The father ordered a servant boy to take the child to his mother, indoors and out of the heat (2Ki. 4:19). The mother held the boy on her lap doing what she could for him until noon when he finally expired (2Ki. 4:20).
The Shunammite took the limp body of her son up into the apartment of Elisha and laid it on the prophets bed, and shut the door behind her (2Ki. 4:21). It seems that the woman wished to conceal the death of the child until she had seen what Elisha could do for her. She was not ignorant of the story of how Elijah had once resurrected a lad from the dead, and she had hope that a similar miracle might be performed on her behalf. But fearing that her husband might not share her faith, and that he might refuse to supply her with an animal for transportation, the Shunammite did not tell her husband what had become of the lad.
The woman called to her husband from the house, without calling him into the house. She expressed her desire to visit Elisha, but did not state the object of her visit. The nearest part of Mt. Carmel being some fifteen miles away, she asked for the necessary riding animal and escort. She needed the donkey so that she might hasten to the prophet and come again, i.e., return home before nightfall (2Ki. 4:22). The husband demurred; he could see no reason to divert a work animal from the harvest work so that his wife might make such a trip. After all, it was not new moon or sabbath, occasions when the pious in the Northern Kingdom assembled to study the word of God at the feet of a prophet. The husband had no idea that his son was dead. He probably had not even realized that the child was in danger, and now in the light of his wifes somewhat unexpected request he must have assumed that the child had recovered. The Shunammite responded to her husbands reluctance with a single word in the originalthe word shalom, literally, peace (2Ki. 4:23). Shalom would be equivalent in English to saying, all right and indicates a refusal to argue a point. Not wishing to offend his wife, the husband did not press her for an explanation. The donkey and the servant were placed at her disposal without further comment. The Shunammite saddled the donkey and ordered the servant to get the animal moving, and not to slacken the pace except at her instruction (2Ki. 4:24).
As the woman approached Mt. Carmel, Elisha spotted her from afar (lit., over against him). Since it would appear that the Shunammite was a regular attender at the special prophetic holy day gatherings (cf. 2Ki. 4:23), Elisha had probably seen this stately woman approaching his residence at Carmel on numerous occasions (2Ki. 4:25). He sensed something must be wrong, both from the unexpected nature of the visit and from the obvious haste in which the woman was making her way in his direction. His anxiety aroused, Elisha ordered Gehazi to run forward to meet the woman and to inquire as to her well-being and that of her household. To Gehazis urgent queries the Shunammite gave the same ambiguous and non-committal answer she had earlier given to her husband.[526] She could not unburden her heart to any save Elisha himself.
[526] The Shunammites greeting to Gehazi might have been an expression of her faithall is going to be well.
When she reached the prophet she embraced his feet in a posture of supplication. For the moment she said nothing. Regarding this action as one unduly familiar or unduly importunate, Gehazi stepped forward to thrust the woman away from his master. Elisha saw that the woman was deeply distressed and would not permit his servant to disturb her even though her action may have violated the etiquette of that time. The Lord had not seen fit to reveal to the mind of the prophet the circumstances which would cause such obvious agony on the part of his dear friend, and so Elisha simply had to wait until the woman gained enough composure to relate the matter to him (2Ki. 4:27).
Through her sobs the woman was finally able to begin her story. Two rhetorical questions are all she needs to speak (2Ki. 4:28). She had not complained of her childlessness, nor had she requested that the prophet give her a son. At the initial announcement to her, the Shunammite had begged that the prophet not deceive her, not make her the victim of a cruel joke. Her words suggested that something worse than that had now happened. It is greater misery to have a child and lose him than not to have had one at all.
The woman needed say no more. Elisha issued orders for Gehazi to hasten immediately to the Shunammites home. He should take no time out for lengthy greetings or pleasantries en route. When he reached the child, Gehazi was to lay Elishas staff [527] upon the lads face (2Ki. 4:29). This action was designed to comfort and cheer the mother and to raise in her a firm expectation of the resurrection which the prophet anticipated being allowed to perform. The Shunammite misinterpreted Elishas instructions to Gehazi. She thought that Elisha intended to do nothing more than trust the childs recovery to such power as might reside in his walking staff. She was not about to return to her home without the prophet, and so Elisha arose and went with her as, no doubt, he had intended to do from the first (2Ki. 4:30).
[527] Cf. Luk. 10:4. The staff was the symbol of a mans power and prestige (Gen. 38:18). In the case of Moses, the staff was the external vehicle through which miracles were wrought (cf. Exo. 4:1-4; Exo. 17:8-13).
Gehazi carried out his masters orders, but the staff produced no results as far as the child was concerned. The boy remained still and silent. Gehazi then retraced his steps to meet Elisha who by this time was well on his way to Shunem, and reported to his master that the child had not revived (2Ki. 4:31). From this it is clear that Gehazi had expected the staff to effect an awakening; but there is nothing to show that Elisha himself had so expected. While on occasion in Bible history God condescended to allow miracles to be wrought by the instrumentality of inanimate objects,[528] yet such instances are comparatively rare, and form exceptions to what may be called the usual divine economy of miracles. Miracles are, as a rule, attached in Scripture to intense unwavering faithfaith, sometimes within those that are the objects of them, almost always in those who are the workers of them. Elisha had a benevolent objective in sending Gehazi ahead with the staff, but that objective was not the resurrection of the lad.
[528] Elishas bones once revived a dead man (2Ki. 13:21); an infirm woman once was healed by touching the hem of Jesus garment (Mar. 5:25-34); handkerchiefs or aprons from the body of Paul were brought to the sick and their diseases left them (Act. 19:12).
Elisha came to the house and found the dead child lying on the bed in his private apartment (2Ki. 4:32). The prophet shut the door of the chamber in order that he might not be disturbed during his efforts to revive the boy. Falling to his knees, the inarticulate prayer that had been upon his heart from the moment he left Carmel was verbalized (2Ki. 4:33). Following the example of his master Elijah (cf. 1Ki. 17:21), Elisha stretched himself upon the lad and brought his flesh as close as he could to the flesh of the child. The idea in this seems to have been to prepare the body for rein-habitation of the soul or spirit by restoring warmth to it. Aside from this practical purpose, the act would also demonstrate the faith of the prophet that God would permit this great miracle to take place. Elishas efforts accomplished their purpose; the childs body was actually warmed (2Ki. 4:34). Yet no signs of life appeared. The prophet, somewhat perplexed, got up from his prone position and paced in the room, doubtlessly analyzing the situation and praying as he did so.[529] Then he again stretched himself upon the child, and shortly the child sneezed seven timesshowing the recovery of his suspended respirationand opened his eyes (2Ki. 4:35). The Shunammite was summoned, no doubt from the lower story of the house, and bidden to take up her restored child (2Ki. 4:36). As anxious as the woman was to once again embrace her son, she first bowed before the prophet in humble gratitude; then she took up her son and went out to spend those precious first moments alone with the lad (2Ki. 4:37).
[529] Perhaps the walking about was an act of relaxation after the intense physical and spiritual concentration.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(18) It fell on a day.See Note on 2Ki. 4:8.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. When the child was grown Large enough to go out by himself.
To the reapers In the neighbouring grain-fields. In June (16th, 1838,) Dr. Robinson passed through the grain-fields about Shunem, and wrote: “The fields in many parts were still covered with a rich crop of wheat, long ready and waiting for the sickle. The harvest in other quarters of the plain seemed to be already ended. Our guide from Jenin took us directly through several fields of grain, where his donkey and our mules cropped their fill in passing.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3). When The Son Grows To Boyhood He Dies Suddenly, And On The Woman Appealing To Elisha, He Raises Her Son From The Dead ( 2Ki 4:18-37 ).
One thing worse than not having a son and heir, especially in the circumstances of those times, was to have one and lose him while he was still a boy. That was what happened in this case. For during harvest time the son, who was the joy of the family, went out to join his father and his fellow-reapers in the fields, and collapsed and was taken home dying.
But the woman had faith in YHWH and she immediately set out to find Elisha. On arriving where he was she informed him of what had happened and Elisha immediately responded and sent his servant with Elisha’s own staff to lay it on the boy’s face. The servant, however, could only report failure. Elisha meanwhile was proceeding towards the house with the woman, and when he arrived at the house he went up to his room where the boy lay, and brought him back to life, after which he brought the son back to his mother, thereby demonstrating the unique life-giving power of YHWH.
Analysis.
a
b And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat (or ‘lay’) on her knees until noon, and then died (2Ki 4:20).
c And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door on him, and went out (2Ki 4:21).
d And she called to her husband, and said, “Send me, I pray you, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.” And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward. Do not slow down the riding, unless I bid you” (2Ki 4:22-24).
e So she went, and came to the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came about, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, yonder is the Shunammite, run, I pray you, now to meet her, and say to her, “Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?” And she answered, “It is well.” And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet (2Ki 4:25-27 a).
f Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her, and YHWH has hidden it from me, and has not told me” (2Ki 4:27 b).
g Then she said, “Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?” (2Ki 4:28).
f Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go your way. If you meet any man, do not salute him. And if any salute you, do not answer him again. And lay my staff on the face of the child” (2Ki 4:29).
e And the mother of the child said, “As YHWH lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And he arose, and followed her (2Ki 4:30).
d And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was neither voice, nor hearing. For which reason he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awoken” (2Ki 4:31).
c And when Elisha had come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid on his bed (2Ki 4:32).
b He went in therefore, and shut the door on both of them, and prayed to YHWH. And he 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, and he stretched himself on him, and the flesh of the child grew warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro, and went up, and stretched himself on him, and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes (2Ki 4:33-35).
a And he called Gehazi, and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she had come in to him, he said, “Take up your son.” Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and she took up her son, and went out (2Ki 4:36-37).
Note that in ‘a’ the mother receives her son dying, and in the parallel she receives him alive and well. In ‘b’ the son has died, and in the parallel Elisha brings him back to life. In ‘c’ the woman lays her child on the bed of the man of God, and in the parallel the man of God found him lying on his bed. In ‘d’ the woman goes with her servant urgently to see Elisha, and in the parallel Elisha’s servant urgently goes on ahead in order to see if he can ‘awaken’ the child. In ‘e’ the Shunnamite arrives and catches hold of Elisha’s feet, and in the parallel she will not leave him. In ‘f’ Elisha is deeply concerned about what the woman wants, and in the parallel his servant is urgently sent to deal with here ‘want’. Central in ‘g’ is her complaint that Elisha has not dealt fairly with her in giving her a son only for her to lose him while still a boy.
2Ki 4:18
‘And when the child was grown, on a certain day, he went out to his father to the reapers.’
Year passed by as the son grew to boyhood, and one day he went out to see his father who was at work among the reapers in his fields, where he no doubt wanted to ‘play his part’. Again the timing of the incident is vague, ‘on a certain day’. As the son of wealthy parents he was not automatically called on while still young to himself help in the fields.
2Ki 4:19
‘And he said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ’
But as he was present in the fields he cried to his father, ‘My head, my head’, and presumably collapsed. The father immediately ordered a servant to carry the boy to his mother. He was probably not over-concerned, thinking that it was heat exhaustion or something similar. But the fact that he did not go himself suggests that he was overseeing a number of workers.
2Ki 4:20
‘And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then died.’
The servant brought the boy to his mother who took him on her knees, but at noontide he died. The speed of the death is against it merely being sunstroke, especially as he would have been suitably dressed, and used to the sun. It rather suggests something like cerebral malaria. (A similar case is described in Jewish tradition in Jdt 8:3 , although there the man had been out in the sun much longer).
The blow to the mother can be appreciated. But in this case the son was a special gift from God, and she was therefore sure that the man of God who had promised her the son would be able to do something about it..
2Ki 4:21
‘And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door on him, and went out.’
So she took her son up to the man of God’s room and laid him on the man of God’s bed, and then shut the door on him, closing it behind her. A number of suggestions have been made for why she did this:
1) In order that the man of God might feel guilty when he arrived and found him there. This to us, however, appears very unlikely as she intended to go and see the man of God with expectation that he could do something.
2) In the hope that by his being shut in on the man of God’s bed his spirit might somehow be kept near the body until the man of God could come. Certainly the later Jews believed that the spirit did not desert the body for three days. (This does not indicate that it was true, only that it was what people believed).
3) Her wanting to bring her son into as close a contact with the man of God as she could, so that somehow he might be under his protection. It was probably the holiest place that she knew of in the vicinity. It was thus in itself a cry of faith to God. We can compare how people would later touch the hem of Jesus’ robe.
4) There may, of course have been a combination of reasons. She was probably greatly distraught and not thinking too clearly and simply wanted her dead son as near to the man of God whom she was about to seek, as possible.
2Ki 4:22
‘And she called to her husband, and said, “Send me, I pray you, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.” ’
We are not told whether she sent a message to inform her husband of the boy’s death, or whether she hoped to spare him grief by obtaining the man of God’s help before he knew. (He would not know where the boy was when he got home). But she sent a message to her husband asking him to send her a servant, and one of the asses, so that she could go and see the man of God and return.
2Ki 4:23
‘And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.”
The message puzzled her husband who sent a reply asking her why she was going to visit the man of God on a day which was not a special day, like a new moon or sabbath. Both the day of each new moon (the commencement of each ‘month’) and the seventh day (the Sabbath) were looked on as ‘holy days’, and it would appear that people had the custom of visiting prophets on these days, possibly with petitions, and presumably with the hope of learning more about God and His word. (Compare how in Saul’s day all the courtiers were expected to attend at court for a feast at the new moon – 1Sa 20:5). Note how this indicates that there was at this time no restriction on travel on the Sabbath, as long as it was for a holy purpose. (There was no restriction to ‘a sabbath day’s journey’). For the association of new moon and Sabbath see Amo 8:5 (note the restrictions); Hos 2:11; Isa 1:13. The Sabbath was unique to Israel and by occurring every seven days was deliberately disconnected with phases of the moon. We must not therefore read into it any connection with ideas at Ugarit or Babylon. The Law of Moses specifically connects it with God in His creative work (Exo 20:11), and with the deliverance from servitude in Egypt (Deu 5:15). It became generally recognised in Israel because of the procedures on the collecting of the manna (Exodus 16), which instilled it into them for ‘forty years’.
Her laconic reply, ‘all will be well’, was a general reassurance without explaining anything. It was important to the author as an expression of her faith.
2Ki 4:24
‘Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward. Do not slow down the riding, unless I bid you.”
This does not necessarily mean that she saddled the ass herself. She would probably get the servant to do it, although she was under such constraint that she might well have tried to do it herself in order to hurry things up. Then she told the servant to proceed as quickly as possible, driving the ass at speed unless she said otherwise.
2Ki 4:25-26
‘So she went, and came to the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came about, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, yonder is the Shunammite, run, I pray you, now to meet her, and say to her, “Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?” And she answered, “It is well.”
In this way she proceeded towards Mount Carmel at a rapid pace. The man of God was on Mount Carmel and spotted her at a distance, and the speed of her approach made him recognise that something was wrong. So he sent his servant Gehazi to enquire whether all were well. Her reply to him was a non-committal, ‘All is well’. She wanted to speak to the man of God personally.
Note the continual emphasis on ‘the man of God’ (true prophet of YHWH). It was the fact that he was a ‘man of God’ that gave her hope, and that would be evidenced by what he was about to do. (He is mentioned by name in 2Ki 4:8 ; 2Ki 4:17; 2Ki 4:32, embracing the whole story).
2Ki 4:27
‘And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her, and YHWH has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” ’
On arrival at where Elisha stood on the hill, she hurriedly dismounted and ran and, falling before him, seized his feet, at which Gehazi sought to constrain her and push her away. But the man of God told him to desist, because it was clear that she was under some deep emotion about something that YHWH had not divulged to him. This suggests that he was in fact used to YHWH revealing to him facts about the needs of the people whom he served.
2Ki 4:28
‘Then she said, “Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?” ’
Her deep distress comes out in these words. They were probably not the only ones that she spoke, but they went to the heart of her distress. She and her husband had become reconciled to their childlessness, and she had made no attempt to ask the prophet for such a gift. But he had insisted, and now she was worse off than if he had not done so, for she had lost her young son and was totally bereft as only a mother can be. Had he not then in the end deceived her, as she had asked him not to? But behind her complaint lay the cry of a heart in pain that yet still believed that he could help her, a plea that he discerned.
2Ki 4:29
‘Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go your way. If you meet any man, do not salute him. And if any salute you, do not answer him again. And lay my staff on the face of the child.” ’
So Elisha turned to Gehazi, and told him to tuck his robe in his belt and hurry on his way with Elisha’s staff in his hand. He was not to salute anyone on the way, or acknowledge a salute (formal salutations were a lengthy affair and could have caused considerable delay). Such behaviour would make clear to all that he was on an urgent mission (compare Jesus’ similar words to His disciples – Luk 10:4). And when he arrived at the woman’s house he was to lay his staff on the child’s face.
The staff was, of course, the symbol of Elisha’s authority (compare the staff of Moses) and therefore of his authority under YHWH. It was therefore seen as a means of conveying Elisha’s God-given authority to the situation in hand, and of bringing the dead son within the range of Elisha’s power. There was no idea of magic involved. It was little different to the sending of handkerchiefs through which healing was dispensed in Act 19:12, a practise which has also resulted in healings in modern times (my uncle had a gift of healing and used the method successfully a number of times. He did not believe in magic, but in the power of the God Who had given him his gift).
2Ki 4:30
‘And the mother of the child said, “As YHWH lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And he arose, and followed her.’
The woman, however, was not content with this. She was convinced that what was needed was the presence of Elisha himself. And so she declared with a most solemn oath that she would not leave Elisha until her son was cured. Thus Elisha arose and went with her.
2Ki 4:31
‘And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. For which reason he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awoken.” ’
Gehazi had gone on ahead of them, and when he reached the woman’s house he went to Elisha’s room and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but with no response. He did not speak, and he did not move. So Gehazi returned to report failure, declaring, ‘the child has not awoken’.
We are not told whether Elisha was actually expecting the child to be cured by this method, or whether it was intended to be but a preliminary to his own coming, part of the procedure of healing, which in fact took some time.
2Ki 4:32
‘And when Elisha had come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid on his bed.’
The distance between Shunem and Mount Carmel was around thirty two kilometres (over twenty miles). Thus by this time the child had been dead for at least two days, even granted that the ass had been pressed hard. It would certainly have needed rest periods in the burning heat, or it would have come to a halt. And there had been preparation time at the beginning, and the time needed to explain things to Elisha. So when Elisha came into the house the child was clearly dead, and was still laid out on his bed.
2Ki 4:33
‘He went in therefore, and shut the door on both of them, and prayed to YHWH.’
Wanting complete privacy for what he was about to do, Elisha went into the room, shutting both the mother and the servant out, and there he prayed to YHWH.
2Ki 4:34
‘And he 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, and he stretched himself on him, and the flesh of the child grew warm.’
Then he went up to the child who was cold with the cold of death (in spite of the hot climate). He had been lying there for over two days. And Elisha 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, and he stretched himself on him. There was no question of ‘mouth to mouth resuscitation’. He had been in this state for too long. The point was rather to communicate to the child the power of Elisha in every part of his body. We can compare how when the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment ‘power went out of Him’ (Mar 5:30). Compare also ‘the laying on of hands to heal the sick’ (Mar 5:23; Mar 6:5; Mar 16:18; Luk 4:40; Luk 13:13; Act 28:8). This was how God healed through His servants. It is a reminder that divine healing was demanding on the healer (after a period of healing my uncle would be totally exhausted). It is, however, important to note that it follows the fact that he had ‘prayed to YHWH’ (2Ki 4:33), and was still no doubt doing so in his heart. Elisha was looking to the power of YHWH not to ancient beliefs about life.
At length he recognised that the child’s body had become warm again. A semblance of life had been restored. The miracle had taken place.
2Ki 4:35
‘Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro, and went up, and stretched himself on him, and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.’
Elisha then arose and walked up and down once. He had just completed a long journey in the heat, and had then accomplished what he had on the boy. It is thus quite probable that he felt that he had to ‘stretch his limbs’. Then he once more went and stretched himself on the boy, and the child ‘sneezed seven times’ and opened his eyes. He had come back to life.
‘Seven times’ probably simply means ‘a number of times in accordance with God’s perfect plan’. It is doubtful if Elisha was counting.
2Ki 4:36
‘And he called Gehazi, and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she had come in to him, he said, “Take up your son.”
Elisha then summoned Gehazi and told him to call the no doubt anxious Shunnamite. And when she came in he said, ‘Take up your son,’ This remarkable healing was one of the examples that Gehazi recounted to the king of Israel when he had asked about the wonderful things done by Elisha (2Ki 8:5).
2Ki 4:37
‘Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and she took up her son, and went out.’
Full of gratitude the woman fell at his feet, and bowed herself before him, and then she took up her son and went out. She could probably tell that Elisha was exhausted, and may well still have felt uneasy about being in that holy room when the prophet was there.
The lesson of the passage is clear, and it is that the living God had the power of life and death. He had brought about the birth of the boy, He had allowed the boy to die, and He had raised him up again. All life was in His hands from the cradle to the grave. There was thus no need for a multiplicity of gods and goddesses. YHWH was totally sufficient for His people’s needs.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life
v. 18. And when the child was grown, v. 19. And he said unto his father, My head, my head! v. 20. And when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees, where she held him in apprehensive fear, till noon, and then died.
v. 21. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, v. 22. And she called unto her husband and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, v. 23. And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath, v. 24. Then she saddled an ass and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, v. 25. So she went and came unto the man of God to Mount Carmel, v. 26. Run 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? v. 27. And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet, v. 28. Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me? v. 29. Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, v. 30. And the mother of the child, v. 31. And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing, v. 32. And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, v. 33. He went in therefore and shut the door upon them twain, v. 34. And he went up, v. 35. Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro, v. 30. And 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.
v. 37. Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
What an unexpected event was this? Who would have thought that a child unasked, and given at the instance of the prophet’s prayer, should be thus soon recalled. Reader! do not fail to gather from it in the first opening of the subject, that the Lord exerciseth the graces of his people. They must be tried; they must be afflicted; on purpose that they may be led to trust on the Lord. Zep 3:12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 4:18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
Ver. 18. Went out to his father to the reapers. ] This Shunammite, though rich, yet had himself the oversight of his harvest labourers: so had Boaz. Rth 2:4 ; Rth 3:2-7 This was good husbandry.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
child = progeny.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ki 4:18-24
2Ki 4:18-24
THE CHILD DIED AND HIS MOTHER APPEALED TO ELISHA
“And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to his servant, Carry him to his mother. And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may go to the man of God, and come again. And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well. Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee. And so she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel.”
It was harvest, the busiest time of the year, and the Shunammite woman avoided the kind of delay and commotion that would have resulted if she had passed along the knowledge of the death of their child. Her husband’s trust of her was so complete that, despite his wondering why his wife was undertaking such a journey on that particular day, he manifested perfect confidence in her good judgment.
“When the child was grown” (2Ki 4:18). This cannot mean that the child had become an adult. He was at this time a small boy, easily carried by a servant to the child’s mother, and easily carried by her upstairs to the private room of the prophet.
“It shall be well” (2Ki 4:23). The word thus rendered is actually “peace” in the Hebrew, and carried with it the implication that everything was ALL RIGHT. The dead child’s mother was absolutely unwilling to admit the child’s death to anyone until she had accomplished her appeal to Elisha.
LaSor tells us that the purpose of the servant’s attending this journey was that of “walking by the ass (or behind him) continually urging the beast forward.”
E.M. Zerr:
2Ki 4:18. Grown is from an original with indefinite meaning. It does not necessarily mean fully grown; but only that the child had grown enough to perform the action of walking out into the field to his father.
2Ki 4:19. Lad is from NAAR and is sometimes translated “servant” in the A. V. Some convulsive attack came upon the boy that caused his complaint. Since it was a time of harvest (reapers), it is possible that it was a sunstroke.
2Ki 4:20. The child was old enough to walk to the field, but young enough to be carried by the servant, and nursed in his mother’s arms until he died.
2Ki 4:21. How natural it was for the mother to take the body of her child into the room of Elisha. He was the one who had promised the son to her, and through whose intercession the Lord had granted it. Besides, she must leave the body for a time, and she would desire it to have as much privacy as possible. Therefore she went up (the room was on the wall) and laid him on the bed of the man of God.
2Ki 4:22. This verse would indicate that the regular dwelling places of Elisha and the woman were not far apart. Mount Carmel was a range 12 miles long. Shunem was in the same general territory of this range, hence the statement above. Furthermore, the distance could not have been too great, for it is evident that some of the actors in this drama traveled on foot.
2Ki 4:23. It appears that the husband was not aware of the child’s death. The usual occasion for calling on the prophet was for observance of some feast, such as that on the new moon or on a sabbath day. It shall be well. The last word only is in the original, but the thought of the group is authorized. The word is from SHALOM and Strong defines it, “safe. I. e. (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, i. e. health, prosperity, peace.” The expression indicates the woman’s faith that it would finally be well with the child.
2Ki 4:24. Some factors in this arrangement are not clear. Nothing is said about a second beast, yet the servant is urged not to slacken his riding. Neither is anything said about a vehicle for their common use; and that would have made the saddling of the beast unnecessary. The best solution in my mind is, they each rode a beast, and the servant was expected to stimulate the speed of hers by urging the one he was riding.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
to the reapers: Rth 2:4
Reciprocal: 1Ki 17:17 – the son of the woman 2Ki 4:8 – it fell on 2Ki 8:1 – whose son
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 4:18-21. He went out to his father to the reapers Either for pleasure, or with some message to him. He said to his father, My head, my head! A more than common heat of the sun probably made him thus ill. The hand of Providence, however, was in the affliction, that occasion might be given to the prophet of working a wonderful miracle for the manifestation of the glory of God, like that which Elijah had wrought for the widow of Zarephath. He sat on her knees till noon, and then died His pain was so violent, that it killed him in a few hours. She laid him on the bed of the man of God The pious mother possesses her soul in patience under this surprising affliction: not one peevish, indecent word drops from her lips. She has a strong belief that the child will be raised to life again; like a genuine daughter of Abraham, she accounts that God is able to raise him from the dead, for she had at first received him by as great a miracle. She had doubtless heard of the raising the widows son at Zarephath, and that the spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha; and such confidence had she of Gods goodness, that she was very ready to believe, He that so soon took away what he had given, would restore what he had now taken away. By this faith women received their dead raised to life; Heb 11:35. In this faith she makes no preparation for the burial of the dead child, but for his resurrection. O woman, great is thy faith! he that inspired it would not frustrate it.