Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 4:34
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.
34. And he went up ] The verb is used in 2Ki 1:4, of getting upon a bed. For some old beds it is very appropriate, for formerly they were much higher from the ground than is now the fashion.
and lay upon the child ] (Cf. 1Ki 17:21.) Probably Elisha knew of the acts of Elijah at Zarephath, and followed that example. The answer to his prayer seems to have been less immediate than in Elijah’s case. Throughout the history there is a degree less of fervency in Elisha’s actions and hence the less quickly availing prayer.
Comparing the two prophets, Bp Hall says: ‘How true an heir is Elisha of his master, not in his graces only but in his actions. Both of them divided the waters of Jordan, the one as his last act, the other as his first. Elijah’s curse was the death of the captains and their troops; Elisha’s curse was the death of the children: Elijah rebuked Ahab to his face; Elisha, Jehoram: Elijah supplied the drought of Israel by rain from heaven; Elisha supplied the drought of the three kings by waters gushing out of the earth: Elijah increased the oil of the Sareptan; Elisha increased the oil of the prophet’s widow: Elijah raised from death the Sareptan’s son; Elisha, the Shunammite’s: both of them had one mantle, one spirit; both of them climbed up one Carmel, one heaven’.
stretched himself upon the child ] R.V. upon him. So the Hebrew, and there can be no misunderstanding such as to require the noun to be repeated.
the flesh of the child waxed warm ] The returning life is slowly given, but the first signs of restoration must have strengthened the zeal, and given fervour to the prayers which no doubt filled every moment of the time of waiting and watching.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Be stretched himself – Or, prostrated himself. The word is a different one from that used of Elijah, and expresses closer contact with the body. Warmth may have been actually communicated from the living body to the dead one; and Elishas persistence Heb 11:35, may have been a condition of the childs return to life.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ki 4:34
And the child sneezed seven times.
The seven sneezes
The child was dead. Although he had been the special gift of Divine promise and was therefore doubly prized by his parents, yet the little lad was not secure from the common hazards of life. The first clear evidence that the child was restored to life was his sneezing. Doubtless, it greatly rejoiced the prophets heart. We too, who are seeking the good of others will greatly exult if we are favoured to see gracious tokens in those for whose good we labour. At all gospel meetings earnest people should be on the look-out for persons convinced of sin, aroused in conscience, or in any other manner made to feel the power of the life-giving Spirit. It will be well if these persons watch with instructed eyes, so that they do not look for what they will never see, nor overlook that which should give them full content. Of natural life we may discern the tokens more readily than those of spiritual life; we need practice and experience in reference to this more mysterious matter, or we may cause great pain to ourselves and to those whom we would befriend. Possibly we may gather instruction from the signs of life which contented the prophet:–the child sneezed seven times.
1. This evidence of life was very simple. Nothing is freer from art than a sneeze. It is so far from being artificial that it is involuntary. As a rule we sneeze, not because we will, but because we must. No instruction, education, talent, or acquirement is necessary to a sneeze, nor even to a series of seven sneezes; it is the act of a child, or of an illiterate peasant, quite as much as of a philosopher or a divine. We ought not to expect too much in enquirers; we ought not to be satisfied without signs of life; but he faintest sign of life ought to encourage us and lead us to encourage them.
2. This evidence of life was in itself unpleasant. To the child it was no pleasure to sneeze. We should most of us prefer to be excused from sneezing seven times. Many of the surest marks of the new life are by no means pleasurable. The regenerate are not at once happy; on the other hand, they are often in great bitterness for their sins, and in Bore anguish because they have pierced their Saviour. The Divine life is not born into the world without pangs. When a man has been nearly drowned, and animation is restored by rubbing, the first movements of the blood within the veins causes tingling and other sensations which are exquisitely painful. Sin causes numbness of soul, and this is attended by an absence of sensation; this is changed when life comes with its look of faith, for the first result is that men look on Him whom they have pierced, and mourn for Him.
3. A sneeze, again, is not very musical to those who hear it, and so the first signs of grace are not in themselves pleasing to those who are watching for souls.
4. The child sneezed seven times, the evidences of life were very monotonous. Again and again there came a sneeze and nothing else. No song, no note of music, not even one soft word, but sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, seven times. Yet the noises wearied not the prophet, who was too glad to hear the sounds of life to be very particular about their musical character. The child lived, and that was enough for him. Much of the talk of enquirers is very wearisome; they tell the same melancholy tale over and over again. Let us not be disappointed because at the first we get so little which is interesting from young converts. We are not examining them for the ministry, we are only looking for evidences of spiritual life; to apply to them the tests which would be proper enough for a doctor of divinity would be both cruel and ridiculous.
5. Yet the sound which entered the prophets ear was a sure token of life, and we must not be content with any doubtful or merely hopeful signs. We want evidences of life, and these we must have. The child might have been washed and dressed in his best clothes, but this would not have fulfilled the prophets desire; the lad might have been decked with a chaplet of flowers, and his young cheeks might have been rouged into the imitation of a ruddy blush, but the holy man would have remained unsatisfied: he must have a sign of life. However simple, it must assuredly be a life-token, or it would be in vain. Nothing could trove been more conclusive than a sneeze. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
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Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 34. Lay upon the child] Endeavoured to convey a portion of his own natural warmth to the body of the child; and probably endeavoured, by blowing into the child’s mouth, to inflate the lungs, and restore respiration. He uses every natural means in his power to restore life, while praying to the Author of it to exert a miraculous influence. Natural means are in our power; those that are supernatural belong to God. We should always do our own work, and beg of God to do his.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He went up, and lay upon the child; and although some ceremonial uncleanness might seem to be contracted by the touch of this dead body, yet that was justly to give place to a moral duty, and to an action of so great piety and charity as this was, especially when done by a prophet, and by the instinct of Gods Spirit, who can dispense with his own laws.
His mouth upon his mouth, & c; one part upon another successively; for the disproportion of the bodies would not permit it to be done together. Compare 1Ki 17:21; Act 20:10.
The flesh of the child waxed warm; not by any external heat, which could not be transmitted to the childs body by such slight touches of the prophets body; but by a natural heat, proceeding from a principle of life, which was already infused into the child, and by degrees enlivened all the parts of his body.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
34. lay upon the child, c.(see1Ki 17:21 Act 20:10).Although this contact with a dead body would communicate ceremonialuncleanness, yet, in performing the great moral duties of piety andbenevolence, positive laws were sometimes dispensed with,particularly by the prophets.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he went up,…. To the bed, which was on an ascent in the chamber, [See comments on 2Ki 1:4] and lay upon the child; as Elijah did on the widow’s son of Zarephath, 1Ki 17:21
and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and stretched himself upon the child; that is, he did each of these one after another, since the disproportion of their bodies would not admit of their being done together:
and the flesh of the child waxed warm; not from any virtue imparted to it by these motions and actions of the prophet, but from life being infused into it by the Lord, which caused an heat in the several parts of the body.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(34) He went up.Upon the bed (2Ki. 1:6).
And lay upon the child.Comp. 1Ki. 17:21. What is hinted at there is described here (Thenius).
Stretched himself upon the child.Bowed himself. So LXX., Syriac, and Vulg. (Comp. 1Ki. 18:42.) This expression summarises the preceding details.
The flesh of the child waxed warm.The life of the Divine Spirit which was in Elisha was miraculously imparted by contact to the lifeless body. (Comp. Gen. 2:7.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
34. Lay upon the child 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 measures in accordance with some Divine revelation which was given them.
His mouth upon his mouth This was designed to convey his own animal warmth to the dead child. He would thus use the natural means which God might make instrumental in working that which lay altogether beyond the power of Elisha. 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 Elisha’s prayer without any other action on the part of the prophet, but Divine Wisdom decreed otherwise. Christ opened one blind man’s eyes by a single command; but in other cases 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 Godman stretches himself upon our cold, lifeless humanity, that was dead in trespasses and sins, and even contracts himself to vile 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. 1Jn 1:1.
The flesh of the child waxed warm Thus the miracle was wrought, not instantaneously, but by slow degrees.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2Ki 4:34. Lay upon the child, &c. See what we have said on 1Ki 17:21.
REFLECTIONS.How precarious is every sublunary blessing! how little dependance to be placed upon the comforts of a perishing world! We see,
1. This darling boy, seized in the harvest-field with his father, complains, My head, my head; and is sent home to the fond mother’s bosom, and there death closes his eyes. Note; We had need stand prepared for sudden strokes; death often seizes at short warning.
2. With silent submission she took the dear corpse, and, going to the prophet’s chamber, laid it on his bed, that the death might not be known, and where it would lie unmolested, till her return: then she hastes to her husband, and begs leave to go to the man of God. He wonders at her journey, as it was not one of the stated seasons when she used to join in worship with him. She said, Well, let me go, or be easy till I return; and, having his consent, she hastes to Carmel. At a distance observing her, the prophet sends to inquire the reason of her coming at this unusual season, and whether all at home were well? She answers well; her faith speaks the language of resignation. Then drawing near, she falls at his feet, whilst bitter anguish stops for a while her utterance. Gehazi is assiduous to raise her up, but the prophet restrains him: he saw some heavy grief oppressed her, though the Lord had not revealed to him the cause. At last, her interrupted words began to flow, and in her questions he perceived the cause of her distress. Note; (1.) In every affliction, the consideration from whose hand it comes, should silence all complaint. (2.) All is well, when, however distressing the providence, we are enabled to submit to, and improve under the visitation. (3.) If he who gives, takes away, we are to be thankful for the length of the loan, and not to murmur that God resumes his gift. (4.) The joys of earth ebb and flow; and when we think the cup of happiness at our lips, disappointment robs us of the draught; but we have a more abiding portion, which, once secured, will never deceive us.
3. Elisha was as ready to help as she to ask, and instantly dispatches Gehazi with his staff to lay on the child’s face, while he should pray that God would restore him to life; but the Shunammite, earnest that himself would go, will not quit him; and he consents at her importunity, and follows his servant. Gehazi meets them on the road, having to no effect executed his commands; and Elisha himself enters the chamber, shuts the door, and, with earnest cries to God, begs that the spirit of the child may return; then after waiting a while, with significant gestures, in faith of the returning vital breath and heat, the flesh began to wax warm, the channels of life to be again opened, and, after sneezing seven times, the child looked up, and with delight he restored him to the tender mother, overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. Note; (1.) The word of God in the mouth of his servants, like the prophet’s staff, is ineffectual to quicken the dead in sins, unless accompanied with the life-giving spirit. (2.) In the restoration of the spiritually dead, though the vital principle is infused at once, yet the exercise of the vital functions is gradually recovered. (3.) They who are sent to awake the dead, have need to be men of prayer and patience. (4.) If a dead son restored to life be such a joy to a mother’s heart, how much greater comfort ought it to minister, to see the bands of spiritual death loosed from our children?
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Ki 4:34 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.
Ver. 34. And put his mouth upon his mouth. ] The Septuagint adds, And breathed upon him. See on 1Ki 17:21 . Christ risen again thus applied to the dead soul, quickeneth it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 17:21, Act 20:10
Reciprocal: 2Ki 13:16 – Elisha Mar 7:33 – he took Mar 9:29 – by prayer Luk 8:51 – he suffered
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:34 And he went up, and {q} 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.
(q) Elijah did the same to the widow’s son at Zarephath 1Ki 17:21 and Paul in Act 20:10 signifying the care that should be in them, who bear the word of God and are distributors of spiritual life.