8 17<\/strong>. Elisha promises a son to the hospitable Shunammite (Not in Chronicles)<\/p>\n 8<\/strong>. And it fell on a day<\/em> ] From its use elsewhere the Hebrew noun, as here, with the article signifies ‘on that day’, ‘at that time’, and indicates a closer connexion with the preceding narrative than would be gathered from the A.V. But see below, verses 11 and 18.<\/p>\n Elisha passed to Shunem<\/em> ] In Jos 19:18<\/span>, Shunem is among the places allotted to the tribe of Issachar. It is also mentioned as the place where the Philistines encamped before the battle of Gilboa (1Sa 28:4<\/span>). It has been identified with Solam<\/em>, a village situate on the little Hermon about 3 miles north of Jezreel. When Elisha was travelling either from Samaria or Jezreel to Carmel, Shunem lay on his road. The place is mentioned as being the home of Abishag (1Ki 1:3<\/span>) and from that is derived the Jewish tradition which makes the Shunammite woman of the present narrative to have been the sister of Abishag.<\/p>\n a great woman<\/em> ] The adjective is used to signify wealthy<\/em> in 1Sa 25:2<\/span>, of Nabal, and 2Sa 19:32<\/span> of Barzillai, who is described as ‘a very great man’. As the Shunammite woman had a husband still alive, it would be more natural to speak of him as ‘great’ in the sense of ‘rich’, and perhaps here the meaning is rather ‘influential’. She was clearly a person of independent character, and one who<\/em> could act when the occasion demanded it.<\/p>\n she constrained him to eat bread<\/em> ] The journeys of Elisha to and fro had somehow become known to her and she offered him hospitality. This was the usual way in the East, where houses for public entertainment were uncommon.<\/p>\n as oft as he passed by<\/em> ] Apparently the allusion is to such rounds as the chief of the prophetic colleges would make to the different centres at which they were gathered. That Elisha’s visits were frequent is clear from the next verse.<\/p>\n And it fell on a day – <\/B>The original of the expression here used, which occurs three times in the present narrative 2Ki 4:11<\/span>, 2Ki 4:18<\/span>, is also found in Job 1:6<\/span>, Job 1:13<\/span>; Job 2:1<\/span>. The character of the expression perhaps supports the view that the author of Kings has collected from various sources his account of the miracles of Elisha, and has kept in each case the words of the original writer.<\/P> A great woman – <\/B>That is, a rich woman. Compare 1Sa 25:2<\/span>; 2Sa 19:32<\/span>.<\/P><\/p>\n 2Ki 4:8-17<\/span><\/p>\n And it fell on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Hospitality<\/strong><\/p>\n In these verses there are two very interesting subjects, and of a practical character.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>The hospitality was very hearty. She constrained him to eat bread.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The hospitality was shown to a poor but a godly man. Genuine hospitality looks out for the poor and deserving, and constrains them to enter and be fed.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>The hospitality involved considerable trouble and expense.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>Implies his consciousness of great power with man. Elishas offer,<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>Implies his consciousness of his power with God. (Homilist.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A great woman. A great woman<\/strong><\/p>\n The monotony of a womans life is, perhaps, its greatest trial. Such a round of daily trivialities occupy her attention that, even though heart and conscience may be right, the body and nerves not unfrequently suffer. The strain and over-pressure from which her husband often suffers are not supposed in any way to affect her: his life is in the rush, but hers in the calm; he is mixing with men, and taking part in all the movements of the day, while she is in the nursery and the home-place, with her easy duties and sheltered position. Yet while we have the story of the lady of Shunem before us, we cannot but see how possible it is for the life of a woman to be great even in the midst of very contracted interests. This woman lived at home with her husband, and Was occupied with household cares; but she never lost her own individuality, never allowed her little duties to make her little also; she stands before us as a great woman, indeed–greater in character than any circumstances or position could possibly have made her.<\/p>\n 1. <\/strong>As we read the narrative several points reveal her true greatness, and stand out as examples to us all; and the first is her kindness. She cared for others. In our modern speech this expression means a great deal. Do you care for him? is a question full of significance; for when a woman loves she does care very much indeed. And this woman had a kind heart, whose sympathies centred at home, but reached out to all who needed her care; and this heart, which royally ruled her whole being, had servants in eyes that were quick to see and hands that were swift to bless.<\/p>\n 2. <\/strong>The lady of Shunem exhibited, also, that quality of greatness which is submission. Much nonsense is talked about the equality of the sexes; but no one can read this history without suspecting that, in this case–a rare one, no doubt–the woman was more than the equal of the man. Had she been conscious of the fact it would have gone far to change it; but she was not.<\/p>\n 3. <\/strong>The loyalty of the Shunammite was another proof of her greatness. That she had everything she wanted, and nothing to wish for, we cannot imagine. Serenely contented as she might have been, she would have been less, or more, than a woman if greater possessions and a higher position would not in themselves have been acceptable. But she counted nothing a rise in life that took her away from her own people.<\/p>\n 4. <\/strong>The marvellous self-control of the Shunammite was another element in her greatness. How quiet she was during all the tests that came to her!<\/p>\n 5. <\/strong>The self-control of the Shunammite was no more marked than the great force of character which in this case, as in every other, accompanied it. The strong individuality of this truly great woman shone out in all the circumstances of her life. She had that subtle power, with which only a few people are trusted, but which, in man or woman, is invariably felt by others. Her mastery of self gave her in great part the mastery over her fellows; but her natural abilities were great, and no littlenesses spoiled them. She seems always to have had her own way; but that was because her way was the best.<\/p>\n 6. <\/strong>It was godliness, most of all, that made the woman of Shunem great. It is true that we are not told that she feared God; but we can see that written between the lines of everything that is said respecting her. It was because Elisha was a holy man of God that the hospitality of her home was offered to him. It was the sustaining power of religion that made her strong to declare, It is well. (Marianne Farningham.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A great woman<\/strong><\/p>\n The hotel of our time had no counterpart in any entertainment of olden time. The vast majority of travellers must be entertained at private abode. She was great in her hospitalities. Uncivilised and barbarous nations have this virtue. Jupiter had the surname of the Hospitable, and he was said especially to avenge the wrongs of strangers. Homer extolled it in his verse. The Arabs are punctilious on this subject) and amongst some of their tribes it is not until the ninth day of tarrying that the occupant has a right to ask his guest, Who, and whence art thou? If this virtue is so honored among barbarians, how ought it to be honoured among those of us who believe in the Bible, which commands us to use hospitality one toward another without grudging? Most beautiful is this grace of hospitality when shown in the house of God. A good man travelling in the far West, in the wilderness, was overtaken by night and storm, and he put in at a cabin. He saw firearms along the beams of the cabin, and he felt alarmed. He did not know but that he had fallen into a den of thieves. He sat there greatly perturbed. After awhile the man of the house came home with a gun on his shoulder, and set it down in a corner. The stranger was still more alarmed. After awhile the man of the house whispered with his wife, and the stranger thought his destruction was being planned. Then the man of the house came forward and said to the stranger: Stranger, we are a rough and rude people out here, and we work hard for a living. We make our living by hunting, and when we come to the nightfall we are tired and we are apt to go to bed early, and before retiring we are always in the habit of reading a chapter from the Word of God and making a prayer. If you dont like such things, if you will just step outside the door until we get through, Ill be greatly obliged to you. Of course the stranger tarried in the room, and the old hunter took hold of the horns of the altar and brought down the blessing of God upon his household and upon the stranger within their gates. Rude but glorious Christian hospitality!<\/p>\n Verse 8<\/span>. Elisha passed to Shunem<\/B><\/I>] This city was in the tribe of Issachar, to the south of the brook Kishon, and at the foot of Mount Tabor.<\/P> <\/P> Where<\/B><\/I> was <\/B>a great woman<\/B><\/I>] In Pirkey Rab. Eliezer<\/I>, this woman is said to have been the sister of Abishag, the Shunammite, well known in the history of David.<\/P> <\/P> Instead of great woman<\/I>, the Chaldee has, a woman fearing sin<\/I>; the Arabic, a woman eminent for piety before God<\/I>. This made her truly great<\/I>.<\/P> <\/p>\n To Shunnam<\/B> a city in Issachar, near Mount Carmel, Jos 19:17<\/span>,18<\/span>, whither the prophet frequently went. <\/P> Was a great woman; <\/B>for estate, or birth and quality. See Gen 24:35<\/span>; 1Sa 25:2<\/span>. <\/P> She constrained him, <\/B>by her importunate desire. <\/P> To eat bread; <\/B>to take his repast there. <\/P> <\/p>\n 8. Elisha passed to Shunem<\/B>nowSulam, in the plain of Esdraelon, at the southwestern base of LittleHermon. The prophet, in his journey, was often entertained here byone of its pious and opulent inhabitants.<\/P><\/p>\n And it fell on a day<\/strong>,…. Or so it was at a certain time:<\/p>\n that Elisha passed to Shunem<\/strong>; a city in the tribe of Issachar; of which see Jos 19:18<\/span>,<\/p>\n where was a great woman<\/strong>; of great wealth and riches, of great benevolence and hospitality, and of great grace and piety; that feared sin, as the Targum paraphrases it; a woman of great credit and reputation on all accounts. The Jews say u she was the sister of Abishag the Shunammite, and the mother of Iddo the prophet:<\/p>\n and she constrained him to eat bread<\/strong>; she had observed him at all times pass that way, and guessed by his habit and deportment that he was a religious man, and therefore took an opportunity to invite him into her house, and take a dinner with her; but he being modest and shy, she was obliged to use some pressing language, and be importunate with him, that he would accept of her invitation, which he did:<\/p>\n and so it was, that, as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread<\/strong>; being made very welcome, and encouraged by the free and kind entertainment he met with, as often as he had occasion to come that way, he called and took a meal with her; and this it seems was pretty often, for Shunem was not far from Carmel, which he frequented, and lay in the way to Samaria, Bethel, and Jericho, places he often visited, the schools of the prophets being there.<\/p>\n u T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 57. 2.<\/p>\n The Shunammite and her Son. – 2Ki 4:8<\/span>. When Elisha was going one day (lit., the<\/em> day, i.e., at that time, then) to Shunem<\/em> ( Solam<\/em>, at the south-western foot of the Lesser Hermon; see at 1Ki 1:3<\/span>), a wealthy woman ( as in 1Sa 25:2<\/span>, etc.) constrained him to eat at her house; whereupon, as often as he passed by that place in his subsequent journeys from Carmel to Jezreel and back, he was accustomed to call upon her ( as in Gen 19:2<\/span>). <\/p>\n 2Ki 4:9-10<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> The woman then asked her husband to build a small upper chamber for this holy man of God, and to furnish it with the necessary articles of furniture (viz., bed, table, seat, and lamp), that he might always turn in at their house. is either a walled upper chamber, i.e., one built with brick and not with wooden walls (Cler., Then.), or an upper chamber built upon the wall of the house (Ges.). <\/p>\n 2Ki 4:11-13<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> After some time, when Elisha had spent the night in the chamber provided for him, he wanted to make some acknowledgment to his hostess for the love which she had shown him, and told his servant Gehazi to call her, and say to her: “Thou hast taken all this care for us, what shall I do to thee? Hast thou (anything) to say to the king or the chief captain?” i.e., hast thou any wish that I could convey to them, and intercede for thee? There is something striking here in the fact that Elisha did not address the woman himself, as she was standing before him, but told her servant to announce to her his willingness to make some return for what she had done. This was, probably, simply from a regard to the great awe which she had of the “holy man of God” (2Ki 4:9<\/span>), and to inspire her with courage to give expression to the wishes of her heart. <\/p>\n (Note: The conjecture that Elisha would not speak to her directly for the sake of maintaining his dignity, or that the historian looked upon such conversation with women as unbecoming in a teacher of the law (Thenius), is already proved to be untenable by 2Ki 4:15<\/span>, 2Ki 4:16<\/span>, where Elisha does speak to her directly.)<\/p>\n She answered: “I dwell among my people,” i.e., not, I merely belong to the people (Thenius), but, I live quietly and peaceably among my countrymen, so that I have no need for any intercession with the king and great men of the kingdom. (Theodoret).<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:14-16<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> When Elisha conversed with Gehazi still further on the matter, the latter said: “But she has no son, and her husband is old.” Elisha then had her called again, and told her when she had entered the door: “At this time a year hence ( , lit., at the time when it revives again; see at Gen 18:10<\/span>) thou wilt embrace a son.” The same favour was to be granted to the Shunammite as that which Sarah had received in her old age, that she might learn that the God of Abraham still ruled in and for Israel. She replied: “No, my lord, thou man of God,” , I do not excite in thy servant any deceptive hopes.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:17<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> But however incredible this promise might appear to her, as it had formerly done to Sarah (Gen 18:12-13<\/span>), it was fulfilled at the appointed time (cf. Gen 21:2<\/span>).<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:18-20<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> But even the faith of the pious woman was soon to be put to the test, and to be confirmed by a still more glorious revelation of the omnipotence of the Lord, who works through the medium of His prophets. When the child presented to her by God had grown up into a lad, he complained one day to the reapers of the field of a violent headache, saying to his father, “My head, my head!” He was then taken home to his mother, and died at noon upon her knees, no doubt from inflammation of the brain produced by a sunstroke.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:21-23<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> The mother took the dead child at once up to the chamber built for Elisha, laid it upon the bed of the man of God, and shut the door behind her; she then asked her husband, without telling him of the death of the boy, to send a young man with a she-ass, that she might ride as quickly as possible to the man of God; and when her husband asked her, “Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day, since it is neither new moon nor Sabbath?”<\/p>\n (Note: From these words, Theod., Kimchi, C. a Lap., Vatabl., and others have drawn the correct conclusion, that the pious in Israel were accustomed to meet together at the prophets ‘ houses for worship and edification, on those days which were appointed in the law (Lev 23:3<\/span>; Num 28:11<\/span>.) for the worship of God; and from this Hertz and Hengstenberg<\/em> have still further inferred, that in the kingdom of the ten tribes not only were the Sabbath and new moons kept, as is evident from Amo 8:5<\/span> also, but the prophets supplied the pious in that kingdom with a substitute for the missing Levitical priesthood.)<\/p>\n she replied, shalom<\/em>; i.e., either “it is all well,” or “never mind.” For this word, which is used in reply to a question after one’s health (see 2Ki 4:26<\/span>), is apparently also used, as Clericus has correctly observed, when the object is to avoid giving a definite answer to any one, and yet at the same time to satisfy him.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:24-25<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> She then rode without stopping, upon the animal driven by the young man, to Elisha at mount Carmel. , literally, do not hinder me from riding.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:25-27<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> When the prophet saw her (from the opposite), that is to say, saw her coming in the distance, and recognised her as the Shunammite, he sent Gehazi to meet her, to ask her about her own health and that of her husband and child. She answered, shalom<\/em>, i.e., well, that she might not be detained by any further discussion, and came to the prophet and embraced his feet, to pray for the help of the “holy man of God.” Gehazi wanted to thrust her away, “because it seemed to him an immodest importunity to wish to urge the prophet in such a way as this, and as it were to compel him” (Seb. Schm.); but the prophet said, “Let her alone, for her soul is troubled, and Jehovah has hidden it from me and has not told me.”<\/p>\n (Note: All that we can infer from these last words with regard to the nature of prophecy, is that the donum propheticum <\/em> did not involve a supernatural revelation of every event.)<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:28<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> The pious woman then uttered this complaint to the prophet: “Did I ask a son of the Lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?” What had happened to her she did not say, – a fact which may easily be explained on psychological grounds from her deep sorrow, – but Elisha could not fail to discover it from what she said.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:29<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> He therefore directed his servant Gehazi: “Gird thy loins and take thy staff in thy hand and go: if thou meet any one, thou wilt not salute him; and if any one salute thee, thou wilt not answer him; and lay my staff upon the face of the boy.” The object of this command neither to salute nor to return salutations by the way, was not merely to ensure the greatest haste (Thenius and many others), inasmuch as the people of the East lose a great deal of time in prolonged salutations (Niebuhr, Beschr. v. Arab<\/em>. p. 48),<\/p>\n (Note: Or, as C. a Lap. supposes: “ that Gehazi might avoid all distraction of either eyes or ears, and prepare himself entirely by prayers for the accomplishment of so great a miracle. ” Theodoret explains it in a similar manner: “ He knew that he was vainglorious and fond of praise, and that he would be sure to tell the reason of his journey to those who should meet him by the way. And vainglory is a hindrance to thaumaturgy. ” )<\/p>\n but the prophet wished thereby to preclude at the very outset the possibility of attributing the failure of Gehazi’s attempt to awaken the child to any external or accidental circumstance of this kind. For since it is inconceivable that the prophet should have adopted a wrong method, that is to say, should have sent Gehazi with the hope that he would restore the dead boy to life, his only intention in sending the servant must have been to give to the Shunammite and her family, and possibly also to Gehazi himself, a practical proof that the power to work miracles was not connected in any magical way with his person or his staff, but that miracles as works of divine omnipotence could only be wrought through faith and prayer; not indeed with the secondary intention of showing that he alone could work miracles, and so of increasing his own importance (Kster), but to purify the faith of the godly from erroneous ideas, and elevate them from superstitious reliance upon his own human person to true reliance upon the Lord God.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:30<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> The mother of the boy does not appear, indeed, to have anticipated any result from the measures adopted by Elisha; for she swears most solemnly that she will not leave him. But the question arises, whether this urging of the prophet to come himself and help arose from doubt as to the result of Gehazi’s mission, or whether it was not rather an involuntary utterance of her excessive grief, and of the warmest wish of her maternal heart to see her beloved child recalled to life. We may probably infer the latter from the fulfilment of her request by Elisha.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:31<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Gehazi did as he was commanded, but the dead child did not come to life again; the prophet’s staff worked no miracle. “There was no sound and no attention,” i.e., the dead one gave no sign of life. This is the meaning of both here and 1Ki 18:29<\/span>, where it is used of dead idols. The attempt of Gehazi to awaken the child was unsuccessful, not propter fidem ipsi a muliere non adhibitam <\/em> (Seb. Schm.), nor because of the vainglory of Gehazi himself, but simply to promote in the godly of Israel true faith in the Lord.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:32-35<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Elisha then entered the house, where the boy was lying dead upon his bed, and shut the door behind them both (i.e., himself and the dead child), and prayed to the Lord. He then lay down upon the boy, so that his mouth, his eyes, and his hands lay upon the mouth, eyes, and hands of the child, bowing down over him ( ; see at 1Ki 18:42<\/span>); and the flesh (the body) of the child became warm. He then turned round, i.e., turned away from the boy, went once up and down in the room, and bowed himself over him again; whereupon the boy sneezed seven times, and then opened his eyes. This raising of the dead boy to life does indeed resemble the raising of the dead by Elijah (1Ki 17:20<\/span>.); but it differs so obviously in the manner in which it was effected, that we may see at once from this that Elisha did not possess the double measure of the spirit of Elijah. It is true that Elijah stretched himself three times upon the dead child, but at his prayer the dead returned immediately to life, whereas in the case of Elisha the restoration to life was a gradual thing.<\/p>\n (Note: The raising of the dead by Elijah and Elisha, especially by the latter, has been explained by many persons as being merely a revivification by magnetic manipulations or by the force of animal magnetism (even Passavant and Ennemoser adopt this view). But no dead person was ever raised to life by animal magnetism; and the assumption that the two boys were only apparently dead is at variance with the distinct words of the text, in addition to which, both Elisha and Elijah accomplished the miracle through their prayer, as is stated as clearly as possible both here (2Ki 4:33<\/span>) and also at 1Ki 17:21-22<\/span>.)<\/p>\n And they both differ essentially from the raising of the dead by Christ, who recalled the dead to life by one word of His omnipotence (Mar 5:39-42<\/span>; Luk 7:13-15<\/span>; Joh 11:43-44<\/span>), a sign that He was the only-begotten Son of God, to whom the Father gave to have life in Himself, even as the Father has life in Himself (Joh 5:25<\/span>.), in whose name the Apostle Peter also was able through prayer to recall the dead Tabitha to life, whereas Elisha and Elijah had only to prophesy by word and deed of the future revelation of the glory of God.<\/p>\n 2Ki 4:36-37<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> After the restoration of the boy to life, Elisha had his mother called and gave her back her son, for which she fell at his feet with thanksgiving.<\/p>\n The Shunammite’s Hospitality.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 893.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was<\/I> a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so<\/I> it was, that<\/I> as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. 9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is<\/I> a holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. 10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. 11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is<\/I> to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people. 14 And he said, What then is<\/I> to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. 15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou<\/I> man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.<\/P> The giving of a son to such as were old, and had been long childless, was an ancient instance of the divine power and favour, in the case of Abraham, and Isaac, and Manoah, and Elkanah; we find it here among the wonders wrought by Elisha. This was wrought in recompence for the kind entertainment which a good woman gave him, as the promise of a son was given to Abraham when he entertained angels. Observe here,<\/P> I. The kindness of the Shunammite woman to Elisha. Things are bad enough in Israel, yet not so bad but that God’s prophet finds friends, wherever he goes. Shunem was a city in the tribe of Issachar, that lay in the road between Samaria and Carmel, a road that Elisha often travelled, as we find ch.<\/I><\/span> ii. 25<\/span>. There<\/I> lived a great woman,<\/I> who kept a good house, and was very hospitable, her husband having a good estate, and his heart safely trusting in her, and in her discreet management, Prov. xxxi. 11<\/span>. So famous a man as Elisha could not pass and repass unobserved. Probably he had been accustomed to take some private obscure lodgings in the town; but this pious matron, having notice once of his being there, pressed him with great importunity, and, with much difficulty, constrained him to dine with her, v.<\/I><\/span> 8<\/span>. He was modest and loth to be troublesome, humble and affected not to associate with those of the first rank; so that it was not without some difficulty that he was first drawn into an acquaintance there; but afterwards, whenever he went that way in his circuit, he constantly called there. So well pleased was she with her guest, and so desirous of his company, that she would not only bid him welcome to her table, but provide a lodging-room for him in her house, that he might make the longer stay, not doubting but her house would be blessed for his sake, and all under her roof edified by his pious instructions and example–a good design, yet she would not do it without acquainting her husband, would neither lay out his money nor invite strangers to his house without his consent asked and obtained, 2Ki 4:9<\/span>; 2Ki 4:10<\/span>. She suggests to him, 1. That the stranger she would invite was a holy man of God,<\/I> who therefore would do good to their family, and God would recompense the kindness done to him; perhaps she had heard how well paid the widow of Sarepta was for entertaining Elijah. 2. That the kindness she intended him would be no great charge to them; she would build him only a little chamber. Perhaps she had no spare room in the house, or none private and retired enough for him, who spent much of his time in contemplation, and cared not for being disturbed with the noise of the family. The furniture shall be very plain; no costly hangings, no stands, no couches, no looking-glasses, but a bed, and a table, a stool, and a candlestick, all that was needful for his convenience, not only for his repose, but for his study, his reading and writing. Elisha seemed highly pleased with these accommodations, for he turned in and lay there (v.<\/I><\/span> 11<\/span>), and, as it should seem, his man in the same chamber, for he was far from taking state.<\/P> II. Elisha’s gratitude for this kindness. Being exceedingly pleased with the quietness of his apartment, and the friendliness of his entertainment, he began to consider with himself what recompence he should make her. Those that receive courtesies should study to return them; it ill becomes men of God to be ungrateful, or to sponge upon those that are generous. 1. He offered to use his interest for her in the king’s court (v.<\/I><\/span> 13<\/span>): Thou hast been careful for us with all this care<\/I> (thus did he magnify the kindness he received, as those that are humble are accustomed to do, though in the purse of one so rich, and in the breast of one so free, it was as nothing); now what shall be done for thee?<\/I> As the liberal devise liberal things, so the grateful devise grateful things. “Wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or the captain of the host,<\/I> for an office for thy husband, civil or military? Hast thou any complaint to make, any petition to present, any suit at law depending, that needs the countenance of the high powers? Wherein can I serve thee?” It seems Elisha had got such an interest by his late services that, though he chose not to prefer himself by it, yet he was capable of preferring his friends. A good man can take as much pleasure in serving others as in raising himself. But she needs not any good offices of this kind to be done for her: I dwell<\/I> (says she) among my own people,<\/I> that is, “We are well off as we are, and do not aim at preferment.” It is a happiness to dwell among our own people,<\/I> that love and respect us, and to whom we are in a capacity of doing good; and a greater happiness to be content to do so, to be easy, and to know when we are well off. Why should those that live comfortably among their own people covet to live delicately in kings’ palaces? It would be well with many if they did but know when they were well off. Some years after this we find this Shunammite had occasion to be spoken for to the king, though now she needed it not, 2Ki 8:3<\/span>; 2Ki 8:4<\/span>. Those that dwell among their own people must not think their mountain stands so strong as that it cannot be moved; they may be driven, as this good woman was, to sojourn among strangers. Our continuing city is above. 2. He did use his interest for her in the court of heaven, which was far better. Elisha consulted with his servant what kindness he should do for her, to such a freedom did this great prophet admit even his servant. Gehazi reminded him that she was childless, had a great estate, but no son to leave it to, and was past hopes of having any, her husband being old. If Elisha could obtain this favour from God for her, it would be the removal of that which at present was her only grievance. Those are the most welcome kindnesses which are most suited to our necessities. He sent for her immediately. She very humbly and respectfully stood in the door<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 15<\/span>), according to her accustomed modesty, and then he assured her that within a year she should bring forth a son, v.<\/I><\/span> 16<\/span>. She had received this prophet in the name of a prophet,<\/I> and now she had not a courtier’s reward, in being spoken for to the king, but a prophet’s reward, a signal mercy given by prophets and in answer to prayer: the promise was a surprise to her, and she begged that she might not be flattered by it: “Nay, my lord, thou<\/I> are a man of God,<\/I> and therefore I hope speakest seriously, and doth not jest with me, nor lie unto thy handmaid.” The event, within the time limited, confirmed the truth of the promise: She bore a son<\/I> at the season that Elisha spoke of, v.<\/I><\/span> 17<\/span>. God built up her house, in reward to her kindness in building the prophet a chamber. We may well imagine what joy this brought to the family. Sing, O barren! thou that didst not bear.<\/I><\/P> <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The Shunammite Woman – Verses 8-17<\/p>\n Elisha appears to have made his usual abode at Samaria, and in nearby towns. As he moved about the country he passed frequently through the town of Shunem, which was a very few miles north of Jezreel, in the upper reaches of the valley of Jezreel. There lived here a great woman, whose name is not found anywhere in the Scriptures. She is introduced as “a great woman,” but again the reason for her greatness is not expressed. Certainly she was great in her love for the Lord and His servants. This she displayed by inviting the passing prophet to her table (3Jn 1:5-6<\/span>).<\/p>\n This great woman was not content with what she was doing for this man of God, and persuaded her husband to construct for Elisha his own private room and study on the wall of their house. This means that the room would be build upon the roof of the house, possibly a corner, and would be accessible by an outside stairway, so that the prophet would have privacy in it. Inside she would equip it with a bed, table, stool, and a candlestick, all the necessities he would require in his sojourn. Someone has drawn analogies to these things: 1) the bed for rest in the word; 2) the table for feasting on His word; 3) a stool for instruction from the word; 4) a candlestick for illumination of the word (Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
I. <\/strong>Hospitality rightfully employed. The object of the hospitality was Elisha the prophet, and the author of it is called here a great woman. Observe,<\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>Hospitality nobly rewarded. Elisha, instead of being insensible to the great generosity of his hostess, glowed with gratitude that prompted a strong desire to make some return. His offer,<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n
II. <\/strong>This woman was great in her kindness toward Gods messenger. Elisha may have been a stranger in that household, but as she found out he had come on a Divine mission, he was cordially welcomed.<\/p>\n
III. <\/strong>This woman was great in her behaviour under trouble. Her only son had died on her lap. A very bright light went out in that household. The sacred writer puts it very tersely when he says, He sat on her knee until noon, and then he died. Yet the writer goes on to say that she exclaimed, It is well! Great in prosperity, this woman was great in trouble. Where are the feet that have not been blistered on the hot sands of this great Sahara? Where are the shoulders that have not bent under the burden of grief? Where is the ship sailing over glassy sea that has not after awhile been caught in a cyclone? Where is the garden of earthly comfort, but trouble hath hitched up its fiery and panting team and gone through it with burning ploughshare of disaster? Under the pelting of ages of suffering the great heart of the world has burst with woe.<\/p>\n
IV. <\/strong>This woman was great in her application to domestic duties. Every picture is a home picture, whether she is entertaining an Elisha, or whether she is giving careful attention to her sick boy, or whether she is appealing for the restoration of her property. Every picture in her case is a home picture. Those are not disciples of this Shunammite woman who, going out to attend to outside charities, neglect the duty of home–the duty of wife, of mother, of daughter. No faithfulness in public benefaction can ever atone for domestic negligence. There has been many a mother who, by indefatigable toll, has reared a large family of children, equipping them for the duties of life with good manners and large intelligence and Christian principle, starting them out, who has done more for the world than many a woman whose name has sounded through all the lands and through the centuries. I remember, when Kossuth was in this country, there were some ladies who got honourable reputations by presenting him very gracefully with bouquets of flowers on public occasions; but what was all that compared with the work of the plain Hungarian mother who gave to truth, and civilisation, and the cause of universal liberty, a Kossuth? Yes; this woman of my text was great in her domesticity. When this prophet wanted to reward her for her hospitality by asking some preferment from the king, what did she say? She declined it. She said, I dwell among my own people–as much as to say, I am satisfied with my lot; all I want is my family and my friends around me–I dwell among my own people. Oh, what a rebuke to the strife for precedence in all ages!<\/p>\n
V. <\/strong>This woman was great in her piety. She had faith in God, and she was not ashamed to talk about it before idolators. Ah! woman will never appreciate what she owes to Christianity until she knows and sees the degradation of her sex under Paganism and Mohammedanism. Her very birth considered a misfortune. Sold like cattle on the shambles. Slave of all work, and, at last, her body fuel for the funeral pyre of her husband. Above the shriek of the fire worshippers in India, and <\/strong>above the rumbling of the Juggernauts, I hear the million-voiced groan of wronged, insulted, broken-hearted, down-trodden woman. Her tears have fallen in the Nile and Tigris, the La Plata, and on the steppes of Tartary. She has been dishonoured in Turkish garden and Persian palace and Spanish Alhambra. Her little ones have been sacrificed in the Indus and the Ganges. There is not a groan, or a dungeon, or an island, or a mountain, or a river, or a lake, or a sea, but could tell a story of the outrages heaped upon her. But thanks to God this glorious Christianity comes forth, and all the chains of this vassalage are snapped, and she rises from ignominy to exalted sphere and becomes the affectionate daughter, the gentle wife, the honoured mother, the useful Christian. Oh, if Christianity has done so much for woman, surely woman will become its most ardent advocate and its sublimest exemplification! (T. De Witt Talmage,<\/em> D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\nFuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n