2 Kings Chapter 4

At a Glance

  • Chapter 4 unfolds as a double suite of miracles and acts of kindness that reveal God’s graciousness through the prophet Elisha.
  • The two narratives converge in themes of desperate need, divine response, and the reward of hospitality.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • This chapter sits within the Elisha cycle in 1–6 Kings.
  • - God’s compassion through ordinary means: oil as a tangible resource becomes a vehicle of divine provision.

Chapter Overview

Chapter 4 unfolds as a double suite of miracles and acts of kindness that reveal God’s graciousness through the prophet Elisha. The first story follows a widow in debt facing loss of her sons, whose need for financial rescue becomes a doorway for a dramatic miracle: a jar of oil multiplying as she borrows vessels from neighbors until all are filled, enabling her to sell the oil, pay the debt, and secure a livelihood for her family. The second story introduces the Shunammite woman—wealthy and hospitable—whose faithfulness to Elisha earns a place of honor in her home. When Elisha prays for a son to comfort her during longing, a child is born, only to die later; the resolution comes through Elisha’s prayer and the revival of the child’s life. The chapter emphasizes hospitality as a spiritual rhythm that opens doors to divine intervention, and it presents a theology of practical mercy: God meets immediate needs through the resources at hand, encouraged by faith-filled actions.

The two narratives converge in themes of desperate need, divine response, and the reward of hospitality. In both stories, Elisha acts as a conduit of God’s provision, yet the emphasis remains on the faith of ordinary people who respond to God with trust, courage, and initiative. The oil miracle is a tidy, teachable miracle about stewardship in crisis, while the Shunammite arc broadens the concept of blessing to include social virtue, liturgical memory (the room prepared for Elisha), and eventual prophetic multiplication in a future generation. The chapter showcases how prophetic ministry extends beyond public spheres into homes and kitchens, reminding readers that God’s grace often comes through ordinary acts of neighborly care.

Historical & Literary Context

This chapter sits within the Elisha cycle in 1–6 Kings. The material blends miracle narratives with domestic ethical lessons, illustrating how the prophet’s presence transforms personal and communal life. The “sons of the prophets” motif frames a school of prophetic activity—the institution of trained prophets who support one another and rely on God’s provision. The two stories—the widow and the Shunammite woman—demonstrate a recurring pattern: crisis triggers faith, faith triggers prophetic response, and God’s abundance flows through human trust. The writing is covenantal and didactic, designed to reinforce faith in a context where political power often falters and the true source of security remains God’s grace and human hospitality.

Key Themes

- God’s compassion through ordinary means: oil as a tangible resource becomes a vehicle of divine provision.

- Hospitality as spiritual discipline: hosting Elisha becomes the hinge of blessing.

- Faith and obedience as pathways to miracles: the widow’s hoarded jars, the Shunammite’s song of gratitude, and Gehazi’s facilitation.

- The ministry of the prophetic community: how Elisha’s circle collaborates to care for those in need.

- God’s restoration and blessing across generations: a future progeny is secured through present acts of faith.

Modern Application

The chapter invites believers to look for God’s provision in everyday resources and relationships. It encourages generous hospitality as a spiritual discipline that invites God into ordinary spaces. The widow’s trusted risk—borrowing vessels and pouring—speaks to modern financial anxiety: seek God first, utilize what is at hand, and trust that He can multiply what little you offer. The Shunammite’s story underscores the importance of recognizing and responding to prophetic or spiritual leadership with gratitude and generosity, creating space for blessing to ripple into families and communities. Practically, this can translate into acts of neighborly aid, mentoring, or supporting ministries that train future leaders. Theologically, the chapter reframes fortune and success: blessing is less about status and more about faithful obedience, generosity, and receptivity to God’s life-giving Spirit.

Cross-References

- 1 Kings 17 (Elijah and the widow of Zarephath)

- 2 Kings 6 (Elisha and the floating axe head)

- Luke 6:38 (give, and it will be given to you)

- 2 Kings 8 (the Shunammite’s son and Elisha’s mercy)

- Acts 4:32–35 (sharing resources for needs in the early church)

Recommended Personas

- Elisha (central lens of the miracles)

- The Shunammite Woman (hospitality and faith)

- The Widow (trust amid debt and scarcity)

- Jesus (hospitality, provision, and compassionate miracles as fulfillment of prophetic signs)

Chapter Text

1

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

2

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

3

Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4

And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

5

So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

6

And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

7

Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

8

And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

9

And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an 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 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 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 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.

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.

38

And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39

And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

40

So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

41

But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

42

And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

43

And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

44

So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

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