2 Kings 4:12
in 2 Kings 4And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.” And when he had called her, she stood before him,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
KJV
And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
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This verse in 2 Kings 4
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
went to his upper room to lie down
on 2 Kings 4:11-13
Elisha speaks to the woman and offers to speak “to the king or the commander of the army”, which shows his standing at court. She answers, “I have a home among my own people”, and asks nothing that such access could buy.
This site's exposition
said to Gehazi his servant
Gehazi is named here for the first time, the servant who carries Elisha's words through this chapter. Albert Barnes noted that the Shunammite's care covered the servant too, lodged in her house along with his master. She comes when called and stands before Elisha.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he said to Gehazi his servant,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Gehazi his servant - This is the first time we hear of this very indifferent character.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| גֵּחֲזִ֣י | gechazi | Gehazi | H1522 → | 12 times |
| נַעֲר֔וֹ | naaro | servant his | H5288 → | 239 times |
| קְרָ֖א | kera' | summon | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לַשּׁוּנַמִּ֣ית | lashunamit | <to> the Shunammite [woman] | H7767 → | 8 times |
| הַזֹּ֑את | hazot | <the> this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| וַיִּקְרָא־ | vaiyikra'- | and he summoned | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לָ֔הּ | lah | <to> her | ||
| וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד | vataamod | and she stood | H5975 → | 521 times |
| לְפָנָֽיו׃ | lefanav | <to> before him | H6440 → | 2123 times |
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
גֵּחֲזִ֣יGehazi
gechaziH1522 →12 times
נַעֲר֔וֹservant his
naaroH5288 →239 times
קְרָ֖אsummon
kera'H7121 →733 times
לַשּׁוּנַמִּ֣ית<to> the Shunammite [woman]
lashunamitH7767 →8 times
הַזֹּ֑את<the> this
hazotH2063 →603 times
וַיִּקְרָא־and he summoned
vaiyikra'-H7121 →733 times
לָ֔הּ<to> her
lah
וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖דand she stood
vataamodH5975 →521 times
לְפָנָֽיו׃<to> before him
lefanavH6440 →2123 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 3:11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 22:7
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”
- 1 Kings 19:21
So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s equipment, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set…
- 2 Kings 3:3
Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
- 2 Kings 2:25
And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
- Psalms 74:9
There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.
- 1 Kings 22:7
Through
1 Kings 19:3And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
it leads to
- Genesis 21:31
So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
- Matthew 26:56
But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
- Matthew 26:70–74
But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”
- Genesis 21:31
Where this verse is studied
About 2 Kings

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
