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2 Kings 8:3

in 2 Kings 8

At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.

KJV

And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.

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This verse in 2 Kings 8

Commentary

4 notes on this verse
During the Shunammite’s absence in Philistia, her dwelling and her grain-fields had been appropriated by some one who refused to restore them. She therefore determined to appeal to the king. Such direct appeals are common in Oriental countries. Compare 2Ki 6:26; 2Sa 14:4; 1Ki 3:16.

This site's exposition

Arise, you and your household

on 2 Kings 8:1-3

Elisha sends away the woman whose son he raised in chapter 4, telling her that “the LORD has decreed a seven-year famine”. She and her household live “as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines” and return at the end of the term.

This site's exposition

to appeal for her house and her land

Albert Barnes supposes that someone had taken over her house and fields while she was away and refused to give them back. A direct appeal to the king was common in the East, and Barnes sets her beside petitioners at 2 Samuel 14:4 and 1 Kings 3:16.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

And it came to pass, at the seven years end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines,....

The words behind it

16 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיְהִ֗יand it was

    vayhiH1961 →3559 times

  • מִקְצֵה֙from [the] end of

    miktzehH7097 →97 times

  • שֶׁ֣בַעseven

    sheva'H7651 →394 times

  • שָׁנִ֔יםyears

    shanimH8141 →877 times

  • וַתָּ֥שָׁבand she returned

    vatashovH7725 →1056 times

  • הָאִשָּׁ֖הthe woman

    haishahH802 →781 times

  • מֵאֶ֣רֶץfrom [the] land of

    meeretzH776 →2504 times

  • פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים[the] Philistines

    pelishtimH6430 →287 times

  • וַתֵּצֵא֙and she went out

    vatetze'H3318 →1067 times

  • לִצְעֹ֣קto cry out

    litzokH6817 →55 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • אֶל־concerning

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • בֵּיתָ֖הּhouse her

    beitahH1004 →2046 times

  • וְאֶל־and concerning

    veel-H413 →5510 times

  • שָׂדָֽהּ׃field her

    sadahH7704 →334 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

10 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Ruth 1:7Accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road leading back to the land of Judah.3 works2 Samuel 14:4When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!”2 worksPsalms 82:3–4Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.2 worksJeremiah 22:16He took up the cause of the poor and needy, and so it went well with him. Is this not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.2 works2 Kings 4:13and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’” “I have a home among my own people,” she replied.2 works2 Kings 8:6When the king asked the woman, she confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the country until now.”2 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Kings 6:26As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!”2 worksLuke 18:3–5And there was a widow in that town who kept appealing to him, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’2 works2 Samuel 19:28For all the house of my grandfather deserves death from my lord the king, yet you have set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right, then, do I have to keep appealing to the king?”2 worksPsalms 107:39When they are decreased and humbled by oppression, evil, and sorrow,2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 8:6

    When the king asked the woman, she confirmed it. So the king appointed for her an officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers, along with all the proceeds of the field from the day…

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 16:7

      When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him.

    • Proverbs 21:1

      The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.

    • 2 Samuel 9:7

      “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you…

  • Through

    Jeremiah 22:16

    He took up the cause of the poor and needy, and so it went well with him. Is this not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD.

    it leads to

    • Jeremiah 9:24

      But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things,”…

    • Isaiah 1:17

      Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”

    • 1 John 2:3–4

      By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.

    • Titus 1:16

      They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.

  • Through

    2 Kings 4:13

    and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or…

    it leads to

    • 2 Timothy 1:16–18

      May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.

Where this verse is studied

About 2 Kings

Jews Mourning in Exile, Eduard Bendemann, 1832, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Public domain.
Jews Mourning in Exile, Eduard Bendemann, 1832, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Public domain.
2 Kings: the study guide →Read 2 Kings 8 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Kings 8 →