2 Kings 4:14
in 2 Kings 4So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.
KJV
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
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This verse in 2 Kings 4
Commentary
3 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
she hath no child, and
on 2 Kings 4:14-15
Gehazi supplies the detail Elisha has not noticed himself, that the woman is childless and her husband aged, and the shape of what follows repeats the annunciation given to Abraham and Sarah at Gen 18:10-14, a barren household promised a son at an appointed season. The prophetic word functions here as it did there, not a guess at what the couple wants but a sovereign announcement of what will be given.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he said,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
What then is to be done for her? - It seems that the woman retired as soon as she had delivered the answer mentioned in the preceding verse.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֕אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| וּמֶ֖ה | umeh | and what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת | laasot | [is] to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לָ֑הּ | lah | for her | ||
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| גֵּיחֲזִ֗י | geichazi | Gehazi | H1522 → | 12 times |
| אֲבָ֛ל | ʾaval | indeed | H61 → | |
| בֵּ֥ן | ben | a son | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אֵֽין־ | ʾein- | not | H369 → | 789 times |
| לָ֖הּ | lah | [belongs] to her | ||
| וְאִישָׁ֥הּ | veishah | and husband her | H376 → | 1663 times |
| זָקֵֽן׃ | zaken | he is old | H2204 → |
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
וּמֶ֖הand what?
umehH4100 →752 times
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת[is] to do
laasotH6213 →2628 times
לָ֑הּfor her
lah
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
גֵּיחֲזִ֗יGehazi
geichaziH1522 →12 times
אֲבָ֛לindeed
ʾavalH61 →
בֵּ֥ןa son
benH1121 →4930 times
אֵֽין־not
ʾein-H369 →789 times
לָ֖הּ[belongs] to her
lah
וְאִישָׁ֥הּand husband her
veishahH376 →1663 times
זָקֵֽן׃he is old
zakenH2204 →
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
Genesis 25:21Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 33:13
And when he prayed to Him, the LORD received his plea and heard his petition; so He brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.
- Ezra 8:23
So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and He granted our request.
- Isaiah 58:9
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and…
- Luke 1:13
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
- Romans 9:10–12
Not only that, but Rebecca’s children were conceived by one man, our father Isaac.
- 2 Chronicles 33:13
Through
Judges 13:2Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
it leads to
- Genesis 25:21
Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Genesis 25:21
Through
1 Samuel 1:8“Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
it leads to
- Ruth 4:15
He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
- Ruth 4:15
Through
Luke 1:7But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
it leads to
- Hebrews 11:11
By faith Sarah, even though she was barren and beyond the proper age, was enabled to conceive a child, because she considered Him faithful who had promised.
- Hebrews 11:11
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Keil, The Books of the Kings.
