2 Kings 4:21
in 2 Kings 4And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door and went out.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
KJV
And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
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This verse in 2 Kings 4
Commentary
6 notes on this verseLaid him on the bed of the man of God - She had no doubt heard that Elijah had raised the widow’s son of Zarephath to life; and she believed that he who had obtained this gift from God for her, could obtain his restoration to life.
This site's exposition
laid him on the bed
on 2 Kings 4:21-23
She lays the body on the very bed built for the man of God at v10 and shuts the door a third time in this chapter, the same gesture that guarded the oil miracle at v4. She tells her husband neither the death nor her destination, only that it shall be well, the word shalom, which is neither denial nor deception but a settled conviction that the God who gave this son has not finished with him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her," but after a few years, the child died. His mother placed the corpse on the bed of the prophet in the high room of her house …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Bed of the man of God - Being apt to believe, he that so soon took away what he had given, would restore what he had taken away. By this faith women received their dead raised to life. In this faith she makes no preparation for the burial of her child, but for his resurrection.
), expecting that he will stand her friend. O woman! great is thy faith. he that wrought it would not frustrate it. The sorrowful mother's application to the prophet on this sad occasion; for it happened very opportunely that he was now at the college upon Mount Carmel, not far off.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And she went up,....
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתַּ֙עַל֙ | vataal | and she went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| וַתַּשְׁכִּבֵ֔הוּ | vatashkivehu | and she made lie him | H7901 → | 212 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| מִטַּ֖ת | mitat | [the] bed of | H4296 → | 29 times |
| אִ֣ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וַתִּסְגֹּ֥ר | vatisgor | and she shut | H5462 → | 91 times |
| בַּעֲד֖וֹ | baado | behind him | H1157 → | 105 times |
| וַתֵּצֵֽא׃ | vatetze' | and she went out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
וַתַּ֙עַל֙and she went up
vataalH5927 →890 times
וַתַּשְׁכִּבֵ֔הוּand she made lie him
vatashkivehuH7901 →212 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
מִטַּ֖ת[the] bed of
mitatH4296 →29 times
אִ֣ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
וַתִּסְגֹּ֥רand she shut
vatisgorH5462 →91 times
בַּעֲד֖וֹbehind him
baadoH1157 →105 times
וַתֵּצֵֽא׃and she went out
vatetze'H3318 →1067 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 4:10Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”
it leads to
- Romans 12:13
Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.
- Matthew 25:40
And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
- Matthew 10:41–42
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
- Hebrews 10:24
And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.
- 1 Peter 4:9–10
Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
- Romans 12:13
Through
1 Kings 17:19But Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 4:32
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.
- 2 Kings 4:32
Through
2 Kings 4:7She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live on the remainder.”
it leads to
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7–12
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not undisciplined among you,
- 2 Thessalonians 3:7–12
Through
2 Kings 4:32When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.
it leads to
- John 11:17
When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb.
- John 11:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:17; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.