2 Kings 4:27
in 2 Kings 4When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and Jehovah hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 2 Kings 4
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAnd when she came to the man of God to the hill,.... To the top of it: she caught him by the feet; in reverence to him, and as a supplicant, she prostrated herself at his feet, and, out of affection to him, caught hold on them, and held them fast, and determined not to leave him until he had promised to go with her, see Mat 28:9. It was usual with the Jews to lay hold on and kiss the feet or knees of those to whom they did homage, or made supplication, see Mat 28:
This site's exposition
caught him by the feet
on 2 Kings 4:27-28
Elisha states his own limit plainly, the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me, a prophet's knowledge bounded by what is revealed rather than total, the same boundary Micaiah's court scene will dramatize later at 1 Ki 22. The woman's answer in the next verse throws Elisha's own promise back at him almost word for word, did I not say, Do not deceive me, holding the man of God to the word he gave rather than accepting comfort in place of it.
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 Awakening2 voices
Withal, she intimated, what she durst not presume to express in words, that she desired him to go along with her. Let her alone - Disturb her not, for this gesture is a sign of some extraordinary grief. Hid it - Whereby he signifies, that what he knew or did, was not by any virtue inherent in himself, but from God, who revealed to him only what and when he pleased.
What she said was very pathetic. She appealed to the prophet, (1.) Concerning her indifference to this mercy which was now taken from her: " Did I desire a son of my lord? No, thou knowest I did not; it was thy own proposal, not mine;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
She caught him by the feet - To lay hold of the knees or feet has always been thought in the East to add force to supplication, and is practiced even at the present day. Compare Mat 18:29; Joh 11:32.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The violent paroxysm of grief into which she fell on approaching him, appeared to Gehazi an act of disrespect to his master; he was preparing to remove her when the prophet's observant eye perceived that she was overwhelmed with some unknown cause of distress. How great is a mother's love! how wondrous are the works of Providence!
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me - In reference to this point he had not now the discernment of spirits. This, and the gift of prophecy, were influences which God gave and suspended as his infinite wisdom saw good.
The words behind it
26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתָּבֹ֞א | vatavo' | and she came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אִ֤ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָהָ֔ר | hahar | the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
| וַֽתַּחֲזֵ֖ק | vatachazek | and she took hold | H2388 → | 291 times |
| בְּרַגְלָ֑יו | beraglav | on feet his | H7272 → | 247 times |
| וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ | vaiyigash | and he drew near | H5066 → | 125 times |
| גֵּֽיחֲזִ֜י | geichazi | Gehazi | H1522 → | 12 times |
| לְהָדְפָ֗הּ | lehadefah | to drive away her | H1920 → | |
| וַיֹּאמֶר֩ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אִ֨ישׁ | ʾish | [the] man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| הַרְפֵּֽה־ | harpeh- | refrain | H7503 → | |
| לָהּ֙ | lah | to her | ||
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| נַפְשָׁ֣הּ | nafshah | self her | H5315 → | 754 times |
| מָֽרָה־ | marah- | it is bitter | H4843 → | |
| לָ֔הּ | lah | to her | ||
| וַֽיהוָה֙ | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הֶעְלִ֣ים | he'lim | he has hidden | H5956 → | |
| מִמֶּ֔נִּי | mimeni | from me | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הִגִּ֖יד | higid | he has told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לִֽי׃ | li | to me |
וַתָּבֹ֞אand she came
vatavo'H935 →2568 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אִ֤ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָהָ֔רthe mountain
haharH2022 →546 times
וַֽתַּחֲזֵ֖קand she took hold
vatachazekH2388 →291 times
בְּרַגְלָ֑יוon feet his
beraglavH7272 →247 times
וַיִּגַּ֨שׁand he drew near
vaiyigashH5066 →125 times
גֵּֽיחֲזִ֜יGehazi
geichaziH1522 →12 times
לְהָדְפָ֗הּto drive away her
lehadefahH1920 →
וַיֹּאמֶר֩and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אִ֨ישׁ[the] man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
הַרְפֵּֽה־refrain
harpeh-H7503 →
לָהּ֙to her
lah
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
נַפְשָׁ֣הּself her
nafshahH5315 →754 times
מָֽרָה־it is bitter
marah-H4843 →
לָ֔הּto her
lah
וַֽיהוָה֙and Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
הֶעְלִ֣יםhe has hidden
he'limH5956 →
מִמֶּ֔נִּיfrom me
mimeniH4480 →1188 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
הִגִּ֖ידhe has told
higidH5046 →370 times
לִֽי׃to me
li
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 18:17And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?
it leads to
- Amos 3:7
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 25:14
The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.
- John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have…
- Amos 3:7
Through
2 Samuel 7:3And Nathan replied to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 22:7
“My son,” said David to Solomon, “it was in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God,
- 1 Kings 8:17–18
Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the Name of the LORD, the God of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 22:7
Through
2 Kings 6:12But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
it leads to
- Daniel 2:28–30
But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions that came into your…
- 2 Kings 6:9–10
Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.”
- Daniel 2:28–30
Through
2 Kings 4:25So she set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the…
it leads to
- 2 Kings 2:25
And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
- 2 Kings 2:25
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; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 4:17; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.