2 Kings 4:33
in 2 Kings 4So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto Jehovah.
KJV
He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord.
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This verse in 2 Kings 4
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Prayed - Prayer was the only remedy in such a case as this (compare the marginal reference and Jas 5:16), though it did not exclude the use of other means 2Ki 4:34.
This site's exposition
the child was dead, and
on 2 Kings 4:32-35
Elisha shuts the door a fourth time in this chapter and prays before he acts, then stretches himself on the child, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands, the same posture and the same verb Elijah used raising the widow's son at Zarephath, 1 Ki 17:21, one shape repeated from master to disciple. The warmth returns first, and only after Elisha walks the house and stretches over the boy a second time does life fully return, healing coming in two stages rather than one instant word. Seven sneezes end it, life reasserting itself through breath.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Then the mother of the child said, 'As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you.' " Now, since Elisha had stayed at home and had sent his disciple, the mother of the [dead] child pressed him to aid …
The Medieval Church1 voice
Therefore fear had no power to raise us from the death of sin, but the infused grace of meekness erected us to the seat of life. Which is well denoted by Elisha when he raised the child of the Shunamite.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Even the dead child is spoken of as a person, one of the twain, for it was still in being and not lost. He shut out all company, that he might not seem to glory in the power God had given him, or to use it for ostentation and to be seen of men.
), probably as Elijah had done, Let this child's soul come into him again. Christ raised the dead to life as one having authority-- Damsel, arise--young man, I say unto thee, Arise--Lazarus, come forth (for he was powerful and faithful as a Son, the Lord of life), but Elijah and Elisha did it by petition, as servants. [2.] He lay upon the child (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
Shut the door - Upon himself and the dead child, that he might pray to God without distraction, and might more freely use those means which he thought fit.
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain,.... Himself and the dead child; that nobody might come in and interrupt him in his prayers for the restoration of it to life, nor see the motions and gestures he used, and the postures he put himself in: and prayed unto the Lord; that he would restore the child to life.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Prayed unto the Lord - He had no power of his own by which he could restore the child.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיָּבֹ֕א | vaiyavo' | and he went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר | vaiyisgor | and he shut | H5462 → | 91 times |
| הַדֶּ֖לֶת | hadelet | the door | H1817 → | 88 times |
| בְּעַ֣ד | bead | behind | H1157 → | 105 times |
| שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם | sheneihem | [the] two of them | H8147 → | 768 times |
| וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֖ל | vaiyitpalel | and he prayed | H6419 → | 84 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַיָּבֹ֕אand he went
vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times
וַיִּסְגֹּ֥רand he shut
vaiyisgorH5462 →91 times
הַדֶּ֖לֶתthe door
hadeletH1817 →88 times
בְּעַ֣דbehind
beadH1157 →105 times
שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם[the] two of them
sheneihemH8147 →768 times
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֖לand he prayed
vaiyitpalelH6419 →84 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Matthew 6:6But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
it leads to
- Matthew 14:23
After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,
- Isaiah 65:24
Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
- Psalms 34:15
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their cry.
- Acts 9:40
Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
- Isaiah 26:20
Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed.
- Matthew 14:23
Through
Acts 9:40Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.
it leads to
- Matthew 9:25
After the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
- Mark 5:40–42
And they laughed at Him. After He had put them all outside, He took the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and went in to see the child.
- Luke 8:54
But Jesus took her by the hand and called out, “Child, get up!”
- Matthew 9:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
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 4:30-35; F. W. Farrar, The Second Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book 9; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.