◄ 2 Kings 4:32 ►
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.
Study Bible
When Elisha reached the house
Elisha, the prophet and successor of Elijah, is central to this narrative. His journey to the house signifies his role as a mediator of God's power. The context involves the Shunammite woman, who had shown hospitality to Elisha and was blessed with a son. This event takes place in Shunem, a town in the territory of Issachar, highlighting the geographical setting of Elisha's ministry in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Elisha's arrival underscores the importance of prophetic presence in times of crisis, reflecting the role of prophets as God's representatives.

there was the boy
The boy is the miraculous child promised to the Shunammite woman by Elisha. His presence in the narrative emphasizes the fulfillment of God's promises through the prophet. The boy's death presents a crisis of faith and a test of the woman's trust in God's word. This situation parallels other biblical accounts where God tests faith through trials, such as Abraham with Isaac.

lying dead on his bed
The boy's death is a pivotal moment, symbolizing the fragility of life and the reality of human mortality. The bed, a place of rest, becomes a place of death, highlighting the reversal of expectations. This scene sets the stage for a miraculous intervention, foreshadowing resurrection themes found throughout Scripture. It prefigures the power of God to bring life from death, a theme ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ's resurrection. The narrative invites reflection on the sovereignty of God over life and death, and the hope of restoration through divine intervention.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Elisha
A prophet and successor of Elijah, known for performing miracles and being a man of God.

2. The Shunammite Woman
A hospitable and faithful woman who provided for Elisha and was blessed with a son through his prophecy.

3. The Shunammite's Son
The child miraculously given to the Shunammite woman, who later fell ill and died.

4. Shunem
The town where the Shunammite woman lived, located in the territory of Issachar.

5. Elisha's Room
A special room prepared by the Shunammite woman for Elisha, symbolizing her faith and hospitality.
Teaching Points
Faith in God's Promises
The Shunammite woman's account encourages believers to trust in God's promises, even when circumstances seem dire.

The Power of Prayer and Persistence
Her journey to seek Elisha's help demonstrates the importance of persistent prayer and seeking God's intervention.

God's Sovereignty Over Life and Death
Elisha's miracle underscores God's ultimate authority over life and death, reminding us of His power and compassion.

Hospitality and Generosity
The Shunammite woman's hospitality towards Elisha serves as a model for believers to be generous and open-hearted.

The Role of Prophets and God's Servants
Elisha's actions remind us of the importance of God's servants in delivering His message and performing His works.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the Shunammite woman's faith and actions challenge us to trust God in difficult situations?

2. In what ways can we demonstrate hospitality and generosity in our own lives, following the example of the Shunammite woman?

3. How does Elisha's miracle of raising the Shunammite's son to life connect with the New Testament accounts of Jesus' miracles?

4. What can we learn about the power of prayer and persistence from the Shunammite woman's response to her son's death?

5. How does the account of Elisha and the Shunammite woman encourage us to recognize and respond to God's sovereignty in our lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 17:17-24
The account of Elijah raising the widow's son parallels Elisha's miracle, showing God's power over life and death.

John 11:1-44
The resurrection of Lazarus by Jesus highlights the continuity of God's power to give life through His servants.

Hebrews 11:35
References women receiving their dead back to life, connecting the faith of the Shunammite woman to the broader account of faith in God's promises.
Sermons
A Day in a Mother's LifeWilliam Forsyth, A. M.2 Kings 4:18-37
Concerning Accidents2 Kings 4:18-37
Death and RestorationC.H. Irwin 2 Kings 4:18-37
The Empty HomeF. S. Webster, M. A.2 Kings 4:18-37
The Lady of Shunem: 2. the Son Taken and RestoredJ. Orr 2 Kings 4:18-37
The Relation of Prayer to Secondary CausesD. Thomas 2 Kings 4:32-37
People
Elisha, Gehazi
Places
Baal-shalishah, Edom, Gilgal, Mount Carmel, Shunem
Topics
Bed, Behold, Boy, Child, Couch, Dead, Elisha, Eli'sha, Lad, Laid, Lying, Reached, Stretched, Youth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
2 Kings 4:29-37

     5333   healing

2 Kings 4:32-33

     5901   loneliness

2 Kings 4:32-35

     7773   prophets, role
     8612   prayer, and faith
     8614   prayer, answers

2 Kings 4:32-36

     5136   body

2 Kings 4:32-37

     1416   miracles, nature of
     5658   boys
     5720   mothers, examples

Library
When the Oil Flows
'And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.'--2 KINGS iv. 6. The series of miracles ascribed to Elisha are very unlike most of the wonderful works of even the Old Testament, and still more unlike those of the New. For about a great many of them there seems to have been no special purpose, either doctrinal or otherwise, but simply the relief of trivial and transient distresses. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Miracle Needing Effort
'So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite: 26. Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband! is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well. 27. 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, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Infant Salvation
Now, let every mother and father here present know assuredly that it is well with the child, if God hath taken it away from you in its infant days. You never heard its declaration of faith--it was not capable of such a thing--it was not baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ, not buried with him in baptism; it was not capable of giving that "answer of a good conscience towards God;" nevertheless, you may rest assured that it is well with the child, well in a higher and a better sense than it is well …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 7: 1861

That the Grace of Devotion is Acquired by Humility and Self-Denial
The Voice of the Beloved Thou oughtest to seek earnestly the grace of devotion, to ask it fervently, to wait for it patiently and faithfully, to receive it gratefully, to preserve it humbly, to work with it diligently, and to leave to God the time and manner of heavenly visitation until it come. Chiefly oughtest thou to humble thyself when thou feelest inwardly little or no devotion, yet not to be too much cast down, nor to grieve out of measure. God ofttimes giveth in one short moment what He …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Extracts No. Ix.
[As the objector here begins to give up his ground, his letters from this place will be given nearly entire. He commences this number as follows, viz.] "Dear sir and brother--Your reply to my seventh number has been received, and hereby duly acknowledged. I have just given it a second reading, with peculiar care and attention; and I must add, generally speaking, with peculiar satisfaction too; for as it has tended in some degree to revive my almost extinguished faith in divine revelation, so it …
Hosea Ballou—A Series of Letters In Defence of Divine Revelation

Abram's Horror of Great Darkness.
"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him." If we consider the sketch, given us in scripture, of the life of this patriarch, we shall find that few have had equal manifestations of the divine favor. But the light did not at all times shine on him. He had his dark hours while dwelling in this strange land. Here we find an horror of great darkness to have fallen upon him. The language used to describe his state, on this occasion, …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

The Soul.
Man as we behold him is not all there is of man. He is a wonderful being. He stands in the highest order of God's creation. He Is A Compound. Man was created a physical and spiritual organism. He possesses an animal and a spiritual life. Thus he is connected with two worlds. The physical creation is termed the "outward man," and the spiritual, the "inward man." "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Cor. 4:16. "For we know …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

Answer to the Jewish Rabby's Letter.
WE Are now come to the letter of Mr. W's Jewish Rabby, whom Mr. W. calls his friend, and says his letter consists of calm and sedate reasoning, p. 55. I on the other hand can see no reason in it. But the reader than not need to rely upon my judgment. Therefore I will transcribe some parts of it, and then make some remarks. The argument of the letter is, that the story of Lazarus's being raised is an imposture; or else the Jews could not have been so wicked, as to be on that account provoked against …
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

Supplementary Note to Chapter ii. The Year of Christ's Birth.
The Christian era commences on the 1st of January of the year 754 of the city of Rome. That our Lord was born about the time stated in the text may appear from the following considerations-- The visit of the wise men to Bethlehem must have taken place a very few days after the birth of Jesus, and before His presentation in the temple. Bethlehem was not the stated residence of Joseph and Mary, either before or after the birth of the child (Luke i. 26, ii. 4, 39; Matt. ii. 2). They were obliged to …
William Dool Killen—The Ancient Church

Synagogues: their Origin, Structure and Outward Arrangements
It was a beautiful saying of Rabbi Jochanan (Jer. Ber. v. 1), that he who prays in his house surrounds and fortifies it, so to speak, with a wall of iron. Nevertheless, it seems immediately contradicted by what follows. For it is explained that this only holds good where a man is alone, but that where there is a community prayer should be offered in the synagogue. We can readily understand how, after the destruction of the Temple, and the cessation of its symbolical worship, the excessive value attached …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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