After the servant had picked him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.
Parallel translations
- WEB When he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then died.
- KJV And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
- NKJV When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
- NASB When he had carried him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.
- NLT So the servant took him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But around noontime he died.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The child sits on his mother's lap until noon and then dies. The promised son is lost, plunging the family into grief.
Overview
The tender image of the boy in his mother's arms makes the loss more wrenching. Death claims the very child God had given by miracle. The verse confronts the painful reality that runs through Scripture. Yet it sets the stage for God to reveal His power over death itself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Luke 7:12As He approached the town gate, He saw a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
- John 11:3So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
- John 11:14So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
- John 11:5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
- Luke 2:35so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your soul as well.”
- Ezek 24:16–18“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
- Gen 37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.
- Gen 37:5Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
- 1 Kgs 17:17Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him.
- Gen 22:2“Take your son,” God said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
- Isa 49:15“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!
- Isa 66:13As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 4:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.