And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then 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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 7:12Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
- John 11:3Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
- John 11:14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
- John 11:5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
- Luke 2:35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
- Ezek 24:16–18Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
- Gen 37:3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.
- Gen 37:5And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
- 1 Kgs 17:17And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
- Gen 22:2And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
- Isa 49:15Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
- Isa 66:13As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.