When he had carried him and brought him to his mother, he 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.
- 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.
- 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 near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her.
- John 11:3The sisters therefore sent to him, saying, “Lord, behold, he for whom you have great affection is sick.”
- John 11:14So Jesus said to them plainly then, “Lazarus is dead.
- John 11:5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
- Luke 2:35Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
- Ezek 24:16–18Son of man, behold, I will take away from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke: yet you shall neither mourn nor weep, neither shall your 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 colors.
- Gen 37:5Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
- 1 Kgs 17:17After these things, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
- Gen 22:2He said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”
- Isa 49:15“Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, these may forget, yet I will not forget you!
- Isa 66:13As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you. You will 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.