But she came to the man of God at the hill and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi came up to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is troubled within her; and the Lord has concealed it from me and has not informed me.”
Parallel translations
- WEB When she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said, “Leave her alone; for her soul is troubled within her; and Yahweh has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”
- KJV 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, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
- BSB When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
- NKJV Now when she came to the man of God at the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”
- NLT But when she came to the man of God at the mountain, she fell to the ground before him and caught hold of his feet. Gehazi began to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is deeply troubled, but the Lord has not told me what it is.”
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
She grasps Elisha's feet in anguish, and he restrains Gehazi, noting God had hidden her trouble from him. Her grief is real, and even the prophet depends on God's revelation.
Overview
The woman clings to Elisha in desperate sorrow, and he honors her distress. Elisha admits Yahweh had not shown him the cause, showing prophets know only what God reveals. This guards against viewing prophets as all-knowing in themselves. God remains sovereign over what His servants perceive, and He is about to act.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Gen 18:17Yahweh said, “Will I hide from Abraham what I do,
- 2 Sam 7:3Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart; for Yahweh is with you.”
- 1 Sam 1:10She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Yahweh, weeping bitterly.
- Amos 3:7Surely the Lord Yahweh will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.
- Prov 18:14A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?
- 2 Kgs 4:25So she went, and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her afar off, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, there is the Shunammite.
- Matt 15:23But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”
- Prov 14:10The heart knows its own bitterness and joy; he will not share these with a stranger.
- 2 Kgs 6:12One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”
- Job 10:1“My soul is weary of my life. I will give free course to my complaint. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Matt 28:9As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” They came and took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
- Luke 7:38Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
- Mark 10:13They were bringing to him little children, that he should touch them, but the disciples rebuked those who were bringing them.
- Matt 20:31The multitude rebuked them, telling them that they should be quiet, but they cried out even more, “Lord, have mercy on us, you son of David!”
- John 15:15No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
- John 4:27At this, his disciples came. They marveled that he was speaking with a woman; yet no one said, “What are you looking for?” or, “Why do you speak with her?”
- Mark 14:6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for me.
- John 12:4–7Then Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, one of his disciples, who would betray him, said,
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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 4:27 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
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