He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the Lord.
Parallel translations
- WEB He went in therefore, and shut the door on them both, and prayed to Yahweh.
- KJV He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
- BSB So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.
- NKJV He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.
- NASB So he entered and shut the door behind them both, and he prayed to the Lord.
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
Elisha shuts the door and prays to Yahweh. The raising of the dead begins with private, earnest prayer to God.
Overview
Alone with the child, Elisha turns first to prayer, acknowledging that life comes from God alone. The closed door marks a moment of intimate dependence rather than display. This models that mighty works flow from communion with the Lord. The prophet seeks not his own power but God's gracious intervention.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 6:6But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
- 2 Kgs 4:4Go in and shut the door on you and on your sons, and pour oil into all those containers; and set aside those which are full.”
- Acts 9:40Peter sent them all out, and knelt down and prayed. Turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
- Jas 5:13–18Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
- Luke 8:51When he came to the house, he didn’t allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother.
- 1 Kgs 17:20–21He cried to Yahweh, and said, “Yahweh my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”
- John 11:41–42So they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, “Father, I thank you that you listened to me.
- 2 Kgs 6:17–18Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the young man’s eyes; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.
- 2 Kgs 5:11But Naaman was angry, and went away, and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.’
- 1 Kgs 18:26–27They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leaped about the altar which was made.
- 2 Kgs 6:20When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “Yahweh, open these men’s eyes, that they may see.” Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the middle of Samaria.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 4:33 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.