She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; then she picked up her son, and went out.
- KJV Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
- NKJV So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.
- NASB Then she came in and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground, and she picked up her son and left.
- NLT She fell at his feet and bowed before him, overwhelmed with gratitude. Then she took her son in her arms and carried him downstairs.
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 woman falls at Elisha's feet in grateful worship, then takes her son and leaves. Restored life moves her to humble thanksgiving to God.
Overview
She bows in gratitude, recognizing God's power at work through His prophet. Her worship is the fitting response to resurrection grace. Taking up her living son, she goes out rejoicing. The scene foreshadows the worship and joy that the resurrection of the dead will bring in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Heb 11:35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused their release, so that they might gain a better resurrection.
- 1 Kgs 17:24Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”
- 2 Kgs 4:27When 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.”
- 2 Kgs 2:15When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
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 4:37 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.