Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took 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.
- BSB She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked 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 their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
- 1 Kgs 17:24And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.
- 2 Kgs 4:27And 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.
- 2 Kgs 2:15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
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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
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