2 Kings – Chapter 4

Old Testament44 Verses

Chapter Summary

"Now a certain woman of the wives of the prophets, cried to Eliseus, saying: Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou knowest that thy…" — so begins 2 Kings 4. Elisha stands at the center of this chapter. Across its 44 verses, two threads run through the text: family and covenant relationships and God feeding His people. Read slowly, this chapter rewards the kind of prayerful attention the Church calls lectio divina.

1Now a certain woman of the wives of the prophets, cried to Eliseus, saying: Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant was one that feared God, and behold the creditor is come to take away my two sons to serve him.

2And Eliseus said to her: What wilt thou have me do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in thy house? And she answered: I, thy handmaid, have nothing in my house but a little oil, to anoint me.

3And he said to her: Go, borrow of all thy neighbours empty vessels, not a few.

4And go in, and shut thy door, when thou art within, and thy sons: and pour out thereof into all those vessels: and when they are full, take them away.

5So the woman went, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons: they brought her the vessels, and she poured in.

6And when the vessels were full, she said to her son: Bring me yet a vessel. And he answered: I have no more. And the oil stood.

7And she came, and told the man of God. And he said: Go, sell the oil, and pay thy creditor: and thou and thy sons live of the rest.

8And there was a day when Eliseus passed by Sunam: now there was a great woman there, who detained him to eat bread: and as he passed often that way, he turned into her house to eat bread.

9And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us.

10Let us, therefore, make him a little chamber, and put a little bed in it for him, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick, that when he cometh to us he may abide there.

11Now, there was a certain day, when he came, and turned into the chamber, and rested there.

12And he said to Giezi, his servant: Call this Sunamitess. And when he had called her, and she stood before him,

13He said to his servant: Say to her: Behold, thou hast diligently served us in all things; what wilt thou have me to do for thee? Hast thou any business, and wilt thou, that I speak to the king, or to the general of the army? And she answered: I dwell in the midst of my own people.

14And he said: What will she then that I do for her? And Giezi said: Do not ask, for she hath no son, and her husband is old.

15Then he bid him call her. And when she was called, and stood before the door,

16He said to her: At this time, and this same hour, if life be in company, thou shalt have a son in thy womb. But she answered: Do not, I beseech thee, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.

17And the woman conceived, and brought forth a son in the time, and at the same hour that Eliseus had said.

18And the child grew. And on a certain day, when he went out to his father to the reapers,

19He said to his father: My head acheth, my head acheth. But he said to his servant. Take him, and carry him to his mother.

20And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, she sat him on her knees, until noon, and then he died.

21And she went up, and laid him upon the bed of the man of God, and shut the door: and going out,

22She called her husband, and said: Send with me, I beseech thee, one of thy servants, and an ass, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

23And he said to her: Why dost thou go to him? to day is neither new moon nor sabbath. She answered: I will go.

24And she saddled an ass, and commanded her servant: Drive, and make haste, make no stay in going: And do that which I bid thee.

25So she went forward, and came to the man of God, to mount Carmel: and when the man of God saw her coming towards, he said to Giezi, his servant: Behold that Sunamitess.

26Go, therefore, to meet her, and say to her: Is all well with thee, and with thy husband, and with thy son? And she answered: Well.

27And when she came to the man of God, to the mount, she caught hold on his feet: and Giezi came to remove her. And the man of God said: Let her alone for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

28And she said to him: Did I ask a son of my lord? did I not say to thee: Do not deceive me?

29Then he said to Giezi: Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go. If any man meet thee, salute him not: and if any man salute thee, answer him not: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

30But the mother of the child said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. He arose, therefore, and followed her.

31But Giezi was gone before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, and there was no voice nor sense: and he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: The child is not risen.

32Eliseus, therefore, went into the house, and behold the child lay dead on his bed:

33And going in, he shut the door upon him, and upon the child, and prayed to the Lord.

34And he went up, and lay upon the child: and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he bowed himself upon him, and the child's flesh grew warm.

35Then he returned and walked in the house, once to and fro: and he went up, and lay upon him: and the child gaped seven times, and opened his eyes.

36And he called Giezi, and said to him: Call this Sunamitess. And she being called, went in to him: and he said: Take up thy son.

37She came and fell at his feet, and worshipped upon the ground: and took up her son, and went out.

38And Eliseus returned to Galgal, and there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets dwelt before him: And he said to one of his servants: Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39And one went out into the field to gather wild herbs: and he found something like a wild vine, and gathered of it wild gourds of the field, and filled his mantle, and coming back, he shred them into the pot of pottage; for he knew not what it was.

40And they poured it out for their companions to eat: and when they had tasted of the pottage, they cried out, saying: Death is in the pot, O man of God. And they could not eat thereof.

41But he said: Bring some meal. And when they had brought it, he cast it into the pot, and said: Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was now no bitterness in the pot.

42And a certain man came from Baalsalisa, bringing to the man of God, bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and new corn in his scrip. And he said: Give to the people, that they may eat.

43And his servant answered him: How much is this, that I should set it before a hundred men? He said again: Give to the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord: They shall eat, and there shall be left.

44So he set it before them: and they ate, and there was left, according to the word of the Lord.

Important Verses in 2 Kings 4

And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us.

2 Kings 4:9

He said to her: At this time, and this same hour, if life be in company, thou shalt have a son in thy womb. But she answered: Do not, I beseech thee, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.

2 Kings 4:16

And when she came to the man of God, to the mount, she caught hold on his feet: and Giezi came to remove her. And the man of God said: Let her alone for her soul is in anguish, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

2 Kings 4:27

And his servant answered him: How much is this, that I should set it before a hundred men? He said again: Give to the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord: They shall eat, and there shall be left.

2 Kings 4:43

Historical Context

As a Old Testament book, 2 Kings was written with the exiles in Babylon, called to repentance and hope in view. Chapter 4 of 25 belongs to the early movement of the book, where the narrative or argument is still unfolding. It is a prophetic oracle addressed to Israel in a moment of covenant crisis or renewal with 44 verses in the Douay-Rheims translation. Historical attention falls on Elisha, the principal figures named in this chapter. The passage starts with these words: "Now a certain woman of the wives of the prophets, cried to Eliseus, saying: Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou…" It concludes: "So he set it before them: and they ate, and there was left, according to the word of the Lord. " The wider setting of 2 Kings is this: Second Kings continues from Elijah's fiery departure and Elisha's ministry to the destruction of both kingdoms: Israel fell to Assyria in 722 BC and Judah to Babylon in 587 BC, when the Temple was burned. The book's material reflects the era summarized as follows: Events from about 850 to 560 BC; final form during the Babylonian exile.

Who Wrote It

Unknown; compiled by prophetic circles, traditionally linked to Jeremiah

When It Was Written

Events from about 850 to 560 BC; final form during the Babylonian exile

Catholic Commentary

The prophetic discourse in this chapter speaks to a community facing the consequences of its choices before God. A pivotal line is verse 9: "And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us." The passage repeatedly touches on family and covenant relationships.

The Church teaches that every passage of Scripture must be read in light of Christ and the Magisterium (CIC 74). Here, the prophets prepared for Christ and called Israel to repentance (CIC 64, 522). The spiritual sense invites believers to recognize family and covenant relationships as part of God's pedagogy of salvation.

Applied to the life of faith, the passage supports the Church's conviction that God sends prophets to call His people back. Whether read privately or heard in the liturgy, 2 Kings 4 calls for a response of faith, repentance, and charity.

Main Teachings

  • The family is the first school of faith, where love, obedience, and forgiveness are learned.
  • From the manna to the Last Supper, God feeds His people — fully in the Eucharist.
  • God invites His people to approach Him confidently in prayer, trusting that He hears and answers.

People in This Chapter

Elisha6 mentions

Reflection for Today

As Catholics read 2 Kings Chapter 4, we do so within the living Tradition that has guarded this text for two millennia.

The saints did not treat Scripture as antiquarian literature. St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, and countless others used passages such as this to fuel daily conversion. the sanctity of marriage and family remains a practical lesson for modern disciples.

Entrust your meditation to Mary, who pondered God's Word in her heart. Through her intercession, may the message of the sanctity of marriage and family bear fruit in humility, courage, and charity this day.

💡Catholic Reflection • Church Teachings

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 2 Kings Chapter 4 about?

2 Kings 4 contains 44 verses. It opens with "Now a certain woman of the wives of the prophets, cried to Eliseus, saying: Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou…" and closes with "So he set it before them: and they ate, and there was left, according to the word of the Lord. ". The book as a whole is historical narrative with prophetic accounts.

What is a key verse in 2 Kings 4?

One of the most significant verses is verse 9: "And she said to her husband: I perceive that this is a holy man of God, who often passeth by us." It is often cited in Catholic teaching and preaching.

Who appears in 2 Kings Chapter 4?

This chapter mentions Elisha.

Who wrote 2 Kings and when?

Unknown; compiled by prophetic circles, traditionally linked to Jeremiah. Events from about 850 to 560 BC; final form during the Babylonian exile.

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