2 Kings 4:12

2Ki 4:12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

Ver. 12. Call this Shunammite.] Gehazi it seemeth was sent to call her, but withal to acquaint her with the business, - viz., that if she had any suit to the king or his general, &c., - and to bring back her answer; whereupon consulting with Gehazi what was to be done for her, and understanding by him that she had no child, Elisha bade Gehazi call her, as 2Ki 4:15.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 4:12. She stood before him — The narrative seems to be a little perplexed, but may be thus conceived: it is in this verse recorded in the general, that the prophet sent Gehazi to call her, and that she came to him upon that call; then follows a particular description of the whole business, with all the circumstances; first, of the message with which Gehazi was sent when he went to call her, and of her answer to that message, (2Ki 4:13,) and Gehazi’s conjecture thereupon, (2Ki 4:14,) and then of her coming to the prophet at his call; which is there repeated to make way for the following passages.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 12. Gehazi his servant] This is the first time we hear of this very indifferent character.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(12) Gehazi his servant.—First mentioned here. His name means “valley of vision,” and is perhaps derived from his native place, which may have got its name from being a haunt of prophets.

His servant.—His young man (Gen_22:3).

She stood before him—i.e., before Gehazi. The sentence, “And when he had called her, she stood before him,” is an anticipation of the result, and might be placed within a parenthesis.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

12. to Gehazi his servant] Gehazi is mentioned in this narrative, in ch. 2Ki_5:20 and the following verses, and again in ch. 2Ki_8:4. He probably stood in the same position to Elisha which the latter had held towards Elijah, though the men were utterly different in character. Gehazi appears from 2Ki_8:4 to have been a person of consequence enough to be known to, and conversed with, by the king. See note there.

she stood before him] i.e. before Elisha. It is clear that Elisha’s character inspired great reverence, and though the Shunammite was his hostess she did not come unbidden into his presence.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he said to Gehazi his servant,.... Who attended him wherever he went, and ministered to him, and lay very probably in the same chamber with him; he might be one of the sons of the prophets:

call this Shunammite; tell her I desire to speak with her:

and when he had called her, she stood before him; at the door of the chamber, in great reverence of him, and with much humility, waiting to hear what he had to say to her: this must be understood after what had further passed between Elisha and Gehazi, and between Gehazi and the woman, who returned to his master, and acquainted him with what she had said to him, upon which he was sent to call her, and she came.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

i.e. Before the prophet, in the door of his chamber, as it is said, 2Ki 4:15. The relation seems to be a little perplexed, but may be thus conceived. It is in this verse recorded, in the general, that the prophet sent Gehazi to call her, and that she came to him upon that call; then follows a particular description of the whole business, with all the circumstances, first, of the message with which Gehazi was sent when he went to call her, and of her answer to that message, 2Ki 4:13, and of Gehazi’s conjecture thereupon, 2Ki 4:14, and then of her coming to the prophet at his call; which is there repeated to make way for the following passages.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And he said to Gehazi his servant. Gehazi is here mentioned for the first time. He seems to have been Elisha"s "servant" in a lower sense than Elisha had been Elijah"s. Still, his position was such that on one occasion (2Ki_8:4, 2Ki_8:5) a king of Israel did not disdain to hold a conversation with him. Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him; i.e. before Gehazi. Elisha communicates with the woman through his servant, or at any rate in his presence, probably to prevent any suspicion of impropriety arising in the mind of any one. The prophet of the Lord must not be evil spoken of.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

She stood - The relation seems to be a little perplexed, but may be thus conceived. It is in this verse recorded in the general, that the prophet sent Gehazi to call her, and that she came to him upon that call: then follows a particular description of the whole business, with all the circumstances, first, of the message with which Gehazi was sent when he went to call her, and of her answer to that message, ver. 13, and of Gehazi's conjecture thereupon, ver. 14, and then of her coming to the prophet at his call: which is there repeated to make way for the following passages.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Gehazi

This is the name of a man. (See: How to Translate Names)

Call this Shunammite

"Call the Shunammite woman." This refers to the woman from Shunem that Elisha was staying with.

You have gone to all this trouble to care for us

The phrase "gone to all this trouble" is an idiom that means to make great effort to do something. AT: "You have made a great effort to care for us" or "You have worked very hard to take care of us" (See: Idiom)

What can be done for you

This can be stated in active form. AT: "What can we do for you" (See: Active or Passive)

Can we speak for you

Here Elisha is asking if she would like for him to speak to the king or army commander to make a request for her. The implicit meaning of this question can be made explicit. AT: "Can we make a request for you" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

I live among my own people

The woman is implying that she does not need anything because her family cares for her needs. AT: "I live surrounded by my family, and because they take care of me, I have no needs" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

servant

call

trouble

king

commander

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.