2 Kings 4:21

2Ki 4:21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut [the door] upon him, and went out.

Ver. 21. And laid him on the bed of the man of God.] She had heard, belike, how Elijah had restored to life a widow’s dead child. {1Ki 17:21} This therefore that she here did was an act of her faith, whereby also she "received her dead raised to life again." {Heb 11:35} Faith is the best lever at a dead lift.

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.

4:21 laid him on the bed of the man of God: The woman’s action kept her son’s death a secret from others and demonstrated her confidence in Elisha’s ability to do a miracle.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 21. Laid him on the bed of the man of God] She had no doubt heard that Elijah had raised the widow's son of Zarephath to life; and she believed that he who had obtained this gift from God for her, could obtain his restoration to life.

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

(21) Laid him on the bed of the man of God.—She wished to keep the death secret, and the corpse inviolate, during her intended absence.

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

21. she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God] Her thoughts at once go to Elisha and she puts the dead boy into the prophet’s chamber, perhaps with the thought that she will bring Elisha back with her, and then he will find the child at once. Or it may be that she felt there would be less fear of intruders there. This latter reason is supported by her further action of shutting the door. What hopes she may have had we can only conjecture, but she acts as though she believed that help was not impossible. ‘The good Shunammite hath lost her son, her faith she hath not lost’ (Bp Hall).

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 she went up,.... Into the little chamber built for the prophet:

and laid him on the bed of the man of God; not from any imagination of any virtue in it to bring her child to life; though she might think of the prophet, and have faith that he could raise it to life, as Elijah raised the widow of Zarephath's son laid on his bed, of which she might have heard; but this being a private room, and into which none went, she laid it here to conceal its death from her husband and family, and to prevent grief, and that they might not bury it until she returned:

and shut the door upon him; that no creature might enter, and, do any damage to his corpse:

and went out; not out of the chamber, that she did before she shut the door, but out of the house.

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

Bed, esteeming it as a relic, (Haydock) or wishing to excite the man of God to pray for her child, and to conceal its death from her husband. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Shut the door upon him; partly in hopes that this might contribute something to the child’s restitution to life, she having in all probability had an account of the like miracle done by Elijah, 1Ki 17:21; and partly that she might for the present conceal the death of the child; which if it had been known, would have filled her husband with grief, and hindered her journey, and opened the mouths of the enemies of God and his prophets to blaspheme; whereas she had a confidence put into her by God, that the prophet could and would restore her son.

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

21. Laid him on the bed of the man of God — She had probably heard how Elijah had raised the son of the widow of Zarephath to life. 1Ki_17:19.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God. One cannot be certain what thoughts were working in the poor bereaved mother"s heart; but probably she entertained some vague notion that the prophet might be able to resuscitate her child, and thought that, until his presence could be obtained, the next best thing was to place the child where the prophet"s presence had lately been. Elijah had placed on his own bed the child whom he restored to life; (1Ki_17:19) and the fact may have been known to the Shunammite. She certainly did not expect mere contact with the bed to resuscitate her child. And shut the door upon him. Either that the body should not be disturbed, or rather that the death should not be known. It is clear that, from whatever motive, the woman wished to conceal the death of the child until she had seen what Elisha could do for her. She neither told her husband nor the servant who accompanied her. And went out; i.e. quitted the prophet"s apartment, closing the door as she quitted it.

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

Bed of the man of God - Being apt to believe, he that so soon took away what he had given, would restore what he had taken away. By this faith women received their dead raised to life. In this faith she makes no preparation for the burial of her child, but for his resurrection.

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

on the bed of the man of God

This was the bed in the room she had prepared for Elisha when he traveled through Shunem. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

the man of God

"Elisha, the man of God"

that I may hurry to the man of God and then come back

The woman told her husband she was going to see Elisha but she did not say that she was going because their son had died. This implicit information may be stated clearly. AT: "that I may hurry to the man of God and then come back.' But she did not tell her husband that their son had died" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

send

servant

donkey

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