2 Kings 4:27

(27) To the hill.—Probably to the summit.

She caught him by the feet.—She laid hold of (clasped) his feet. Assuming the posture of an humble and urgent suppliant, and no doubt pouring out a flood of passionate entreaties for help.

But (and) Gehazi came near to thrust her away.—He thought her vehemence a trespass upon the dignity of his master. (Comp. Mat_19:13; Joh_4:27.)

The Lord hath hid it from me.—Supernatural knowledge of every event was not a characteristic of the gift of prophecy. (Comp. 2Sa_7:3 seq. for a somewhat similar case of ignorance on the part of a prophet.)

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

2Ki 4:27 And 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.

Ver. 27. She caught him by the feet.] Which she held fast, to show the instance of her request, and the strength of her confidence, together with her firm resolution, not to leave him till she had that she came for, as 2Ki 4:30.

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 4:27. She caught him by the feet — After the manner of a most humble and earnest supplicant; intimating, what she did not dare to express in words, that she desired him to go along with her. Gehazi came near to thrust her away — Either thinking she was rude, and made too free with the prophet; or knowing his master did not expect such abasement, especially from her who had been so kind and friendly to them, and that he would not be pleased to see her lie at his feet, Gehazi would have raised her up. The man of God said, Let her alone — Disturb her not, for this gesture is a sign of some extraordinary grief. And the Lord hath hid it from me — God hath not shown me the cause of it. By this he signifies, that what he knew or did, was not by any virtue inherent in himself, but from God, who revealed to him only what he pleased, and when he pleased.

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

4:27 caught hold of his feet: With this sign of deep respect and supplication, the woman poured out her heart to Elisha (see Matt 28:9; Luke 8:41, 47; 17:16; Rev 1:17).

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

Hebrew, her soul is in bitterness.

In token of humility and joy that she had met with him.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 27. The Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.] In reference to this point he had not now the discernment of spirits. This, and the gift of prophecy, were influences which God gave and suspended as his infinite wisdom saw good.

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

27. to the hill] Elisha had been standing on a height which enabled him to command a view of the road for some distance.

she caught him by the feet] She fell down, and clung to his feet in the attitude of humblest supplication. Cf. Mat_18:29, where the servant adopts this suppliant posture when appealing to his fellow for mercy.

Gehazi came near to thrust her away] The word in other places indicates a considerable degree of force. The servant thought that the dignity of his master was not sufficiently regarded by the Shunammite, and would have taken her away.

The Lord hath hid it from me] We need not conclude from these words that the prophet expected to be warned supernaturally concerning those who were likely to come to seek his help. We know from other instances that the prophets were in many cases no more enlightened than others. In 2Sa_7:3, Nathan bids David do all that is in his heart for the Lord is with him. But presently he is sent to inform the king that God will not give him leave to build the temple, as he wished. The family at Shunem had been made by the prophet a subject of intercession with the Lord. It is therefore not unnatural that Elisha should consider that their misfortunes might be specially announced. We must suppose that, after her grief had spent somewhat of its force, she opens it to Elisha, and follows her narration with the words of the next verse.

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 when she came to the man of God to the hill,.... To the top of it:

she caught him by the feet; in reverence to him, and as a supplicant, she prostrated herself at his feet, and, out of affection to him, caught hold on them, and held them fast, and determined not to leave him until he had promised to go with her, see Mat 28:9. It was usual with the Jews to lay hold on and kiss the feet or knees of those to whom they did homage, or made supplication, see Mat 28:9. See Gill on Luk 7:38, and so with the Greeks, as may be observed in various passages in Homer (y) and others:

but Gehazi came near to thrust her away; as being troublesome and disagreeable to his master, and not for her honour and credit:

and the man of God said, let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her; or "is bitter" (z), full of trouble and distress, and knows not what to do, nor very well what she does:

and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me: what is the cause of this her trouble; for prophets did not know things of themselves, nor had they the vision of prophecy at their will and pleasure, but according to the will of God.

(y) Vid. Barthium ad Claudian. de Raptu Proserpin. l. 1. ver. 50. (z) "amara", Pagninus, Montanus, &c.

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

She caught him by the feet - To lay hold of the knees or feet has always been thought in the East to add force to supplication, and is practiced even at the present day. Compare Mat 18:29; Joh 11:32.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

CHAPTER IV.

Her. Being aware of the extreme circumspection and modesty of his master. --- Told me. Hence it appears that the prophets were not inspired at all times, 2 Kings vii. 3, "that they might be sensible that what they had was a gift of God." (St. Gregory, hom. in 11 Ezech.)

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).

She caught him by the feet; she fell at his feet, and touched them, as a most humble and earnest suppliant. Compare 1Sa 25:24; Mat 28:9. Withal, she intimated, what she durst not presume to express in words, that she desired him to go along with her. Gehazi came near to thrust her away; judging this posture indecent for her, and offensive to his master.

Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her; disturb her not, for this uncouth gesture is a sign of some extraordinary grief.

The Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me; whereby he signifies that what he knew or did was not by any virtue inherent and abiding in himself, but only from God, who revealed to him only what and when he pleased. Compare 2Sa 7:3.

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

27. She caught him by the feet — “This scene is natural and very graphic. If you ask after a person whom you know to be sick, the reply at first will invariably be, Well, thank God, even when the very next sentence is to inform you that he is dying. Then the falling down, clasping the feet, etc., are actions witnessed every day. I have had this done to me often before I could prevent it. So, also, the officious zeal of the wicked Gehazi, who would thrust the broken-hearted mother away, probably thinking her touch pollution, agrees perfectly with what we know of the man and of the customs of the East.” — Thomson.

The Lord hath hid it from me — The prophets were not always illumined with the gift of foresight or of vision. They were not always “in the Spirit.”

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

And when she earns to the man of God to the hill rather, the mountain; i.e. Carmel, where Elisha"s residence wasshe caught him by the feet. (comp. Mat_18:29; Mar_5:22 7:25; Joh_11:32) It has always been usual in the East to embrace the feet or the knees, in order to add force to supplication. But Gehazi came near to thrust her away. He regarded the act as one unduly familiar or unduly importunate, and interfered to protect and release his master. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her.

Elisha would not have the woman disturbed. He saw that she was in deep distress, and, if there was anything unseemly in her action according to the etiquette of the time, excused it to her profound grief and distraction. The ordinary mind is a slave to conventionalities; the superior mind knows when to be above them. And the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me. God had not informed Elisha, by inward miraculous illumination, of the illness of the child, or its death, or the wild hopes stirring in the afflicted mother"s mind, which induced her to make her long and troublesome journey. We need not feel surprised at this. There is always a limit to the miraculous; and facts that may be learnt by a little inquiry are but rarely communicated supernaturally.

Vers. 27-31.

Limits to inspiration.

Many men seem to suppose that the prophetical inspiration, the Divine afflatus, whatever it was, which God vouchsafed in times past to his prophets, apostles, and evangelists, was absolutely unlimited a sort of omniscience, at any rate omniscience on all those subjects on which they spoke or wrote. But Scripture lends no sanction to this supposition. "Let her alone," says Elisha to Gehazi; "for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me" (ver. 27). Ignorance of the future would also seem to underlie the instructions given to Gehazi in ver. 29. And there are, in point of fact, limitations to every prophet"sknowledge even with respect to the things concerning which he writes or speaks. "Now, behold," says St. Paul, "I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there". (Act_20:22) And again, "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful". (1Co_7:25) The apostles spoke much of the coming of Christ to judgment, but "of that day and of that hour knoweth no man". (Mat_24:36) Prophetic knowledge was always partial, limited. To Isaiah the return from Babylon, the establishment of Christ"s kingdom upon earth, and the final triumph of Christianity, were blended together into a single vision of glory from which the chronological idea was absent. Ezekiel probably did not know whether the temple which he described (40.- 44.) was to be spiritual or material. Zechariah knew that a day would come when there would be "a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness;" but the nature of the fountain was, apparently, not revealed to him. The prophets always saw through a glass darkly," "knew in part" and prophesied in part; had not even a full knowledge of the meaning of their own words. We must therefore not look in the inspired writings for an exactness and accuracy and completeness to which they make no pretence; we must not claim infallibility for the obiter dicta of apostles or evangelists; we must not be surprised at occasional slips of memory, as the quotation of "Jeremy" for "Zachary", (Mat_27:9) or at little discrepancies, as the various readings of the title on the cross, or at other similar imperfections. The Divine element in Scripture does not exclude the presence also of a human element; and the human element cannot but show traces of human weakness, human ignorance, human frailty. The trifling errors that a microscopic criticism points out in the sacred volume no more interfere with its illuminating power, than do the spots seen by astronomers on its surface interfere with the light of the sun, or slight flaws with the magnificence and splendor of a unique diamond. The Bible is God"s Word, the most precious treasure that man possesses, even although it be true that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels". (2Co_4:7)

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

The feet - She fell at his feet and touched them, as a most humble and earnest supplicant. Withal, she intimated, what she durst not presume to express in words, that she desired him to go along with her. Let her alone - Disturb her not, for this gesture is a sign of some extraordinary grief. Hid it - Whereby he signifies, that what he knew or did, was not by any virtue inherent in himself, but from God, who revealed to him only what and when he pleased.

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

vexed

Heb. "bitter." 1Sa 1:10.

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the mountain

"Mount Carmel"

she caught hold of his feet

This implies that she knelt or laid on the ground in front of him and grabbed his feet. AT: "she dropped down on the ground in front of him and put her hands around his feet" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Yahweh has hidden the problem from me, and has told me nothing

Elisha can see that the woman is upset but Yahweh has not revealed to him the cause of her problem.

translationWords

Yahweh

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