2 Kings 4:35

2Ki 4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

Ver. 35. Then he returned, and walked, &c.] He found the mercy coming, and he sets to work with more vehemency and intention of desire, such as made him thus various in his actions, postures, and gestures. This is usual with those that are very earnest in their prayers. Hannah writhed her lips; Solomon spread his arms; the publican beat his breast; Christ cast himself grovelling on the ground; Elijah put his face betwixt his knees, &c.

And the child sneezed seven times.] Thereby venting and expelling those humours that oppressed his brains, and stopping the passages of the vital spirits, had suffocated him. His grief lay in his head, {2Ki 4:19} overheated by the sun. {a}

And the child opened his eyes.] Thus the work is done by degrees and with difficulty, mystically showing how hard it is to raise one dead in sins and trespasses, and to bring the work to any good effect. To comfort a wounded conscience is as great work, saith Luther, as to raise one from the dead.

{a} Aestus et aestas et Graecorum εοχαρα fit ab Hebraea Esch, Ignis. - Becman.

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 4:35. Then he returned and walked in the house — Exercising his mind in prayer to God. And went up, &c. — Repeating his former actions, to teach us not to be discouraged in our prayers, if we be not speedily answered. And the child sneezed seven times — Whereby his head was cleared, in which his pain had chiefly lain; and the child opened his eyes — So the work begun in the former verse is here perfected. Although miracles were for the most part done in an instant, yet sometimes they were done by degrees. See here the power of God, who kills and makes alive again! see the power of prayer; as it has the key of the clouds, so it has the key of death! see the power of faith; that fixed law of nature, namely, that death is a way whence there is no returning, shall rather be dispensed with, than this believing Shunammite shall be disappointed!

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

Meaning, oftentimes.

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

the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes--These were the first acts of restored respiration, and they are described as successive steps. Miracles were for the most part performed instantaneously; but sometimes, also, they were advanced progressively towards completion (Kg1 18:44-45; Mar 8:24-25).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 35. The child sneezed seven times] That is, it sneezed abundantly. When the nervous influence began to act on the muscular system, before the circulation could be in every part restored, particular muscles, if not the whole body, would be thrown into strong contractions and shiverings, and sternutation or sneezing would be a natural consequence; particularly as obstructions must have taken place in the head and its vessels, because of the disorder of which the child died. Most people, as well as philosophers and physicians, have remarked how beneficial sneezings are to the removal of obstructions in the head. Sternutamenta, says Pliny, Hist. Nat., lib. xxviii., cap. 6, gravedinem capitis emendant; "Sneezing relieves disorders of the head."

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

(35) He returned.—From off the bed.

Walked in the house to and fro.—Or, in the chamber. Elisha’s walking to and fro is an index of intense excitement. He was earnestly expecting the fulfilment of his prayer. Cornelius à Lapide thinks the prophet walked “ut ambulando excitaret majorem calorem quem puero communicaret” (!)

The child sneezed.—The verb occurs here only. It denotes a faint rather than a loud sneeze. (Heb., ‘atîshâh; Job_41:10.) It is omitted by the LXX., which has, “and he bowed himself over the boy until seven times.” The repeated sneezing was a sign of restored respiration. (Comp. Luk_7:15.)

Keil supposes that whereas Elijah raised the widow’s son at once, his successor only restored the Shunammite’s son by degrees; and that this betokens an inferiority on the part of Elisha. But the narrative in 1Ki_17:17 seq. is plainly abridged.

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

35. Then he returned] i.e. left the bed.

and walked in the house to and fro] The R.V. inserts ‘once’ before ‘to and fro’, which is according to the Hebrew. The exertion which he had used, and the emotion and anxiety he felt, would be overpowering. Hence the need for a change of posture. Elisha did not leave the chamber but walked from end to end of the room in which the child lay.

the child opened his eyes] The second effort, supported as it was, we may be sure, by repeated prayer, obtains a gracious answer. The dead child is brought to life.

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.

Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro,.... Left the chamber, and came down to the house where the family chiefly resided, and walked to and fro in deep thought and meditation, and, no doubt, in fervent ejaculations for the wished for blessing to be completed:

and went up; to the chamber again, and up to the bed in it:

and stretched himself upon him; as before:

and the child sneezed seven times; which was a sign of life, and even of health; and hereby his head was cleared, as some observe, of those humours that had caused the pains in it (a), and had issued in death:

and the child opened his eyes; upon the prophet, another sign of life.

(a) Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 28. c. 6. Aristot. Problem. sect. 33. qu. 9.

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

Upon him. Septuagint, "he breathed," &c. (Calmet) --- Other copies, (Alexandrian and Vatican) "he bent down upon the child seven times, and the child opened his eyes." --- Gaped. Protestants, "sneezed;" (Haydock) in which interpretation, Junius, Montanus, &c., agree. Arabic, "he turned his eyes about seven times." Others, "he trembled," (Calmet) or sighed; (Menochius) or Eliseus "clasped him in his arms," &c. The child died of a headache; (ver. 19.) and sneezing is accounted good for alleviating the pain. Sternutamenta capitis gravedinem emendant. (Pliny, [Natural History?] xxviii. 6.) (Calmet)

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).

Walked in the house to and fro: he changeth his postures for his own necessary refreshment, and walked to and fro, exercising his mind in prayer to God, and faith, for the accomplishment of this work.

Went up, and stretched himself upon him; repeating his former actions, to teach us not to be discouraged in our prayers, if we be not speedily answered, but to wait with patience, and continue, and be instant in prayer, till we obtain what we seek for.

The child opened his eyes; so the work begun in the former verse is here perfected. Although miracles were for the most part done in an instant, yet sometimes they were done by degrees, as here, and 1Ki 18:44,45; Mr 8:24,25.

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

35. Returned, and walked in the house — That is, he left the child, and went down stairs, and paced to and fro in a larger room than his own little chamber. His own animal heat might have become much reduced by absorption into the cold body of the child, and his walking to and fro was probably, as Bahr suggests, an involuntary result of the great emotion with which he looked and waited for the fulfilment of his prayer.

Went up — Upstairs again into his own room. He went up and repeated his former efforts again.

Sneezed seven times — “When the nervous influence began to act on the muscular system, before the circulation could be in every part restored, particular muscles, if not the whole body, would be thrown into strong contractions and shiverings, and sneezing would be a natural consequence; particularly as obstructions must have taken place in the head and its vessels, because of the disorder of which the child died.” — Clarke.

As might be expected, there have not been wanting rationalistic interpreters, who have explained this miracle as a case of suspended animation, or fit of apoplexy, and Elisha’s efforts as the manipulations of animal magnetism, by which sensation was restored. Of course, such expositors ignore or deny the plain statement that the child was dead, and so do not explain, but contradict and torture the word of Scripture.

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

Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; literally, once and once fro; took, i.e. , a single turn up and down the large room adjoining his bed-chamber scarcely with any remedial object, but as men do when they are in distress and doubt. And went up, and stretched himself upon himi.e. repeated his former act, laying himself upon the child, and warming itand the child sneezed seven times showing the recovery of suspended respirationand the child opened his eyes; i.e. came to himself.

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

He walked - He changeth his postures for his own necessary refreshment, and walked to and fro, exercising his mind in prayer to God. And went - Repeating his former actions, to teach us not to be discouraged in our prayers, if we be not speedily answered. Opened his eyes - So the work begun in the former verse is here perfected. Although miracles were for the most part done in an instant, yet sometimes they were done by degrees.

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

stretched himself out on the boy

"laid on top of the boy again"

the Shunammite

"the Shunammite woman"

Then she lay facedown on the ground at his feet and bowed to the ground

The woman bowed down before Elisha as a sign of great respect and appreciation. AT: "Then she bowed in front of Elisha with her face to the ground to show him her gratitude" (See: Symbolic Action)

translationWords

bow

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

[The boy] sneezed. He sneezed.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.