2 Kings 4:7

2Ki 4:7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

Ver. 7. And live thou and thy children of the rest.] This was more than she desired of the prophet. God is oft better to his people than their prayers, than their hopes. Men must likewise see to it, that their ministers’ widows and children have a comfortable subsistence.

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 4:7. He said, Go, sell the oil — She must not keep it for her own use. Those whom Providence has made poor, must be content with poor accommodations for themselves: they must know how to want, and must not think, when they get a little of that which is better than ordinary, to feed their own luxury therewith. And pay thy debt — Though her creditors were too rigorous with her, yet they must not therefore be deprived of what was due to them: her first care, now she has wherewithal to do it, must be to discharge that, even before she makes any provision for her children. We must first do justice, and then expect God’s blessing upon our endeavours to provide for ourselves and families.

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

God here did not only provide for his servant, that his debts should be paid and so kept his doctrine and profession without slander, but also for his wife and children.

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

Verse 7. Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt] He does not inveigh against the cruelty of this creditor, because the law and custom of the country gave him the authority on which he acted; and rather than permit a poor honest widow to have her children sold, or that even a Philistine should suffer loss who had given credit to a genuine Israelite, he would work a miracle to pay a debt which, in the course of providence, it was out of her power to discharge.

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

(7) Then she came.—And she went in.

He said.—LXX., “Elisha said.”

Thy debt.—Right. Margin incorrect.

And live thou and thy children.—Heb., and thou—thy sons—thou mayest live. Clearly “and” has fallen out before the second word. Many MSS. and all the versions have it.

Thou.—’Attî, an archaism, perhaps retained in the dialect of northern Israel (1Ki_14:2).

Of the rest.—On what is left over—i.e., of the price of the oil.

(8–37) The Shunammitess and her son.

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

7. she came and told the man of God] Feeling that the disposal of the oil should be made according to the direction of him who had told her what to do. It would seem to her that the unexpected supply could not be regarded as her own property.

pay thy debt] Like several of Elisha’s miracles, e.g. the curing the noxious water at Jericho (2Ki_2:19-22), this multiplying of the widow’s oil was wrought for the help of those connected with the colleges of prophets. And as we read the frequent mention of these bodies, in the histories both of Elijah and Elisha, we cannot but wonder at the righteous zeal which shewed itself in this way in the northern kingdom. Most of the places we read of as seats of prophetic schools were in the ten tribes, and nearly all the work of the two great leaders was done among the northern people. It would seem therefore that in spite of the prevalence of the calf-worship there must have been a special manifestation of true religious feeling, just at the worst time of Israel’s history.

live thou and thy children [R.V. sons] of the rest] Not, that is, on the remaining oil, though the LXX. gives ἐν τῷ ἐπιλοίπῳ ἐλαίῳ. The oil was all to be sold, and the money that was over, when the debt was paid, would be a means of support till the sons, now no longer forced to labour as slaves, might find a way to earn a living.

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 she came and told the man of God,.... Elisha the prophet, what had been done, what a quantity of oil she had, and advised with him what was to be done with it:

and he said, go, sell thy oil, and pay thy debt; what was thus miraculously produced was no doubt very good and excellent, and would fetch a good price; and she is therefore bid to turn it into money, and pay her debts with it; she was not to keep it all for her own use, and indulge to luxury with it, but first pay her just debt, as everyone ought to do that is able:

and live thou and thy children of the rest; so that it seems there was enough to pay her debt with it, rid her of her troubles, and somewhat remaining for the support of herself and children.

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

First do justice to others, and then take care of thyself and children.

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

7. Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt — There is a resemblance between this miracle and that of our Lord when he sent Peter to catch a fish in whose mouth he should find money to pay the tribute. Mat_17:27. In each case the miracle was to pay a debt, and was wrought, not publicly, but comparatively in secret.

Some of the ancient interpreters find in this widow an image of the Gentile Church. The husband being dead, signifies that she was no longer joined to her ancient idolatries. Her coming to Elijah and obeying his word is explained as a type of the eagerness with which the Gentiles sought salvation at the hands of Christ and his apostles; and the abundant supply of oil represents the bountiful provisions of the Gospel to deliver all nations from the bondage of sin.

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

Then she came and told the man of God; i.e. Elisha (comp. vers. 9, 16, 21, 22, etc.). She did not feel entitled to make use of the oil which she had got by his instrumentality without first telling him and receiving his directions respecting it. The prophet gave them with all plainness and brevity. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. The oil in the vessels was more than sufficient for the discharge of the debt. The prophet directs the woman to sell the whole, and, after satisfying the claim of her creditor with part of the money, to support herself and her children on the remainder.

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

Unto her son - To one of them: for she had two, ver. 1. The oil stayed - To teach us, that we should not waste any of his good creatures; and that God would not work miracles unnecessarily. We are never straiten'd in God, and in his power and bounty, and the riches of his grace. All our straitness is in ourselves. It is our faith that fails, not his promise. Were there more vessels, there is enough in God to fill them, enough for all, enough for each.

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

the man of God

This refers to Elisha. AT: "Elisha, the man of God" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

live with your sons on the rest

This is an idiom. It means to use the money to buy the things that they need, such as food and clothing. AT: "use the rest of the money for you and your sons for what you need to live" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

God

life

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

She came and told, etc. She came for advice, whether to sell [the oil] or to wait until it would become even more expensive. He said to her, “Go sell, for there is enough [to pay] all your debt, and for you and your sons to live with the remainder, until the dead are resurrected.”

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.