2 Kings 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.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
came	וַתָּבֹ֗א va.ta.Vo'	H935	to go or come (in a wide variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
told	וַתַּגֵּד֙ va.ta.Ged	H5046	properly · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
man	לְאִ֣ישׁ le.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
God	הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים ha.'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
said	וַיֹּ֗אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Go	יָלַךְ yâlak	H3212	to walk (literally or figuratively)
sell	מִכְרִ֣י mikh.Ri	H4376	to sell · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person feminine singular
oil	הַשֶּׁ֔מֶן ha.She.men	H8081	grease · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
pay	וְשַׁלְּמִ֖י ve.sha.le.Mi	H7999	to be safe (in mind · conjunction + verb, piel imperative, 2nd person feminine singular
debt	נִשְׁיֵ֑ךְ nish.ye.khe	H5386	a debt · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
live	תִֽחְיִ֖י tich.Yi	H2421	to live · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person feminine singular
children	וּבָנַ֔יִךְ ve.ba.nei.khe	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
rest	בַּנּוֹתָֽר ba.no.Tar	H3498	to jut over or exceed · preposition with the article + verb, niphal active participle, masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
1 Kings 12:22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
Psalms 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
Romans 12:17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoe…
1 Thessalonians 2:9-10 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preac…
1 Thessalonians 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha's miracles were for use, not for show; this recorded here was an act of real charity. Such also were the miracles of Christ, not only great wonders, but great favours to those for whom they were wrought. God magnifies his goodness with his power. I. Elisha readily receives a poor widow's complaint. She was a prophet's widow; to whom therefore should she apply, but to him that was a father to the sons of the prophets, and concerned himself in the welfare of their families? It seems, the prophets had wives as well as the priests, though prophecy went not by entail, as the priesthood did. Marriage is honourable in all, and not inconsistent with the most sacred professions. Now, by the co…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 4:6

the oil stayed--that is, ceased to multiply; the benevolent object for which the miracle had been wrought having been accomplished.

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 4:7

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.

John Gill on 2 Kings 4:7

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 supp…

Dictionary and topics

Debtor · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Elisha · her — her
Miracles Wrought Through Servants Of God · Elisha: Oil multiplied — Elisha: Oil multiplied
Oil · Commerce in — Commerce in
Readings, Select · ELISHA AND THE WIDOW’ S OIL — ELISHA AND THE WIDOW’ S OIL
Widow · .The woman whose — .The woman whose

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

2 Kings 4:7

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 4:1-7

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 4:6

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 4:7

John Gill on 2 Kings 4:7

Dictionary and topics

2 Kings 4:7

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 2 Kings 4:1-7

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Kings 4:6

Adam Clarke on 2 Kings 4:7

John Gill on 2 Kings 4:7

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on 2 Kings 4:1-7

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 2 Kings 4:5-6

Rashi on 2 Kings 4:7