2 Kings 4:19 kjv
And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
2 Kings 4:19 nkjv
And he said to his father, "My head, my head!" So he said to a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
2 Kings 4:19 niv
He said to his father, "My head! My head!" His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother."
2 Kings 4:19 esv
And he said to his father, "Oh, my head, my head!" The father said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother."
2 Kings 4:19 nlt
Suddenly he cried out, "My head hurts! My head hurts!" His father said to one of the servants, "Carry him home to his mother."
2 Kings 4 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference (Short Note) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ki 17:17 | After these things the son of the woman... fell sick... | Parallels sudden sickness in miracle child |
| Lk 7:12-13 | A dead man was being carried out... When the Lord saw her... | Widow's anguish for her only son |
| Mk 5:22-23 | Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue... saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death..." | Parental plea for a dying child |
| Jn 4:47-49 | "Sir, come down ere my child die."... | Nobleman's son near death |
| Mt 8:14-15 | Peter's mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever... | Immediate sickness in a home |
| Acts 9:3 | Suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. | Sudden and blinding affliction |
| Ps 38:5-8 | My wounds stink... I am bowed down... My loins are filled with a loathsome disease... | Intense personal suffering, physical pain |
| Lam 1:20 | My heart is in turmoil within me; for I have been most rebellious... | Expresses deep inner anguish |
| Job 2:7 | Satan struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. | Body-wide severe affliction |
| Gen 22:7-8 | And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, "My father:"... "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" | Son addressing father in profound moment |
| Deut 28:22 | The LORD will strike you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with scorching heat... | Foresees ailments, potentially heat-related |
| Amos 8:10 | And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation... | Sudden sorrow replacing joy |
| 1 Cor 11:30 | That is why many of you are weak and sick and a number of you have fallen asleep. | Illness can be a direct divine act |
| Heb 12:11 | For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant... | Pain as a reality of experience |
| Rom 8:22 | For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. | Universal suffering and anguish |
| Jer 22:29 | O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD! | Repetition for intense emphasis |
| Isa 6:3 | Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory! | Repetition used for emphasis of greatness |
| Lk 17:15-19 | One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back... | Gratitude after physical restoration |
| Jn 11:35 | Jesus wept. | Empathy for human suffering/loss |
| Ps 107:19-20 | Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them... | Cry for help and divine healing |
| Mk 9:17-18 | And one of the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute..." | Child with severe debilitating affliction |
2 Kings 4 verses
2 Kings 4 19 Meaning
This verse describes the sudden and intense distress of the Shunammite woman's son. While out in the field during the wheat harvest, he abruptly cried out to his father, declaring, "My head, my head!" This powerful, repeated exclamation conveys an immediate, severe, and debilitating physical pain, signaling a profound and critical health crisis that instantly transitions the scene from normal life to a state of alarm and urgency.
2 Kings 4 19 Context
This verse occurs after the miraculous birth of the Shunammite woman's son, granted to her through Elisha's prophecy as a reward for her hospitality. The child had grown up, and at the time of this verse, was with his father and the reapers in the field, likely assisting or observing during the strenuous and hot wheat harvest season. The "wheat harvest" in ancient Israel, typically in May/June, meant working under intense sun. His sudden cry of severe headache introduces an immediate, life-threatening crisis that dramatically shifts the narrative from the blessing of a miraculous child to the profound anguish of impending loss, setting the stage for a further demonstration of God's power through Elisha.
2 Kings 4 19 Word analysis
- And he said: Denotes immediate speech, without delay or preamble, indicating urgency.
- unto his father: The child’s immediate appeal for help is to the most direct authority and source of comfort in his young life – his parent. This highlights the vulnerability of the child and the natural order of seeking aid from those in care.
- My head, my head: (Hebrew: Rōʾšī, rōʾšī - ראׁשִי ראׁשִי).
- Rōʾšī (ראשׁי): The word rosh (ראש) means "head" or "chief," and with the possessive suffix '-i' it means "my head." In ancient Hebrew thought, the head was often associated with life, intellect, and leadership. A problem in the head indicated a serious threat to the whole being.
- Repetition: The doubling of "My head, my head" is a classic Hebrew literary device for extreme emphasis and intensity. It conveys not merely a headache, but an overwhelming, unbearable, and possibly dizzying pain. This repetition underscores the severity of the affliction, expressing great agony and a sense of impending collapse, signaling an emergency far beyond common discomfort. It's a cry of distress that indicates profound suffering, possibly linked to the harsh environmental conditions of the harvest.
2 Kings 4 19 Bonus section
- The immediate physical symptoms described, coupled with the harvest setting, strongly suggest a severe case of sunstroke or heatstroke, which would lead to an agonizing headache, dizziness, and rapid incapacitation if not immediately addressed. This common, yet potentially fatal, condition provided a realistic backdrop for the extraordinary miracle that follows.
- The verse emphasizes the stark contrast between the natural processes of life (the child's growth) and death (the sudden affliction), and the subsequent divine interruption of this natural cycle.
- The brevity and directness of the child's plea underline the severity of his pain, allowing the narrative to move swiftly from the initial symptom to the more dramatic implications for the family and Elisha's involvement.
2 Kings 4 19 Commentary
This concise cry "My head, my head!" serves as the pivotal point in the Shunammite narrative. It suddenly introduces deep suffering into a household recently blessed by a miracle, revealing the fragility of life even after divine intervention. The child's simple, repeated utterance captures the profound shock of sudden, debilitating pain, common to heatstroke during the hot harvest season. This immediate and desperate cry to his father, who responds by having the child carried home, demonstrates both natural human parental care and the limitation of ordinary remedies when faced with a supernatural crisis. The scene effectively sets up the necessity for divine intervention through Elisha, highlighting God's power to sustain life and answer cries of deep distress, even amidst tragedy. It underscores that human life, however miraculously granted, remains subject to affliction, and points to the Lord as the ultimate source of healing and restoration.