2 Kings 4:32 kjv
And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
2 Kings 4:32 nkjv
When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed.
2 Kings 4:32 niv
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.
2 Kings 4:32 esv
When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed.
2 Kings 4:32 nlt
When Elisha arrived, the child was indeed dead, lying there on the prophet's bed.
2 Kings 4 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 17:17-18 | ...the son of the woman...became sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said...hast thou come...to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? | Elijah and Zarephath widow's son's death and mother's grief, similar prelude. |
| 2 Kgs 4:21 | And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. | Mother's prior act of faith, placing the child on Elisha's bed. |
| 2 Kgs 4:33 | He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD. | Elisha's immediate action after confirming death: prayer. |
| Heb 11:35 | Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection. | Commends faith of those who received their dead back, citing such miracles. |
| Lk 7:12-15 | ...a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow...And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. | Christ raising the widow of Nain's son, demonstrating similar power over death. |
| Mk 5:35, 39-42 | ...Thy daughter is dead...When he was come in, he saith unto them...the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth...And took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi...And straightway the damsel arose... | Christ raising Jairus's daughter, another instance of a parent seeking healing. |
| Jn 11:39-44 | ...Lazarus is dead...Jesus lifted up his eyes...said, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes... | Christ raising Lazarus, the most dramatic resurrection before His own. |
| Acts 9:36-41 | ...there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha...sick, and died...Peter kneeled down, and prayed...and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes... | Apostolic power in raising the dead, through Peter, akin to Elisha. |
| Dt 32:39 | See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. | God's ultimate sovereignty over life and death. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. | Hannah's prayer affirming God's power over life and death. |
| Job 5:18 | For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. | Eliphaz acknowledging God's power to wound and to heal. |
| Ps 68:20 | He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. | Affirmation that God controls deliverance from death. |
| Isa 26:19 | Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. | Prophecy of future resurrection. |
| Ez 37:12-14 | Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel... | Vision of dry bones, God's power to bring life to the dead, often a metaphor for national restoration but pointing to literal resurrection. |
| Rom 8:11 | But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. | God's power to raise the dead, extending to believers' future resurrection. |
| 1 Cor 15:20-22 | But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept...For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. | Christ's resurrection as the guarantee and pattern for future resurrections. |
| 2 Kgs 4:16-17 | About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son...And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season... | Reminder of the miraculous promise and birth of the child. |
| Ps 139:13-16 | For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made... | God's intimate knowledge and creation of life. |
| Gen 18:14 | Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. | Divine rhetorical question, God's unlimited power, context for Isaac's miraculous birth, similar to the Shunammite's son. |
| Jas 5:16 | ...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. | Principles of effective prayer that Elisha exemplifies. |
| Mk 9:23 | Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. | Power of faith, demonstrated by the Shunammite woman. |
| Matt 17:19-20 | Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief... | Contrast with Gehazi's failure; highlights the necessity of faith, often requiring the prophet's direct intervention, rather than mere tools. |
2 Kings 4 verses
2 Kings 4 32 Meaning
This verse marks a pivotal moment in the narrative, depicting the prophet Elisha's arrival at the Shunammite woman's house. It starkly reveals the grim reality of the situation: the promised son, given through God's power, lies undeniably dead. The child's body having been reverently laid upon Elisha's own bed underscores the Shunammite's unwavering faith and deep expectation of divine intervention through the prophet.
2 Kings 4 32 Context
2 Kings Chapter 4 vividly illustrates the manifold ways God worked through Elisha, often responding to needs arising from lack, sorrow, or death. The narrative of the Shunammite woman unfolds sequentially, starting with her generous hospitality towards Elisha. In response, Elisha, through God's power, miraculously grants her a son, as she was barren. The story takes a tragic turn when this very son dies suddenly in the fields, likely due to sunstroke. Devastated but full of remarkable faith, the woman makes a determined journey to Mount Carmel to seek Elisha, confident that the one through whom God gave her the child could also restore him. Having dismissed Elisha's servant Gehazi, who had been sent ahead with the prophet's staff but failed to revive the child, Elisha himself finally arrives at the woman's home. Verse 32 specifically describes the prophet's first moments upon entering the house, confirming the devastating reality that awaits him.
2 Kings 4 32 Word analysis
- When Elisha came: Hebrew: וַיָּבֹא אֱלִישָׁע (vayavo Eliysha'). "Vayavo" is a consecutive perfect, indicating a sequential action. Elisha's direct, personal presence is crucial, contrasting with the failed proxy attempt of Gehazi. This highlights God's preference for working directly through His appointed means.
- into the house: Hebrew: הַבָּיְתָה (habbaytah). The definite article "the" and the directional ending "-ah" specify the house, emphasizing it as the familiar dwelling of the Shunammite, a place of prior blessing and now profound grief.
- behold, the child: Hebrew: וְהִנֵּה הַיֶּלֶד (vehinneh hayyeled). "Vehinneh" is an interjection meaning "and behold" or "and indeed," drawing immediate and dramatic attention to the discovery. "Hayyeled," "the child," uses the definite article, underscoring this particular, special, God-given son whose miraculous birth has been a central point of the narrative. This serves to emphasize the depth of the tragedy.
- was dead: Hebrew: מֵת (met). This verb, in the masculine singular perfect form, starkly declares the absolute and undisputed state of death. There is no ambiguity; the life given by God has, in earthly terms, ceased. This definite pronouncement magnifies the ensuing miracle.
- and laid on his bed: Hebrew: וּמֻשְׁכָּב עַל־מִטָּתוֹ (umushkav al-mittato). "Umushkav" is a passive participle, meaning "was made to lie down" or "was placed." This indicates that someone had laid him there – implicitly, the Shunammite woman, as recounted in 2 Kgs 4:21. The phrase "on his bed" refers specifically to Elisha's own bed in the prophet's chamber. The mother placing the child on Elisha's bed symbolizes her faith in Elisha's unique connection to God and her desperate hope that the place where God's prophet rested could be the place of revival.
- "When Elisha came into the house, behold, the child was dead": This sequence immediately presents Elisha with the full gravity of the situation, allowing no room for misunderstanding or denial. The stark reality of death sets the stage for a dramatic display of divine power over the grave. It shows God allowing a seemingly final state before revealing His ultimate triumph, often characteristic of biblical miracles.
- "behold, the child was dead, and laid on his bed": The pairing of the "dead" state with the specific action of being "laid on his bed" underscores both the severity of the loss and the extraordinary faith of the Shunammite woman. She didn't bury him or grieve passively but laid him in the very place associated with the man of God, transforming a bed of rest into a place of anticipated divine intervention. This action by the woman set the specific physical context for the ensuing miracle and demonstrates proactive faith.
2 Kings 4 32 Bonus section
The immediate and shocking confirmation of death ("behold, the child was dead") serves a crucial narrative purpose: it removes any possibility of ambiguity or misinterpretation regarding the child's condition. This eliminates skepticism that the "revival" might have been a mere healing from sickness rather than a true resurrection from death. This undeniable death forms the foundation upon which God's life-giving power, manifested through Elisha, will be undeniably displayed. It's a setup that ensures the miracle is perceived as supernatural intervention, echoing the certainty of Christ's death before His resurrection. The faith of the Shunammite, demonstrated in placing the child on Elisha's bed, foreshadows the principle that extraordinary faith often precedes extraordinary manifestations of God's power, a theme reiterated in the New Testament.
2 Kings 4 32 Commentary
This verse is not merely a statement of fact but a dramatic revelation of the extreme circumstances that set the stage for one of Elisha's greatest miracles. Elisha's arrival and immediate confirmation of the child's death underscore the irrefutable tragedy. The specific detail of the child being laid on Elisha's own bed, as performed earlier by the Shunammite woman, highlights her remarkable and expectant faith in the prophet, and by extension, in God's power through him. It portrays a deliberate act of seeking a solution from the divine source, refusing to accept death as the final word. This situation parallels Elijah's earlier resurrection of the Zarephath widow's son, establishing a consistent pattern of God's restorative power exercised through His faithful prophets. The stark reality of the child's demise in this verse emphasizes the impossibility of a natural recovery, thereby magnifying the ensuing demonstration of God's sovereign control over life and death.