2 Kings 4 33

2 Kings 4:33 kjv

He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.

2 Kings 4:33 nkjv

He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.

2 Kings 4:33 niv

He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD.

2 Kings 4:33 esv

So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the LORD.

2 Kings 4:33 nlt

He went in alone and shut the door behind him and prayed to the LORD.

2 Kings 4 33 Cross References

Verse Text Reference
Matt 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut your door and pray to your Father... Privacy in prayer
Mk 1:35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed...and there he prayed. Seeking solitude for prayer
Lk 5:16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Jesus' practice of withdrawing for prayer
Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning...he said, "Tabitha, arise." Apostolic prayer leading to resurrection
Jas 5:16b The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Efficacy of righteous prayer
1 Kgs 17:19 Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him...to the upper chamber... Elijah's similar act with the widow's son
1 Kgs 17:20 Then he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity...?” Elijah's prayer before raising the dead
1 Kgs 17:21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord... Elijah's physical act combined with prayer
1 Kgs 17:22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the soul of the child came... God answers prayer, restoring life
Jn 11:41 So they took away the stone...Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you..." Jesus praying before Lazarus's resurrection
Jn 11:43-44 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" Christ's power over death
Lk 7:14-15 He came up and touched the bier...And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." Jesus raising the widow of Nain's son
Acts 20:9-10 A young man named Eutychus...fell down...Paul went down and fell upon him... Paul raising Eutychus from the dead
Phil 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication... Importance of bringing concerns to God
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near...must believe... Prayer driven by faith in God
Mk 9:29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Emphasis on prayer for difficult cases
Lk 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Persistence in prayer
Jer 32:27 "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" God's unlimited power
Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you... God as the ultimate source of life
Ps 116:3-4 The cords of death entangled me...Then I called on the name of the Lord... Crying out to God in face of death
2 Chr 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face... God's responsiveness to humble prayer
Isa 26:19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise... Prophetic declaration of resurrection
Ps 104:29-30 When you take away their breath, they die...When you send forth your Spirit, they are created... God's sovereignty over life and death
Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish... Prayer from a dire, desperate situation

2 Kings 4 verses

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2 Kings 4 33 Meaning

The verse describes the prophet Elisha entering a private room where a deceased child lay. His immediate action upon shutting the door behind himself and the child was to engage in fervent prayer to the Lord. This act signifies his complete dependence on God for the boy's restoration to life, emphasizing that the miraculous power did not originate from Elisha himself but solely from Yahweh.

2 Kings 4 33 Context

This verse is nestled within the extensive narrative of Elisha's miracles. Immediately preceding it, the Shunammite woman, a faithful patron of Elisha, experiences the tragic death of her only son, born to her late in life through Elisha's prophecy. In her grief and desperate hope, she journeys to Mount Carmel to implore Elisha for help, rejecting his servant Gehazi’s attempt to revive the boy with Elisha’s staff. The boy’s body is brought into Elisha's private chamber. Elisha’s action of entering alone with the child, and then shutting the door, signifies the profound solemnity and intimacy required for this unprecedented intervention, shielding it from external view or interference. Historically and culturally, such direct reanimation of the dead was a profound demonstration of the covenant God Yahweh's unique sovereignty over life and death, directly countering the impotence of pagan deities like Baal, who were worshipped as life-givers but could not grant or restore life.

2 Kings 4 33 Word analysis

  • So he went in (וַיָּבֹא, vayyāḇō'): This signifies Elisha's direct, purposeful entry into the intimate space where the boy lay. It marks his active engagement with the situation, having received the dead child from Gehazi. His presence within the chamber is essential for the ensuing divine intervention.
  • and shut the door (וַיִּסְגֹּר הַדֶּלֶת, vayyisgōr haddelet):
    • וַיִּסְגֹּר (vayyisgōr): From the root סָגַר (sāgar), meaning "to shut, to close." This action is highly significant.
    • The Door's Significance: This act creates a space of privacy and seclusion. It serves multiple purposes: (1) Concentration: Removing distractions and allowing Elisha to focus entirely on the Lord. (2) Intimacy with God: Facilitating a sacred encounter, much like the holy of holies in the Tabernacle. (3) Protection from Public View: The miracle's intensity is not for spectacle but for direct intercession. (4) Symbolic Barrier: Sealing off the realm of human limitation to open the space for divine power. It anticipates Jesus' instruction to pray in a private room (Matt 6:6).
  • behind both of them (בַּעֲדָם, ba‘ăḏām):
    • בַּעַד (ba‘aḏ): Literally "behind" or "through" (indicating privacy/separation).
    • Refers to Elisha and the deceased child. This phrase underscores that only these two were in the room during this critical moment. No human audience, no other disciples or the child’s mother were privy to the intense, raw interaction between prophet, the dead, and God. It accentuates the solitary nature of the prophetic burden and direct divine engagement.
  • and prayed (וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל, vayyitpallel):
    • וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל (vayyitpallel): From the root פָּלַל (pālal), meaning "to intercede, to pray, to judge." In the Hithpael stem, it denotes a reflexive or intensive action, highlighting the heartfelt and personal nature of Elisha's petition.
    • This word signifies that Elisha understood his role not as a doer of the miracle, but as an intermediary and a supplicant. His action was one of absolute dependence on God's will and power. It demonstrates that even a mighty prophet must seek divine intervention through humble prayer.
  • to the Lord (אֶל יְהוָה, 'el YHWH):
    • YHWH: This is the personal, covenantal name of God revealed to Israel, indicating His unchangeable, sovereign, and active presence.
    • Source of Power: Elisha prays specifically to Yahweh, distinguishing his God from the powerless deities of surrounding nations, particularly Baal. This directly reinforces monotheism and asserts Yahweh as the sole source of life, health, and resurrection power, thereby acting as a polemic against idolatry.
  • "and shut the door behind both of them and prayed to the Lord": This entire phrase forms a unified action of intentional withdrawal and dedicated communion. The shutting of the door is preparatory for the earnest prayer. It indicates a spiritual readiness, a stepping out of the ordinary into a consecrated space of intimate supplication, affirming that profound spiritual work often occurs in humble solitude before the Creator. This sequence highlights the necessity of separation from external elements to foster undistracted communion with God for extraordinary results.

2 Kings 4 33 Bonus section

The parallels between Elisha's action here and his master Elijah's raising of the widow of Zarephath's son (1 Kgs 17:17-24) are striking, affirming Elisha as Elijah's true successor and heir to his spiritual mantle, possessing the "double portion" of his spirit. Both prophets took the dead child into a private chamber, then stretched themselves upon the child, and prayed earnestly to Yahweh for the restoration of life. These instances served as vital foreshadowings of the ultimate resurrection power vested in Jesus Christ, who himself raised individuals from the dead (e.g., Lazarus, the widow of Nain's son), demonstrating God's consistent ability and will to overcome death. The shutting of the door, while practical, also conveys a sense of divine mystery and the sacredness of such a profound life-giving intervention, hidden from curious eyes.

2 Kings 4 33 Commentary

2 Kings 4:33 succinctly captures the crucial moment of Elisha's deep reliance on God for a miraculous intervention. His act of entering the private room and deliberately shutting the door symbolizes his commitment to creating an intimate, focused space devoid of external distractions or human assistance. This solitary act underscores his total dependence on God, acknowledging that the power to restore life belonged solely to Yahweh, not to himself or his prophetic staff. The verse, therefore, highlights prayer as the indispensable channel for God's power to flow through His chosen instruments, setting the stage for a dramatic display of divine sovereignty over death, reaffirming Yahweh's uniqueness against all rival gods.