New American Standard Bible 2020
2 Kings 4:2
2So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except 1a jar of oil.”
2 Kings 4:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
- New International Version (NIV)Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?" And she said, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”
Context of 2 Kings 4:2
1Now a woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3Then he said, “Go, borrow containers elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors--do not get too few. 4Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.”
Read all of 2 Kings 42 Kings 4:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלֶ֤יהָ אֱלִישָׁע֙ מָ֣ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ הַגִּ֣ידִי לִ֔י מַה־יֶּשׁ־לָ֖ךְ בַּבָּ֑יִת וַתֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֣ין לְשִׁפְחָתְךָ֥ כֹל֙ בַּבַּ֔יִת כִּ֖י אִם־אָס֥וּךְ שָֽׁמֶן׃Read the interlinear
- So Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to her, “Whatמָהmâh mah mâ ma meh · what?H4100
- shall I doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- for you? Tellנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
- do you haveיֵשׁyêsh · thereH3426
- in the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
- Your servantשִׁפְחָהshiphchâh · maidservantH8198
- hasאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
- nothingכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- exceptכִּי [אם]kîy · that if: exceptH3588
- except[כִּי] אם'im · if: exceptH518
- a jarאָסוּךְ'âsûk · flaskH610
- of oilשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081
Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:2
- 2 Kings 2:9When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me what I should do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
- 2 Kings 6:26And as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord the king!”
- Matthew 15:34And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
- John 6:5So Jesus, after raising His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?”
- Acts 3:6But Peter said, “I do not have silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!”
- 2 Corinthians 6:10as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.
- 1 Kings 17:12But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have no food, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”
- James 2:5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters: did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
Commentaries on 2 Kings 4:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Save a pot of oil - Oil was used as aliment, for anointing the body after bathing, and to anoint the dead. Some think that this pot of oil was what this widow had kept for her burial: see Matthew 26:12.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2A pot of oil - Or, “an anointing of oil” - so much oil, i. e., as would serve me for one anointing of my person. The word used occurs only in this passage.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-42-4. a pot--or cruet of oil. This comprising her whole stock of domestic utensils, he directs her to borrow empty vessels not a few; then, secluding herself with her children, [the widow] was to pour oil from her cruse into the borrowed vessels, and, selling the oil, discharge the debt, and then maintain herself and family with the remainder.Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 4:2
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. 2 Kings 4:2 1 Kin 17:12 ↩
Commentaries on 2 Kings 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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