2 Kings 4:2

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 certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha saying, “Your servant my husband is dead—you know that your servant feared Adonai. Now the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” “What should I do for you?” Elisha asked her. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She replied, “Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3Then he said, “Go borrow for yourself vessels from all your neighbors—empty jars—not just a few. 4Then go inside and shut the door behind you and behind your sons, and pour into all those vessels, setting aside what is full.”

2 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

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto her, What shall I doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• for thee? tellנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
• me, what hastיֵשׁyêsh · thereH3426
• thou in the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• Thine handmaidשִׁפְחָהshiphchâh · maidservantH8198
• save a potאָסוּךְ'âsûk · flaskH610
• of oilשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081

Cross-references for 2 Kings 4:2

• 2 Kings 2:9Now as they were crossing over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I will do for you before I am taken from you.” So Elisha said, “Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
• 2 Kings 6:26As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him saying, “My lord the king, help!”
• Matthew 15:34Yeshua said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they said, “and a few small fish.”
• John 6:5Lifting up His eyes and seeing a large crowd coming to Him, Yeshua said to Philip, “Where will we buy bread so these may eat?”
• Acts 3:6But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you—in the name of Yeshua ha-Mashiach ha-Natzrati, get up and walk!”
• 2 Corinthians 6:10as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything.
• 1 Kings 17:12So she said, “As Adonai your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in the jar, and a little oil in the jug. Now look, I am gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
• James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters. Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that 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

• Debtor
• Elisha
• Miracles
• Oil
• Poor
• Readings, Select
• Servant
• Widow

In the dictionaries

• Elisha
• Aside
• Careful
• Desire
• Daniel, Book of
• Debt; Debtor
• Handmaid
• Images
• Jehoahaz
• Jehoram; Joram

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