Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 King 4:1 - 4:7

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - 2 King 4:1 - 4:7


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

The Widow's Oil Multiplied.

v. I. Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets, the prophet disciples as found in several communities in Canaan, unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant, my husband, is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord; he had been a God-fearing prophet in truth, and not in name only; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two Sons to be bond-men, for this the law permitted to the next year of jubilee, Lev_25:39.

v. 2. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee?
He asked her first to suggest some way of helping her. Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house save a pot of oil, literally, "anointing oil," such as was used after the bath.

v. 3. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
She was not to be bashful about asking her neighbors.

v. 4. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons,
to keep out every interruption, noise, and distraction, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

v. 5. So she went from him, and,
having borrowed vessels as she had been told, shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out, in a steady stream.

v. 6. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full,
namely, those she had on hand, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed, it ceased flowing when the available vessels were all filled.

v. 7. Then she came and told the man of God,
leaving it to his wisdom to decide how she should dispose of the oil. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, satisfy the creditor and thus get rid of him, and live thou and thy children of the rest, namely, of the money which remained after paying her creditor. God is ever the Father of the widows and the orphans and has, in many a case, provided all that certain ones needed to support their body and life, even in an evidently miraculous manner.