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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha's miracles were for use, not for show; this recorded here was an act of real charity. Such also were the miracles of Christ, not only great wonders, but great favours to those for whom they were wrought. God magnifies his goodness with his power. I. Elisha readily receives a poor widow's complaint. She was a prophet's widow; to whom therefore should she apply, but to him that was a father to the sons of the prophets, and concerned himself in the welfare of their families? It seems, the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 4:7

Then she came and told the man of God ,.... Elisha the prophet, what had been done, what a quantity of oil she had, and advised with him what was to be done with it: and he said, go, sell thy oil, and pay thy debt ; what was thus miraculously produced was no doubt very good and excellent, and would fetch a good price; and she is therefore bid to turn it into money, and pay her debts with it; she was not to keep it all for her own use, and indulge to luxury with it, but first pay her just... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 4:7

Go , sell the oil , and pay thy debt - He does not inveigh against the cruelty of this creditor, because the law and custom of the country gave him the authority on which he acted; and rather than permit a poor honest widow to have her children sold, or that even a Philistine should suffer loss who had given credit to a genuine Israelite, he would work a miracle to pay a debt which, in the course of providence, it was out of her power to discharge. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 4:1-7

The seed of the righteous never forsaken by God. The whole ground of appeal on which the poor widow relies, and which proves so entirely adequate, is the fidelity to God of her deceased husband. "Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord" ( 2 Kings 4:1 ). She assumes that Elisha is on this account almost, bound to interfere on behalf of the man's two sons, who are in danger of being carried into slavery. And Elisha allows the validity of her claim,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 4:1-7

The widow's oil increased. This simple and touching story is one of those many narratives which make the Bible a book for every one, and a book for everyday life. The individual is never lost in the nation or the race. It is so in actual fact. Our own personal needs and struggles and anxieties are of more importance and interest to us than the struggles of a nation or the general well-being of the human race. It is the same in the Bible. The Bible is partly a history of nations, and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 4:1-7

A prophet's widow and it prophet's kindness. "Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha," etc. There are two subjects of thought in these verses. I. A PROPHET 'S WIDOW IN DISTRESS . "Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen." This poor... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 4:1-7

The miracles of Elisha: the pot of oil. The next few chapters relate a number of the miracles of Elisha—all of them works of mercy. I. THE WIDOW 'S TROUBLE . The story told in these verses is one of sore distress. It is a story: 1. Of bereavement . A poor woman, widow of one of "the sons of the prophets," cried to Elisha, "Thy servant my husband is dead." We learn from this that the prophetic communities were not monastic. Marriage was permitted, and members of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 4:1-44

TYPICAL MIRACLES WROUGHT BY ELISHA . General introduction . The miracles of this chapter are all of them miracles of mercy. The first and last consist in the multiplying of food, and thus belong to the same class as our Lord's feeding the four and the five thousands, and Elijah's increasing the meal and oil of the widow of Zarephath ( 1 Kings 17:10-16 ). It serves no useful purpose to ask how miracles of this class were wrought. The inspired writers have not told us; and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 4:7

Then she came and told the man of God ; i.e. Elisha. She did not feel entitled to make use of the oil which she had got by his instrumentality without first telling him and receiving his directions respecting it. The prophet gave them with all plainness and brevity. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. The oil in the vessels was more than sufficient for the discharge of the debt. The prophet directs the woman to sell the whole, and,... read more

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