Bible Commentaries

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.

Now there cried a certain woman. — Here we have miraculorum congeriem. In this fourth chapter four signal miracles are set forth done by Elisha, worthily called Thaumaturgus, or, the wonder worker.

Unto Elisha. — Who had so lately relieved the three kings in their necessity, and therefore she believed that he both could and would help her, a distressed prophet’s widow.

Thy servant my husband is dead. — And died in debt; which he needed not to have done, if he would have complied with Jezebel, and fed on her trough, as others did; but he chose rather to keep faith and a good conscience, as Luther did, who refused a cardinalship when it was offered him; and when he lay a-dying, made his will for his wife and children on this manner, Domine Deus, gratias ago tibi quid volueris me esse pauperem super terrain et mendicum, … Lord God, I thank thee for my present poverty, and now, I pray thee, take care of my poor wife and children, to whom I cannot bequeath house, lands, possessions, moneys. But I humbly beseech thee to feed them, breed them, teach them, keep them, as thou hitherto hast done me, O Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widows.

Thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord. — The Rabbis and some others have thought that this was good Obadiah’s widow, and that he, by feeding the Lord’s prophets in those perilous times, had spent his estate, and died indebted to the king, to whose father he had been steward. But this is not very likely.

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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.

What shall I do for thee? — Pay thy debts for thee I cannot; but if any way else I may bestead thee, I shall do it.

What hast thou in the house? — viz., Toward the payment of thy debts, which thou oughtest to endeavour to thine utmost.

Thy handmaid hath not anything. — Of any value. Hereby it appeareth that she was left very poor, yet speaketh she very respectfully of her late husband all along.

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Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, [even] empty vessels; borrow not a few.

Even empty vessels. — They must be empty hearts, saith Bernard; empty of self, and all ungodly lusts, which God will fill with the oil of grace: Intus existens prohibet alienum, else that precious liquor would be spilt upon the ground.

Borrow not a few. — Ne paucifices. Let not men be constrained in their own heart; there is enough in God.

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And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

Thou shalt shut the door upon thee. — It was time to shut the door, saith a reverend man, when many greater vessels must be supplied from one little one. But why must the door be shut? (1.) That she might be the more free to pray; Matthew 6:6 (2.) That she might manifest her own faith, and not be hindered by the unbelief of others; see Mark 6:5-6 (3.) That it might not be thought that the oil was by anybody secretly conveyed into the house to them.

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So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought [the vessels] to her; and she poured out.

And shut the door, … — This her prompt and present obedience was a noble fruit of her heroical faith. She doth not reason, as Naaman did, but run; she doth not dispute, but despatch the prophet’s commands. God loveth Curristas non Quaeristas, saith Luther.

And she poured out. — And the more she poured out, the more she might; the angels making new supplies of oil continually, saith A Lapide.

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And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, 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.

There is not a vessel more. — The cruse never ceased running, till there was no room; so elsewhere God never ceased abating, till Abraham stopped begging.

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Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

And live thou and thy children of the rest. — This was more than she desired of the prophet. God is oft better to his people than their prayers, than their hopes. Men must likewise see to it, that their ministers’ widows and children have a comfortable subsistence.

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And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where [was] a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And [so] it was, [that] as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

That Elisha passed to Shunem. — Abishag’s country. 1 Kings 1:3 See Joshua 19:18 . And the Rabbins say that this good Shunammite was Abishag’s sister’s daughter.

Where was a great woman. — Great in wealth, and great also in virtue, as the Chaldee understandeth it. Cavens sibi a peccato. - Chald. Paraph.

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