4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of ha Benai Neviim unto Elisha, saying:
"Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear YHWH (יהוה): and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen."
4:2 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.
4:3 Then he said:
"Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, [even] empty vessels; borrow not a few."
4:4 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.
4:5 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.
4:6 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.
4:7 Then she came and told the man of Elohim (אלהים). And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
4:8 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.
4:9 And she said unto her husband:
Behold now, I perceive that this [is] an set-apart man of Elohim (אלהים), which passeth by us continually.
4:10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a menorah: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
4:11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.
4:12 And he said to Geichazi (גחזי) his servant:
"Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.'
4:13 And he said unto him:
"Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what [is] to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people."
4:14 And he said:
"What then [is] to be done for her?"
And Geichazi (גחזי) answered:
"Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
4:15 And he said:
"Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door."
4:16 And he said:
"About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my adon, [thou] man of Elohim (אלהים), do not lie unto thine handmaid.
4:17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.
4:18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
4:19 And he said unto his father:
"My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother."
4:20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and [then] died.
4:21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of Elohim (אלהים), and shut [the door] upon him, and went out.
4:22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of Elohim (אלהים), and come again.
4:23 And he said:
"Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? [it is] neither Rosh Chodesh, nor Shabbat. And she said, [It shall be] well.
4:24 Then she saddled an donkey, and said to her servant:
"Drive, and go forward; slack not [thy] riding for me, except I bid thee."
4:25 So she went and came unto the man of Elohim (אלהים) to mount Karmel. And it came to pass, when the man of Elohim (אלהים) saw her afar off, that he said to Geichazi (גחזי) his servant, Behold, [yonder is] that Shunammite:
4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, [Is it] well with thee? [is it] well with thy husband? [is it] well with the child? And she answered, [It is] well.
4:27 And when she came to the man of Elohim (אלהים) to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Geichazi (גחזי) came near to thrust her away. And the man of Elohim (אלהים) said, Let her alone; for her soul [is] vexed within her: and YHWH (יהוה) hath hid [it] from me, and hath not told me.
4:28 Then she said:
"Did I desire a son of my master? did I not say, Do not deceive me?"
4:29 Then he said to Geichazi (גחזי):
"Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child."
4:30 And the mother of the child said:
[As] YHWH (יהוה) liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
4:31 And Geichazi (גחזי) passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but [there was] neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
4:32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, [and] laid upon his bed.
4:33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto YHWH (יהוה).
4:34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
4:35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
4:36 And he called Geichazi (גחזי), and said:
"Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son."
4:37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
4:38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and [there was] a raab (famine) in the land; and ha Benai Neviim [were] sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for ha Benai Neviim.
4:39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred [them] into the pot of pottage: for they knew [them] not.
4:40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O [thou] man of Elohim (אלהים), [there is] death in the pot. And they could not eat [thereof].
4:41 But he said:
Then bring meal. And he cast [it] into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.
4:42 And there came a man from ba'al-Shalisha, and brought the man of Elohim (אלהים) bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
4:43 And his servitor said:
What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat:
For thus saith YHWH (יהוה):
They shall eat, and shall leave [thereof].
4:44 So he set [it] before them, and they did eat, and left [thereof], according to the Dvar YHWH (יהוה).
ba'al Shalisha - trinitarian master (adons) of ba'al- it is a place mentioned in II Kings iv. 42, and in the Talmud (Sanh. 12a). Eusebius identifies it with Baithsarisa, 15 Roman miles to the north of Lydda. This, however, is uncertain, and there is much in favor of connecting ba'al-shalisha with the ruins of Serisiyyah, lying on the western side of the mountains of Efrayim, or with the ruins of the cities Kefr Thilth, lying somewhat to the northeast. According to the Talmud (loc. cit.), fruits ripened earlier at ba'al-shalisha than elsewhere in Palestine.
Shunem - meaning two resting-places, a little village in the tribe of Yissakhar, to the north of Yizre'el and south of Mount Gilboa (Yehoshua 19:18), where the Plishtim encamped when they came against Shaul (1 Shemuel. 28:4), and where Elisha was hospitably entertained by a rich woman of the place. On the sudden death of this woman's son she hastened to Karmel, 20 miles distant across the plain, to tell Elisha, and to bring him with her to Shunem. There, in the "Navi's chamber," the dead child lay; and Elisha entering it, shut the door and prayed earnestly: and the boy was restored to life (2 Kings 4:8-37). This woman afterwards retired during the famine to the low land of the Plishtim; and on returning a few years afterwards, found her house and fields in the possession of a stranger. She appealed to the king at Shomron, and had them in a somewhat remarkable manner restored to her (comp. 2 Kings 8:1-6).
A beautiful Shunammite,
שׁוּנמּיתShunammite
= see Shunen “double resting place”
brought by the servants of David to his harem to minister to the aged
king in the hope of reviving his failing powers (I Kings, i. 1-5).
After the accession of Shlomo, Adoniyah, his elder brother, sought
through Bat-Sheva to secure Avishag as his wife. Shlomo, interpreting
this request for the wife of the late king as evidence of a plot on the
part of Adoniyah to strengthen his claim to the throne (since according
to archaic Torah, a man's concubines became the inheritance of his heir),
put his rival to death (I Kings, ii. 12-24).
Avishag, the Shunammite, though only half as beautiful as Sarah, merited the rank of queen on account of her beauty (Sanh. 39b). David did not marry her, since he had already the allotted number of eighteen wives (see Sanh. ii. 3, 21a), and he preferred to renounce the lovely virgin rather than send away one of his wedded wives (ib. 22a). Although Avishag never became David's wife, yet, since by virtue of her personal service she belonged to the royal household, it was treasonable on the part of Adoniyah to petition Shlomo to grant him the Shunammite as his wife. It was not fitting for a subject to appropriate things or persons that belonged to royalty (ibid.)
2 Kings 4:8 - 37
The Shunammite woman was a wealthy and well respected person in the society. This is how the Scripture described her.
In Devorah we saw a leader, in Hannah a prayerful woman, in Abigail an intelligent woman and the Shunammite a wealthy and well respected person in the society. This gives us a true picture of how the Scripture views woman.
The Shunammite woman had a kind heart. Keeping our heart right, full of love and empty of bitterness is the secret of receiving from Elohim.
The Shunammite woman used her kindness and wealth to entertain a Navi (2 Melekhim 4:8-10). She got blessed with a child because of her kindness. This was inline with Elohim's promise (MattitYahu 10:41).
The Shunammite woman had three qualities that are essential in every woman of Elohim.
Contentment (1 Timotheos 6:1- 10) humility in heart
When
Elisha asked the woman what he could do for her she simply stated the
fact that she was happy with what she had (2 Kings 4:11-13).
She was a wealthy woman and did have a lot to be happy about. We all have things we can thank Elohim for. Keep our focus on the good things Elohim has blessed us with. This is the secret of a happy and thankful heart. The Shunammite woman's thankful and gratitude of heart opened the door to more blessings in her life. Are we living a thankful life?
By being thankful of what Elohim had given her instead of worrying about what she did not have the Shunammite woman was able to enjoy her present blessings to the full and receive even more.
An unthankful heart forsakes the present joys and blessings and concentrates (or worries) on what might not happen in the future. This is a poor way to live life, especially when we are serving such a kind and loving Elohim.
A kind and compassionate heart (Rhomaios 5:5) hospitality, chesed, ahavah
The
love of Elohim is different from the love spoken about in the world. Elohim's
love in our heart constrains us to do the work of Elohim.
Loving Elohim means making room for His works and people. Elisha's work was aided by the Shunammite woman's kindness. Even Moshiach Yeshua was aided by the women who ministered to Him (Rhomaios 8: 2-3). How are we allowing the love Elohim has put in our hearts to be partakers of His work and among His people. Women have always had a special place in ministering to Moshiach and His body which is the believers.
It was in pouring out her love to Elohim's Navi that the Shunammite woman received a blessing she did not even ask for.
Persistence (Loukas 18: 1-6)
The
devil and his cohorts will always try to rob we of the blessings of
Elohim. That is his self appointed task (Yochanan 10:10). Never settle for
anything less than Elohim has given we. Read the story of the Shunammite
woman's persistence in bringing her child back to life (2 kings
4:8-37). She had a persistence that was not weakened by time.
A woman of Elohim needs to be persistent. A time will come in all our lives when hasatan will attempt to steal something that Elohim has decided to bless us with. This is the time to stand on Elohim's word against the devil (Ephesios 6:13). The Ruach HaKodesh within we will strengthen we to do this once we have set our hearts to stand on Elohim's Word.
http://www.shunammite.com/ - animated singing the 1-10 Had Gadyah