The widow's pot of oil fills all the borrowed vessels; the Shunammite's son, given by promise, is restored to life upon the prophet's bed; death in the pot is healed with meal, and a hundred men are fed with twenty barley loaves.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets to Elisha, saying: ‘Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant did fear Hashem; and the creditor is come to take to him my two children to be bondmen.’
verse value 6730
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "died" (מֵ֔ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·the·prophets" (בְנֵֽי־הַ֠נְּבִיאִ֠ים, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 96: your·servant, your·servant. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "from·women·of" (מִנְּשֵׁ֣י), "my·husband" (אִישִׁי֙), "you·knew" (יָדַ֔עְתָּ). The root עבד appears 3 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "to·Elisha" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). First appearance of the root אשה ("and·wife") in II Kings. First appearance of the root ירא ("fearing") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 7 words.
Rashi
Of the wives of the sons of the prophets. She was the wife of Ovadyah. Wherever "sons of the prophets" appears in Scripture, its Targum [renders it]: disciples of the prophets:
"And the creditor." He was Jehoram son of Ahab, who used to lend him [the husband] money at interest for what he spent feeding the prophets in the days of his (Jehoram's) father — so it is told in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanchuma. Therefore it is said below (9:24), "and he struck Jehoram between his arms," for they had stretched out to take interest.
Radak
“And one woman.” They said that she was the wife of Obadiah.
“Your servant, my husband, has died.” And the Targum [renders]: “Your servant Obadiah, my husband, has died, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, when Jezebel the wicked was killing [the prophets], etc.,” as [stated] above. And in the Targum of the Tosefta it is further stated: “Two hundred and sixty-five times did Obadiah's wife cry out in this manner, but he did not heed her, and she did not know what to do, until she went to his grave and cried out, ‘God-fearer! God-fearer!’ And a voice was heard by her from among the dead: ‘Who is this “God-fearer” whom you are calling for? Four are called “God-fearer”: Abraham, Joseph, Job, and Obadiah.’ She answered and said, ‘I want only the one of whom it is written that he feared the LORD exceedingly.’ And when they made known to her his grave, she was rolling herself upon his grave and crying out, and she said, ‘My master, my master, where is your trust for me, at the time when you lay down and died, when I said to you: To whom are you leaving me and my two sons? And you answered me: The Master of the world is my trust. And you said to me: Leave your orphans and I will sustain them, and let your widow rely upon Me. And now we can find no deliverer.’ The orphans also cried out and said, ‘Receive us, father; receive us, father.’ Obadiah answered and said to her: ‘Go to Elisha with the little oil that remains with you, and He will bless you through it, for when I hid the hundred prophets and sustained them in the cave with bread and water, the lamps of oil among them did not go out, neither by day nor by night, so that the prophets would recall my deeds before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He will repay you [through] the one to whom I lent. For so the verse says: “Whoever lends to the Master of the world, the LORD, is whoever shows favor to the poor and the needy.”’ And so she went and told all this to Elisha.”
"And the creditor came to take." In a derash (homiletical interpretation), who was this? This was Jehoram, son of Ahab. Obadiah preserved his money; he did not give it on interest. But Jehoram, who did give it on interest, the Holy One, blessed be He, said concerning him: "Until now he has lived; let Jehu come and kill him," as it is stated: "He who gives on interest and takes increase shall not live." And it is written: "And Jehu filled his hand with the bow and struck Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow came out of his heart." This was because he hardened his heart and stretched out his arms to take interest.
Ralbag
"And one woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets." It is known that the sons of the prophets were all God-fearing; therefore she said, "Your servant was a God-fearer and did not serve idolatry." She said this because most of the people of Israel were serving idols at that time.
Metzudat David
"And a woman..." Our Sages of blessed memory stated (Zohar Chadash, Ruth 82b) that she was the wife of Obadiah, and the creditor was Jehoram, son of Ahab. During the lifetime of Ahab, he had lent him money at interest, in order to sustain the prophets.
"to slaves." On account of a monetary debt.
Metzudat Zion
The creditor. The lender, so too (Deuteronomy 24:11): the man to whom you are a creditor:
Malbim
"And one woman" – our Sages of blessed memory explained that she was the wife of Obadiah, who had hidden a hundred prophets in a cave and sustained them with bread and water. For this purpose, he borrowed money from Ahab, and Jehoram took interest from him and pressed him hard, and sought to take his sons as slaves. Therefore, she cried out to Elisha: "Because your servant feared the Lord, therefore the creditor has come to take his two sons as slaves." And they already said concerning the daughter of Rabbi Nehunya: "Is it possible that a matter which that righteous man was careful about, his offspring would stumble in it?" For even though the Attribute of Judgment sometimes afflicts a righteous person, this would not be on account of a mitzvah in which he was constantly engaged, namely to rescue those being led to death. Moreover, he said, "I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor their children begging for bread." How then is it possible, after he feared the Lord, that the creditor should take his sons as slaves? And they already said that regarding Joab it is stated "death," because he did not leave a son to take his place. And regarding this, she cried out: "Your servant, my husband, is dead" – meaning, let the name of "death" be justified upon him, now that the creditor is taking his sons as slaves.
And Elisha said to her: ‘What shall I do for you? tell me; what have you in the house?’ And she said: ‘Your handmaid has not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.’
verse value 4694
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "what?" (מָ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·shall·do·for·you" (אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 414: in·the·house·of, in·the·house·of. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "tell" (הַגִּ֣ידִי), "what?·being·unto thee" (מַה־יֶּשׁ־לָ֖ךְ), "to·your·maid" (לְשִׁפְחָתְךָ֥). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "I·shall·do·for·you" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings). First appearance of the root לי ("to·me") in II Kings. First appearance of the root שפחה ("to·your·maid") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·house·of', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
A flask of oil. Enough for an anointing of oil, and the aleph in the word is from the root, like the aleph of (Job 13:16): "and my declaration is in your ears," and the aleph of (Ezekiel 21:20): "a blade of a sword":
Radak
"What is the meaning of 'lakhi'?" It is written "lakhi" but read "lakh"; and likewise "shekheinaikhi," "nashaikhi," and "banaikhi" are written with a yod at the end, like "ha-soleach lekhol avonaikhi," "tachalu'aikhi," "chayaikhi," which are written with a yod at the end, and the Qere follows the majority [pattern].
"A jug of oil." A flask that contains oil; the aleph is extra, and it is from the root סוך (to anoint), as in "I did not anoint" (Daniel 10:3), because since one anoints with it, it [the vessel] is called so [אסוך].
Ralbag
"Except a jug of oil." Behold, an "asuch" is a small vessel into which they would put oil for anointing. And behold, this was the miracle: when this vessel was emptied, all the air that entered it was transformed into oil, in the manner of the reversal of the staff into a serpent. This miracle occurred only once [i.e., instantaneously]. Therefore, He commanded her to first ask all her neighbors for empty vessels, as many as she could possibly obtain, so that she would have a large measure of oil. She would pour the oil into the vessel, and once it was full, her sons would carry away the full vessel and set down the empty vessel. In this manner, with a single pouring, all the vessels were filled, one after the other.
Metzudat David
What do you have? So that the blessing may rest upon it.
"Anything in the house." Nothing at all:
Metzudat Zion
A flask. The name of a vessel for oil, and it is called so because one anoints and oils from it:
Malbim
"What can I do for you? For the blessing does not rest upon 'nothing,' but only upon something that exists. Therefore, tell me what you have in your house upon which the blessing may fall." And she said, etc.: "For I have only a jar of oil." And our Sages of blessed memory explained that Obadiah was always lighting oil for the sons of the prophets, so that their lamp would not be extinguished at night. It was therefore fitting that a miracle should occur with the oil.
Then he said: ‘Go, borrow you vessels abroad of all your neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
verse value 3318
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לְכִ֨י, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·make·few" (אַל־תַּמְעִֽיטִי, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 100: vessels, vessels. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "borrow·for·yourself" (שַׁאֲלִי־לָ֤ךְ), "from·the·outside" (מִן־הַח֔וּץ), "all·inhabitant" (כׇּל־שְׁכֵנָ֑יִךְ). The root כלי appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "do·not·make·few" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "go" (root הלך, 98x in II Kings). First appearance of the root כלי ("vessels") in II Kings. First appearance of the root חוץ ("from·the·outside") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·inhabitant', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לְכִ֨י [go] (60) + שַׁאֲלִי־לָ֤ךְ [borrow·for·yourself] (391) + כֵּלִים֙ [vessels] (100) + מִן־הַח֔וּץ [from·the·outside] (199) + מֵאֵ֖ת [from] (441) + כׇּל־שְׁכֵנָ֑יִךְ [all·inhabitant] (450) + (שכנכי) [neighbors·of] (400) + כֵּלִ֥ים [vessels] (100) + רֵקִ֖ים [empty] (350) + אַל־תַּמְעִֽיטִי [do·not·make·few] (570) = 3318.
Metzudat David
"From outside" – from the people who are outside your house. And for further clarification, it says: "From all your neighbors."
"Do not diminish. Do not ask for few, but rather for many vessels:"
Malbim
"Go and borrow for yourself." Behold, the miracle was solely in the cruse, which became like a spring and source, with oil flowing from its spouts in abundance, satiation, and contentment. Nevertheless, it was necessary that the vessels into which the oil would be poured also be prepared to receive the blessing. Therefore, he added, "from all your neighbors," thereby preparing the vessels of all the neighbors to receive the blessing. Now, Elisha desired that the miracle be completed in the first instance, such that it would increase in the vessels so much that there would be enough to pay off the debt and to provide for their sustenance in the future. To this end, he said: "Vessels, do not be few."
And you shall go in, and shut the door upon you and upon your sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and you shall set aside that which is full.’
verse value 3311
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֥ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·behind·your·sons" (וּבְעַד־בָּנַ֔יִךְ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·you·shall·shut" (וְסָגַ֤רְתְּ), "behind" (בַּעֲדֵ֣ךְ), "and·behind·your·sons" (וּבְעַד־בָּנַ֔יִךְ). The root בעד appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·come" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "upon" (root על, 116x in II Kings). First appearance of the root סגר ("and·you·shall·shut") in II Kings. First appearance of the root דלת ("door") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וּבָ֗את [and·you·shall·come] (409) + וְסָגַ֤רְתְּ [and·you·shall·shut] (669) + הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙ [door] (439) + בַּעֲדֵ֣ךְ [behind] (96) + וּבְעַד־בָּנַ֔יִךְ [and·behind·your·sons] (164) + וְיָצַ֕קְתְּ [and·you·shall·pour] (606) + עַ֥ל [upon] (100) + כׇּל־הַכֵּלִ֖ים [all·the·vessels] (155) + הָאֵ֑לֶּה [these] (41) + וְהַמָּלֵ֖א [and·the·full] (82) + תַּסִּֽיעִי [you·shall·set·aside] (550) = 3311.
Rashi
And shut the door. The honor of the miracle is to come in privacy:
And the full one you shall remove. From before you, and give another vessel in its place to fill it, and the cruse of oil do not move from its place, for the Holy One blessed be He makes it like a spring, and the way of a spring is not to be moved from its place, a Midrash Agadah I heard:
Radak
"And the full one you shall move." As its Targum [renders it]: "you shall remove," meaning that you should remove it from its place and place the empty vessel beneath it, and so for each and every vessel. And by his (Elisha's) saying to her, "And the full one you shall move," he informed her that she herself should not move from her place, with the flask [remaining] in her hand, for a miraculous act occurs only in the place where it began.
Metzudat David
"And the full one you shall move." The vessel that is full, you shall move it from its place, in order to set the other one in its stead; but the flask [the oil cruse] shall not move from its place, for the flask had become like a spring, and it is not the way of a spring to move.
Metzudat Zion
Behind you. Around you:
You will remove. You will uproot from its place:
Malbim
And you shall come and shut the door, lest the evil eye fall upon it, and lest any unworthy person approach, for through the wickedness of his deeds the conduit of blessing is cut off. And in what He said, “for you and for your children,” it is known that there were yet additional conditions, and in this matter there were three conditions: 1. That she not move from her place, for the point at which the blessing took effect was in a limited location; there the spring opened and flowed downward, and if she were to move from her place, the spring would be spoiled. Regarding this it is said, “for you and for your children,” and it is said, “they bring them to her,” indicating that she did not move from her place. 2. That after she turned the jar upside down with its mouth facing downward, she held it thus until the miracle was completed. Regarding this it is said, “and you shall pour,” meaning without interruption, and similarly it is said, “and she kept pouring.” 3. That only the vessels that had been prepared, which she borrowed from her neighbors, were included in this; this is the meaning of “these.”
So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out.
verse value 4033
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֛ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "bringing" (מַגִּישִׁ֥ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "behind·her" (בַּעֲדָ֖הּ), "her·sons" (בָּנֶ֑יהָ), "bringing" (מַגִּישִׁ֥ים). The root בעד appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·her" (root אל, 113x in II Kings); "and·she·went" (root הלך, 98x in II Kings); "her·sons" (root בן, 66x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words.
Rashi
They are bringing to her. The vessels:
Radak
"Mitzeket." It is written with a yod, in the manner of words written with a yod in the hif'il conjugation without change [of letter], like "metivim et libam" (they do good to their heart). And it is read with a vav, in the manner of the majority in the hif'il conjugation of verbs weak in the first radical [Pe-Yod verbs], in which the yod is changed to a vav.
Metzudat David
They bring the empty vessels, for she did not move from her place, [remaining] with the flask [the oil cruse].
And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son: ‘Bring me yet a vessel.’ And he said to her: ‘There is not a vessel more.’ And the oil stayed.
verse value 2895
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (אֵלַ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "when·were·full" (כִּמְלֹ֣את, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 80: yet, more. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "when·were·full" (כִּמְלֹ֣את), "the·vessels" (הַכֵּלִ֗ים), "to·her·son" (אֶל־בְּנָהּ֙). The root כלי appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·her·son" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'vessel', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 2 words.
Rashi
And the oil ceased. From coming any more, and a Midrash Agadah (in Bereshit Rabbah 35:3): the price of the oil rose:
Radak
"And it came to pass when the vessels were filled." In the Aggadah and in the Targum of the Tosefta, it is stated: "When the vessels were about to be completed, she said to her son: Bring me more broken clay vessels, for He who decreed that empty vessels should be filled, let Him decree that broken vessels be repaired." So he gathered broken vessels and placed one upon another, and they were joined by the word of the LORD, the Holy One, blessed be He. And the pillar of oil flowed over all of them until all the broken pieces of the vessels were filled. He said, "There is no more vessel," and the pillar of oil heard, and stopped.
Metzudat David
The vessels. Which she borrowed:
"Bring [it], etc." For she did not know that they were already all filled.
"And the oil stood." It was no longer being poured out.
Malbim
“And it was when the vessels were filled” – it is explained that she did not ask for so many vessels. And regarding this, it is said, “Bring to me yet another vessel, etc.” “And the oil stood still” – meaning that because there were not many vessels, and the oil was not sufficient for her livelihood after the payment of the debt, by this means the oil stood still. That is to say, it did not flow out of the jar, whose mouth was downward, but rather stood within the jar. And in this way, the jar remained ready to dispense from the oil of blessing in the future.
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said: ‘Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and live you and your sons of the rest.’
verse value 5867
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לְכִי֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "God" (הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·told" (וַתַּגֵּד֙), "sell" (מִכְרִ֣י), "the·oil" (אֶת־הַשֶּׁ֔מֶן). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "to·man·of" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מכר ("sell") in II Kings. First appearance of the root שלם ("and·pay") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'burnt-offering', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And she came and told and so on. She came to take counsel, whether to sell or to wait until it rises more, he said to her go and sell, for there is enough for all your debt, and for you and your children to live on the remainder, until the dead shall live:
Radak
"And pay off your debt." [Meaning:] Pay your debts to your creditor. And in the Tosefta [it is taught]: When that miracle happened to her, she said to the prophet of the LORD: "Is there a tithe obligation on this oil, or not?" He said to her: "Your husband sustained the prophets of the LORD with something upon which there is no tithe obligation, and you too — there is no tithe obligation on your oil, for it is from a miracle." She returned and said to him: "What shall we do about the sons of Ahab? If they hear about it, they will seize it from me." He answered and said to her: "He who shut the mouths of the dogs of Egypt is destined to shut the mouths of the lions [in the den] of Daniel; He will blind the eyes of the sons of Ahab and stop up their ears so that they do not harm you." She gave thanks and praise, and went away.
Ralbag
“And she came and told the man of God.” Behold, she did not wish to do anything with this oil except on the advice of the prophet, for she did not know what the prophet’s will was in this matter.
"And pay your debts." This means: Settle your obligations, in the sense of "The wicked borrows and does not repay."
Metzudat David
On the remainder. In the money of the oil against the money of the debt:
Metzudat Zion
Your debt. Your loan:
Malbim
"Go, sell [it]" – He assured her that the oil that flowed into the vessels would suffice for the payment of the debt. And our Sages of blessed memory said that the oil became precious until there was in it enough for the debt. And as for "you and your children shall live on the remainder," this means that from the oil remaining in this cruse, there will be sufficient for her livelihood, for oil will always flow, according to all she needs for her sustenance. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "You and your children shall live on the remainder" until the dead are resurrected.
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.
verse value 3743
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "and·there" (וְשָׁם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·she·held·him" (וַתַּחֲזֶק־בּ֖וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 159: to·eat·bread, to·eat·bread. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Shunem" (אֶל־שׁוּנֵ֗ם), "wife" (אִשָּׁ֣ה), "and·she·held·him" (וַתַּחֲזֶק־בּ֖וֹ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "day" (root יום, 79x in II Kings); "and·there" (root שם, 61x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·eat·bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
And there was a great woman. Important, and I saw in Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer (chapter 33): she was the sister of Abishag the Shunammite:
And it was whenever he passed. In that city, he would go to her house to eat bread:
He would stop by. The language of habitual, he would stop there:
Radak
"A great woman." Important, a possessor of property and a possessor of renown. And in the derash, [it is taught] that she was the sister of Abishag the Shunammite, [and] was the mother of Iddo the prophet. And Targum Yonatan [renders]: "one who feared sin."
Ralbag
"And there was a great woman." This means: a woman of importance and honor.
"And she urged him to eat bread." I calculate that she exerted herself with all her might that he should eat bread then in her house, and that he should come there at every time that he would be in the city of Shunem. And I calculate that the excellence of Elisha had not yet become publicized to her, but rather it was her custom to bring into her house whatever she could of the guests who came to the city. And this is because this was at the beginning of the matter of Elisha, according to what appears from the time that this was prior to what Elisha said, "Tomorrow at this time a seah of flour for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria." And this is because she had already built the upper room, and after a year from the time that Elisha came there, she bore a son. And that son grew until he had already gone out to the reapers, and he said to his father, "My head, my head." And after this, he said to her to go out and dwell wherever she would dwell, for the Lord has called for famine, and it also came upon the land for seven years, and after seven years the famine ceased. And when you will investigate this matter, you will find that this was at the beginning of the growth of Elisha's prophecy. And therefore it is not wondrous if it was not publicized to her that he would be a prophet. And it is possible that she inquired into his matters when she saw that he passed by her constantly, due to her seeing all his customs in the utmost perfection. And then it became clear to her that he was a holy man of God.
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass on that day." This means: The day arrived on which Elisha went to Shunem.
A great woman. An important woman:
"And it came to pass whenever he passed over." From that day onward, whenever he passed over, etc.
Metzudat Zion
When. At what time, meaning: at any time:
Malbim
“And a great woman” – our Sages of blessed memory explained that she was great in good deeds and in importance, and she insisted that he eat bread. Now, our Sages of blessed memory stated: “One who wishes to derive benefit should derive benefit like Elisha.” This means that Elisha did not derive benefit from just anyone, but only under specific conditions. As Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair stated (Hullin 6a): “Israel are holy; there is one who has [means] but does not wish [to host], as it is written (Proverbs 23:6), ‘Do not eat the bread of a stingy man’; and there is one who wishes [to host] but does not have [means]. But you [Elisha] have [means] and wish [to host].” Certainly, Elisha was also careful regarding this matter. This woman was a great woman in wealth, and she had means. Furthermore, “she insisted upon him” implies that she urged him greatly, from which it was known that she had means and was willing. Now, when Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair arrived at the house of Rabbi [Judah the Prince], he did not wish to partake, because he saw a mule [Aramaic: kudanita] in his house. For he also had a condition that whoever derives benefit from him should not be found to have any evil in him. But this woman was great in good deeds, and therefore he ate bread in her house.
Now, they stated: “Anyone who hosts a Torah scholar in his house, feeding and giving him drink, is as if he were offering daily sacrifices, as it is said: ‘A man of God, holy’ [referring to Elisha], ‘who passed by us continually.’” The explanation of their words is that the eating of a Torah scholar is analogous to the sacrifice, and his table is analogous to the altar, as stated at the end of Hagigah: “He began with the table and concluded with the altar, etc.” For just as through the sacrifice the Divine Presence rested upon Israel, and as explained in the Kuzari, just as the spiritual soul dwells in the body through food – in that the clearest and purest part of the food is refined in the liver, and upon it the vegetative soul is sustained; and that which is purer still ascends to the heart, and through it the vital soul dwells within; and that which is purer still ascends to the brain, and upon it the intellectual soul is sustained; and through the intellectual soul, the divine soul dwells within him through many intermediaries – even though the divine soul, in its own essence, has no connection with physical food – so too, through the sacrifices that are burned and digested upon the altar, in the manner of digestion in the stomach, the spiritual aspect ascends from them to the altar of incense, where the cloud of good, spiritual fragrance dwells; and from there to the Ark of the Covenant, where the thought of the one who offers the sacrifice and the goodness of his intention in the Holy place dwell; and upon it the Lord God dwells.
And since the prophet and “man of God” is a place prepared for the resting of the Divine Presence, and is similar to the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, it follows that through the food that sustains the prophet’s body, and through his intention in his eating for the sake of Heaven, the pure aspect within him is clarified, one clarification after another, from the inanimate, vegetative, animate, and speaking levels, up to the intellectual, spiritual, living, and unique soul within him, in which the Lord dwells. And the one who feeds him with the appropriate intention is offering daily sacrifices, and the table before the Lord is the altar. And Elisha, who was known on the first occasion that he ate in the house of this righteous woman, that she offered her bread as a pleasing aroma with good intention and appropriate thought, therefore, “whenever he passed by, he would turn aside there” of his own accord, to merit her with this great commandment.
And she said to her husband: ‘Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God, that passes by us continually.
verse value 3340
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·man" (אֶל־אִישָׁ֔הּ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "sacred" (קָד֣וֹשׁ). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·man" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root תמיד ("continually") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·she·said] (647) + אֶל־אִישָׁ֔הּ [to·man] (347) + הִנֵּה־נָ֣א [behold·now] (111) + יָדַ֔עְתִּי [I·know] (494) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + קָד֣וֹשׁ [sacred] (410) + ה֑וּא [it] (12) + עֹבֵ֥ר [crossing] (272) + עָלֵ֖ינוּ [upon·us] (166) + תָּמִֽיד [continually] (454) = 3340.
Rashi
Behold now I know. That she did not see a fly on his table, and impurity on his sheet (Berachot 10b):
Radak
"Behold, now I know." For Elisha was well known in Israel to be a man of God and holy. And even though she said "now," it does not mean that she knew only now and not before; rather, the word "now" means: "Now it is necessary for us to do something for him, since he is accustomed to come to us. I know that he is a holy man of God, and we must honor him and set aside for him a place in our house." And similarly, "Behold, now this city is near": it does not mean that it will be near now and not before; rather, it means: "Now I need to take refuge there, since it is near." And our Sages of blessed memory (Razal) scrutinized the word "now," interpreting it to mean that she knew only now that he was holy, and not before. They asked: How did she know? And they answered: Because she had not seen him have a seminal emission on his bed.
Metzudat David
"Behold, now I know." I recognize that he is a holy man, and it is not fitting for him to dwell with us. And our Sages of blessed memory said (Berakhot 12): "A woman is more perceptive regarding guests than a man."
Passing by. He too passes by us constantly, every time he comes here — so how can he keep sitting with us together so many times?
Metzudat Zion
Her husband. Her spouse:
Malbim
And she said to the man, “Behold, I now know,” meaning: From the fact that the prophet came of his own accord to my house, and not as on the first occasion when I was compelled to urge him, I have come to know that, by virtue of his being a holy man of God, he passes by us continually. For the purpose of his passing through Shunem is solely for our sake and on our account, so that he may dine with us and merit us through this mitzvah. Therefore, he passes by continually, for his eating is like a sacrifice, and his habitual coming is like the continual offering.
Let us make, I pray you, a little chamber on the roof; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in thither.’
verse value 3839
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֥וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·him" (ל֥וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "upper-room·of·wall" (עֲלִיַּת־קִיר֙, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "let·us·make·now" (נַעֲשֶׂה־נָּ֤א), "upper-room·of·wall" (עֲלִיַּת־קִיר֙), "and·let·us·set" (וְנָשִׂ֨ים). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when·he·comes" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "let·us·make·now" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root כסא ("throne") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·candlestick', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Radak
"An upper chamber of the wall." An upper chamber built with walls of stone or brick, not with wooden lattice-work.
Ralbag
Let us make a small enclosed upper chamber. I think that the upper chamber projected directly out from the wall itself, like the construction of a dome, called in the vernacular "malto."
And they shall place there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lampstand. He means to say that due to his exalted status, it is not fitting for the members of the household to associate with him, nor to use the utensils that he uses. Therefore, it was desired that he have there utensils for his service that are unique to him.
Metzudat David
"An upper chamber of the wall" [aliyat kir]: A small attic built into a stone wall, of excellent construction.
He should go there, to be secluded in his room alone:
Metzudat Zion
The wall. A wall:
And we will place [it]. From the term for placing:
Malbim
“Let us make” – therefore she desired to also construct a Tabernacle for this Ark of the Covenant, that it would be a dwelling place for the Divine Presence that dwells upon the prophet, and there they would place a throne and a bed, etc., which are the four rectifications of the Divine Presence, so that when he comes to us, he would turn aside there, and there would be a special place for the Divine Presence of God.
And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the upper chamber and lay there.
verse value 1566
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 1566 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "name" (שָׁ֑מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·lay·down·there" (וַיִּשְׁכַּב־שָֽׁמָּה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·the·roof-room" (אֶל־הָעֲלִיָּ֖ה), "and·he·lay·down·there" (וַיִּשְׁכַּב־שָֽׁמָּה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "day" (root יום, 79x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שכב ("and·he·lay·down·there") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'name', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + הַיּ֖וֹם [day] (61) + וַיָּ֣בֹא [and·came] (19) + שָׁ֑מָּה [name] (345) + וַיָּ֥סַר [and·turned·aside] (276) + אֶל־הָעֲלִיָּ֖ה [to·the·roof-room] (151) + וַיִּשְׁכַּב־שָֽׁמָּה [and·he·lay·down·there] (683) = 1566.
Rashi
And it came to pass on the day. And it was one day:
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass on that day." The day arrived on which he came there, after she had made the upper chamber.
Malbim
And it was the day that was designated for the prophet to come to that place in particular; he went up to the upper chamber and lay there, in such a way that it became a fixed place for the prophet.
And he said to Gehazi his servant: ‘Call this Shunammite.’ And when he had called her, she stood before him.
verse value 3250
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. Verse gematria: 3250 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "call!" (קְרָ֖א, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Gehazi" (אֶל־גֵּיחֲזִ֣י, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·the·Shunammite" (לַשּׁוּנַמִּ֣ית). The root קרא appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·Gehazi" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "to·his·face" (root פנים, 72x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אֶל־גֵּיחֲזִ֣י [to·Gehazi] (69) + נַעֲר֔וֹ [his·boy] (326) + קְרָ֖א [call!] (301) + לַשּׁוּנַמִּ֣ית [to·the·Shunammite] (836) + הַזֹּ֑את [this] (413) + וַיִּ֨קְרָא־לָ֔הּ [and·he·called·her] (352) + וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד [and·stood] (520) + לְפָנָֽיו [to·his·face] (176) = 3250.
And he said to him: ‘Say now to her: Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for you? would you be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?’ And she answered: ‘I dwell among mine own people.’
verse value 6738
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 95 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֗וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֗וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·fear" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַחֲרָדָ֣ה, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "say·now" (אֱמׇר־נָ֣א), "you·trembled" (חָרַ֣דְתְּ), "all·the·fear" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַחֲרָדָ֣ה). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·the·king" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "to·speak·for·you" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). First appearance of the root לך ("for·you") in II Kings. First appearance of the root תוך ("in·midst·of") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·host', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 5 words.
Rashi
You have troubled yourself for us. On our account:
All this fear. Place in your heart this matter, like (Isaiah 66:2): and he trembles at My word, be careful of the matter that shall be done, and place it in his heart:
What to do for you. What do you need that we do for you, for on our account you occupied yourself with all this:
Among My people. Among My relatives, no one harms me, I do not need the king nor the commander of the army:
Radak
"You have troubled yourself for us." This is a term of exertion and effort concerning the matter; and so, "the elders of the city trembled to meet him" (I Samuel 16:4); "they shall come trembling like a bird from Egypt" (Hosea 11:11). And in this sense Targum Yonatan [renders]: "Behold, you have troubled yourself for us with all this trouble."
"Is there anything to say for you?" Meaning: shall I speak on her behalf if she should need it? And she answered, "I dwell among my people," meaning: among my people and my family, and they will speak on my behalf if I should need it. And [in the next verse] Elisha spoke to Gehazi [rather than to her], because she had already gone away from before him after she had answered him; that is why Elisha asked Gehazi [instead of her directly].
Ralbag
And he said to him, "Tell her, please." Behold, Elisha was not willing to speak with the woman unless this matter was brought to a necessity; and these words would have sufficed for Gehazi to say to her. And therefore Gehazi did not call her to stand at the door, because it was not Elisha's desire to speak with her. Rather, she stood outside, before Gehazi, and Gehazi was outside, close to Elisha, or he was near the door of the upper chamber.
"Behold, you have feared us with all this fear." This means: Behold, you feared that you would not be able to render to us the honor that is due; this very fear led you to do all that you did for me in terms of honor.
"What can I do for you?" To repay this kindness, is there someone on whose behalf I might speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army? And I will speak to them on your behalf. And she said, "I dwell among my people and my family." And therefore I have no dealings with anyone for whose sake I would need to speak to the king or to the commander of the army.
Metzudat David
He said, etc. He did not wish to speak with the woman face to face.
"Behold, you have been anxious..." He means to say: Since you have troubled yourself with this trouble on our behalf, what recompense shall we do for you? Is there anything you would like us to say on your behalf to the king, etc.?
Within My people. This means: I dwell among my family members, and none of them does me harm, so that I need not complain or grumble against anyone.
Metzudat Zion
You troubled yourself. A matter of intense movement, even without fear, so too (I Samuel 16:4): the elders of the city trembled to meet him:
Malbim
Behold, "You have troubled yourself" means to say that just as Elisha, while benefiting from the provisions of others, would likewise bestow upon them from his blessing—so that he did not merely receive but also imparted blessing, as they said, "adjacent to a Torah scholar comes blessing"—just as the heart, which receives vitality from the limbs, in turn gives back and sends forth springs of blood to all of them. He said, "Behold, you have troubled yourself for us with all this trouble" (in the manner of what they said: "What does a good guest say? Everything the host troubled himself with was only for my sake"). "What can be done for you?" Since I am certainly obligated to do you a kindness on account of this. It might occur that he would do her a kindness in the worldly manner, such as speaking on her behalf to the great ones of the land, for Elisha was esteemed in their eyes, and they would do whatever he asked; or he might do her a kindness before the Lord through prayer or through a miracle and the suspension of natural law. Initially, he wished to act through natural means, and regarding this he said, "Is there anything to say for you," meaning on your behalf, to the king. And she replied, "I dwell among my people," implying that I lack nothing. And also regarding what was stated that he wished to pray on her behalf, the Zohar explains that he asked whether there was anything to say on her behalf to the King of the Universe, or to act on her behalf through the princes of His host who move the celestial spheres. And she answered that she did not wish to separate herself from the community and the prayer of the multitude.
And he said: ‘What then is to be done for her?’ And Gehazi answered: ‘Verily she has no son, and her husband is old.’
verse value 2104
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "to·her" (לָ֑הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֕אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·what?" (וּמֶ֖ה), "truly" (אֲבָ֛ל), "there-is-not·to·her" (אֵֽין־לָ֖הּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·do" (root עשה, 142x in II Kings); "or·her·husband" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root גיחזי ("Gehazi") in II Kings. First appearance of the root זקן ("old") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + וּמֶ֖ה [and·what?] (51) + לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת [to·do] (806) + לָ֑הּ [to·her] (35) + וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + גֵּיחֲזִ֗י [Gehazi] (38) + אֲבָ֛ל [truly] (33) + בֵּ֥ן [son·of] (52) + אֵֽין־לָ֖הּ [there-is-not·to·her] (96) + וְאִישָׁ֥הּ [or·her·husband] (322) + זָקֵֽן [old] (157) = 2104.
Rashi
And he said. Elisha to Gehazi:
And what to do for her. In return for this kindness:
Radak
"And what shall be done for her?" Meaning: In what way can we reward her with good for the good that she has done for us? Gehazi answered, "But she has no son." Meaning: as for what you asked, she does not need that, nor anything else; but she does need this particular thing, for she has no son, and her husband is old. Meaning: if you say she has none now, she will [eventually] have a son when the time comes — [but] her husband is old and does not know the day of his death, for he is close to his allotted end. And if it can be that she have a son from him, this will be a great good for her. And the Targum [renders] "I dwell among my people": among the affairs of my people I am sustained.
Ralbag
And Elisha said to Gehazi, “What is to be done for her?” [I.e.,] some of the good things, to give her reward for this.
And Gehazi said, "Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old." And for this reason, he [the husband] is not well suited for begetting children; and it is also possible, on her part, that the fruit of the womb be withheld, she being barren.
Metzudat David
And what should I do for her? After she had gone away from his presence, he asked Gehazi, saying, "What then is the reward that I should give her?"
But indeed, there is room to do her a favor, because she has no son, and her husband is old, and according to nature she will not bear children anymore, and if she bears a son through your means, it will be considered a great favor.
Malbim
And he said—and then, when she had gone out, he asked, "and what should be done for her?" And Gehazi answered: But she has a need for a son, for she has no son, and she is barren by nature; moreover, her husband is old, and she has no capacity to bear children, neither from the side of the active partner nor from the side of the passive partner.
And he said: ‘Call her.’ And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
verse value 1955
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·entrance" (בַּפָּֽתַח, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·he·called·her" (וַיִּ֨קְרָא־לָ֔הּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "call·her" (קְרָא־לָ֑הּ), "in·the·entrance" (בַּפָּֽתַח). The root קרא appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "call·her" (root קרא, 50x in II Kings); "and·stood" (root עמד, 28x in II Kings). First appearance of the root פתח ("in·the·entrance") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'call·her', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + קְרָא־לָ֑הּ [call·her] (336) + וַיִּ֨קְרָא־לָ֔הּ [and·he·called·her] (352) + וַֽתַּעֲמֹ֖ד [and·stood] (520) + בַּפָּֽתַח [in·the·entrance] (490) = 1955.
Radak
"Call her." For she had already gone from before him.
Ralbag
"He called her, and she stood at the door." Behold, this statement [is worded this way] because, since it was a prophecy, Elisha himself wished to say it to her.
Metzudat David
"At the entrance." When she saw that He was not speaking with her face to face, she added to her distance, and stood at the entrance.
Malbim
And she stood at the entrance, because on the first occasion he had not spoken with her face-to-face, she refrained from entering his chamber, for she saw that he was careful not to speak with a woman; and only on this occasion, when he spoke a word of prophecy, was it necessary for him to speak to her face-to-face, in order that it might be fulfilled:
And he said: ‘At this season, when the time comes round, you shall embrace a son.’ And she said: ‘Nay, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your handmaid.’
verse value 4726
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "son·of" (בֵּ֑ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·firm" (אַל־אֲדֹנִי֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "embracing" (חֹבֶ֣קֶת), "to·firm" (אַל־אֲדֹנִי֙), "do·not·lie" (אַל־תְּכַזֵּ֖ב). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "do·not·lie" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root עת ("at·this·time") in II Kings. First appearance of the root חי ("living") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
At this appointed time, now you shall live. As you are today and in peace, so shall you be alive at this appointed time, and holding a son:
Do not, my lord. Do not say "embracing a son" — what good is it to me to embrace him if in the end I am to bury him? And this is what she said to him when he died: Did I not say, do not delude me?
Do not lie. Do not show me a thing that breaks off, there is in your hand to request mercy and it shall be given to me a son, but I beg you do not give me except a son of permanence:
Do not lie. Like (there 58:11): their waters shall not fail:
Radak
“And He said to this appointed time.” Is it possible that it was said to him at that time through prophecy, or did he speak from his heart and trust in God, blessed be He, that He would fulfill His word, as it is written concerning the righteous man: “He shall decree a thing, and it shall be established for him” (Job 22:28)? And similarly, it is written concerning the prophet Samuel: “He did not let any of his words fall to the ground” (1 Samuel 3:19). And as it is stated in a midrashic exposition: “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him” (Psalms 145:19)—He fulfilled the desire of the prophet, and she conceived and gave birth.
"At the season of life." At this appointed time — the season when she would be fit to give birth, at seven months or at nine — the woman who has given birth is called "chayah" in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, [as in Mishnah Yoma 8:1]: "and the chayah may put on the sandal."
“Embracing a son.” That you take him into your lap.
"No, my lord." She said "no" twice, to strengthen the matter — to beg him that he not fail her, that the matter be fulfilled in any case once he had begun the promise concerning her, and that the son be one who endures; for what good would it be to her if the son were not one who endures? And the meaning of "do not fail your maidservant" is like [Isaiah 58:11] "whose waters do not fail." And Targum Yonatan renders "O my lord" as "בבעו רבוני" (please, my master), and translates "do not fail" as "may your word not be belied with your maidservant."
Ralbag
"At the living time." Meaning: at this present moment, which is standing [now], he called that time 'living,' because only this portion of time alone is found to exist, for the past time has already ceased to exist, and the future has not yet entered into existence. And we have already explained this fully in Parashat Vayera [Genesis 18:1, "And He appeared to him"].
“O my lord, man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.” This means that she is saying this as a request: “Let it not be so, my lord; do not deceive your maidservant, for the sake of your maidservant, in bringing me a good that is not truly good if the child does not survive.” For Elisha had not promised her that the child would live, as it appeared from Gehazi’s request, who said, “But she has no son.” And this is also what she later recalled, when she said to him, “Do not deceive me,” meaning: “Do not grant me a good that will not endure, but rather grant me peace, to relieve me of the intensity of my longing for a son, for I do not desire this from this side if the child does not survive.”
Metzudat David
"At this appointed time, [as] the season of childbirth." This means: at the coming time, the season fit to be [a mother] giving birth — that is to say, giving birth. And this is at the completion of nine months, which are the days of pregnancy.
“You embrace a son.” This means: “Delight yourself with your son by embracing him.” Although initially he did not speak to her face-to-face, after he saw her modesty, that she stood at the doorway, he returned to speak with her.
"No, my lord!" Do not speak such things.
"Do not deceive." Do not say a word that will go unfulfilled, in order to gladden the heart of your maidservant. And because he [Elisha] said, 'You shall embrace a son,' which indicates only some kind of amusement, and did not promise that it would be fulfilled — therefore she said, 'Do not gladden me with a matter that is not fulfilled.'
Metzudat Zion
Chayah [the term for the one giving birth]. So is called the woman giving birth, and in our Sages' words, of blessed memory (Yoma 73b): and the one in childbirth shall put on the sandal:
You will delude. A matter of something broken-off, so too (Isaiah 58:11): whose waters shall not fail:
Malbim
"Lemoed hazeh ka'et chayah" – Ralbag explains that he meant "to the appointed time of the present moment" about which I am speaking, which is called "a living time," because the past time is a "dead time" that no longer exists, and the future has not yet come into being; only the present time is "alive." "Do not deceive your maidservant" – just as he said to her, "You shall embrace a son," which indicates only that she will hold him, not that he will live long (for he could have said, "and you shall have a son," as the angel said to Sarah: "ka'et chayah ve'leSarah ben" – "at the appointed time, Sarah shall have a son"). And the definition of deception (kezav) is something that ceases and does not endure (as in "hayo tihyeh li kemo achzav" – "You will surely be to me like a failing stream" [Jeremiah 15:18]). She said to him: "Even though I know that you will not lie and that I will bear a son, if he dies afterward, would not the promise be a false and ceasing one?"
And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said to her.
verse value 3258
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 3258 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "son·of" (בֵּ֑ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "as·he·had·spoken" (אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·conceived" (וַתַּ֥הַר), "and·she·bore" (וַתֵּ֣לֶד). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·he·had·spoken" (root אשר, 318x in II Kings); "to·her" (root אל, 113x in II Kings); "son·of" (root בן, 66x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'son·of', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַתַּ֥הַר [and·conceived] (611) + הָאִשָּׁ֖ה [the·woman] (311) + וַתֵּ֣לֶד [and·she·bore] (440) + בֵּ֑ן [son·of] (52) + לַמּוֹעֵ֤ד [to·the·meeting] (150) + הַזֶּה֙ [this] (17) + כָּעֵ֣ת [at·this·time] (490) + חַיָּ֔ה [living] (23) + אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר [as·he·had·spoken] (707) + אֵלֶ֖יהָ [to·her] (46) + אֱלִישָֽׁע [Elisha] (411) = 3258.
Rashi
At the time of life. This now that was alive and in peace, and therefore it is dotted ka'et:
Radak
"At the season of life." [Targum:] "like the season that recurs" [i.e., at the same time, as it comes around].
Metzudat David
"As he had spoken." According to what Elisha had spoken.
Malbim
"Which Elisha spoke to her": This implies that it was not through prayer that this occurred, but rather through the word of Elisha and his decree. For a righteous person decrees, and the Lord fulfills it.
And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
verse value 827
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "child" (הַיָּ֑לֶד, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·the·reapers" (אֶל־הַקֹּצְרִֽים, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·grew" (וַיִּגְדַּ֖ל), "to·the·reapers" (אֶל־הַקֹּצְרִֽים). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·father of an individual" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings); "day" (root יום, 79x in II Kings). First appearance of the root גדל ("and·grew") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'child', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּגְדַּ֖ל [and·grew] (53) + הַיָּ֑לֶד [child] (49) + וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + הַיּ֔וֹם [day] (61) + וַיֵּצֵ֥א [and·he·went·out] (107) + אֶל־אָבִ֖יו [to·father of an individual] (50) + אֶל־הַקֹּצְרִֽים [to·the·reapers] (476) = 827.
Metzudat David
"And it came to pass one day." This refers to the day when he went out to his father, while he [the father] was standing over the reapers [overseeing them].
Malbim
"And the child grew up" – it is clear that the cause of death was not the child’s weakness, nor that he had not developed properly, for he grew up in the normal way; rather, "and it came to pass on a day, that he went out to his father," when the sun was scorching upon a person’s head during the heat of summer, as our Sages of blessed memory said.
And he said to his father: ‘My head, my head.’ And he said to his servant: ‘Carry him to his mother.’
verse value 2332
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "my·head" (רֹאשִׁ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·father of an individual" (אֶל־אָבִ֖יו, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 511: my·head, my·head. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·the·boy" (אֶל־הַנַּ֔עַר), "carry·them" (שָׂאֵ֖הוּ). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·father of an individual" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "carry·them" (root נשא, 23x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·head', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֶל־אָבִ֖יו [to·father of an individual] (50) + רֹאשִׁ֣י [my·head] (511) + רֹאשִׁ֑י [my·head] (511) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אֶל־הַנַּ֔עַר [to·the·boy] (356) + שָׂאֵ֖הוּ [carry·them] (312) + אֶל־אִמּֽוֹ [to·mother] (78) = 2332.
Rashi
My head, my head. Behold I am sick in my head:
And he said. His father [said this] to one of the servants: carry him to his mother:
Radak
"Head, head." He had a headache, and it is the way of those who are in pain or groaning to repeat their words; likewise, "My belly, my belly, I writhe in pain."
Ralbag
"My head! My head!" The child complained to his father that his head was already hurting him, and then he [the father] said to his servant who was there to carry the boy to his mother.
Metzudat David
"Head, head." I have a headache, and the doubling of the word is like the groaning of one in pain, as it says (Jeremiah 4:19): "My bowels, my bowels, I am in anguish."
Malbim
And he said to his father, "My head, my head," because the pain was in the head; and he repeated his words to indicate the intensity of the pain. And the explanation of the Riya is that one can say that since a headache sometimes comes from involvement of the stomach, and sometimes it comes from the head itself when an abscess forms in it, he said, "My head, my head," to indicate that the substance and the illness were in the head, from the very bones of the head, and not from involvement of another organ. And he said to the servant, "Carry me to my mother," because he thought that he was saying this so that he would carry him to his mother.
And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
verse value 1981
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 41 letters. The shortest word is "and·dwelt" (וַיֵּ֧שֶׁב, 4 letters) and the longest is "until·the·noon" (עַד־הַֽצׇּהֳרַ֖יִם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·he·carried·him" (וַיִּ֨שָּׂאֵ֔הוּ), "and·he·brought·him" (וַיְבִיאֵ֖הוּ), "upon·her·knees" (עַל־בִּרְכֶּ֛יהָ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·mother" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·he·brought·him" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "and·he·died" (root מות, 61x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֨שָּׂאֵ֔הוּ [and·he·carried·him] (328) + וַיְבִיאֵ֖הוּ [and·he·brought·him] (40) + אֶל־אִמּ֑וֹ [to·mother] (78) + וַיֵּ֧שֶׁב [and·dwelt] (318) + עַל־בִּרְכֶּ֛יהָ [upon·her·knees] (337) + עַד־הַֽצׇּהֳרַ֖יִם [until·the·noon] (424) + וַיָּמֹֽת [and·he·died] (456) = 1981.
Malbim
(20-21) And he sat on her knees. The text relates that the illness intensified with great severity, and he died in a short time. R. Yitzchak Abarbanel writes that from the fact that the verse mentions the illness and then death, we know that he certainly died and his soul departed from his body, and that it was not a fainting spell, for this does not occur in young boys, nor does it follow a preceding illness of the head. And here too, the text relates the Shunammite woman's confidence: she did not administer any medical treatment to him until after his death, nor did she lay him on a sickbed until after his death, relying on her trust in the prophet's word. And even after his death, she did not cry out, nor did she inform her husband; rather, she simply laid him on the prophet's bed.
And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
verse value 3444
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·laid·him" (וַתַּשְׁכִּבֵ֔הוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·went·up" (וַתַּ֙עַל֙), "and·laid·him" (וַתַּשְׁכִּבֵ֔הוּ), "upon·pole" (עַל־מִטַּ֖ת). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings); "God" (root אלהים, 82x in II Kings); "and·went·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתַּ֙עַל֙ [and·went·up] (506) + וַתַּשְׁכִּבֵ֔הוּ [and·laid·him] (739) + עַל־מִטַּ֖ת [upon·pole] (549) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (91) + וַתִּסְגֹּ֥ר [and·shut] (669) + בַּעֲד֖וֹ [behind] (82) + וַתֵּצֵֽא [and·went·out] (497) = 3444.
Ralbag
"And she laid him on the bed of the man of God." She reasoned that by virtue of the prophet’s merit, the child would be more safeguarded there.
And she called to her husband, and said: ‘Send me, I pray you, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come back.’
verse value 4994
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "please" (נָ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·boys" (מִן־הַנְּעָרִ֔ים, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "send" (שִׁלְחָ֨ה), "from·the·boys" (מִן־הַנְּעָרִ֔ים), "the·she-asses" (הָאֲתֹנ֑וֹת). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·man" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "until·man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root רוץ ("and·I·will·run") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·she-asses', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַתִּקְרָא֮ [and·called] (707) + אֶל־אִישָׁהּ֒ [to·man] (347) + וַתֹּ֗אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + שִׁלְחָ֨ה [send] (343) + נָ֥א [please] (51) + לִי֙ [to·me] (40) + אֶחָ֣ד [one] (13) + מִן־הַנְּעָרִ֔ים [from·the·boys] (465) + וְאַחַ֖ת [and·one] (415) + הָאֲתֹנ֑וֹת [the·she-asses] (862) + וְאָר֛וּצָה [and·I·will·run] (308) + עַד־אִ֥ישׁ [until·man] (385) + הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (91) + וְאָשֽׁוּבָה [and·I·shall·return] (320) = 4994.
And he said: Wherefore will you go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath.’ And she said: ‘It shall be well.’
verse value 4322
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "me" ((אתי), 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֗אמֶר, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "going" ((הלכתי)), "going" (הֹלֶ֤כֶת), "not·the new moon" (לֹא־חֹ֖דֶשׁ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·him" (root אל, 113x in II Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). First appearance of the root מדוע ("why?") in II Kings. First appearance of the root שבת ("sabbath") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sabbath', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words.
Radak
"Atti" [the ketiv of את]. It is written with a yod. And so too "holachti" is written with a yod, just as we find additional yods, such as "ahavti," "ladosh," "malati mishpat." And the reading [Kere] follows the majority.
"Neither a new moon nor a Sabbath." Our Sages of blessed memory derived from this that a person is obligated to greet his teacher on the Sabbath and on a festival, as it is stated: "neither a new moon nor a Sabbath" — implying that on a new moon or a Sabbath she would go to him. And my master, my father, of blessed memory, explained [it differently]: not a new moon or a Sabbath passed without your seeing him — what need do you have to go to him now?
And she said, “Peace.” She did not wish to reveal it to any person until she would see the prophet.
Metzudat David
Not on a new moon nor on the Sabbath. For on the new moon and on the Sabbath she was accustomed to receive his presence.
"And she said, 'Peace.'" This means: There is no evil matter for which I should go to the prophet. And she did not wish to reveal the matter to her husband, for she thought it better that the miracle be performed in secrecy.
Malbim
Why are you going to him today? It is not the new moon or the Sabbath, for their custom was to go to the man of God on the new moon and the Sabbath, just as the Lord commanded the pilgrimage to teach there the ways of the Lord from the mouth of the priests, and to draw down upon it an outpouring of holiness from the One who dwells in the chosen house. And it would have been fitting that they also ascend on the new moon and the Sabbath, as will be in the future, as it is written: “And it shall come to pass, from new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to bow down before Me.” Only that in this present era, since that which is impossible [i.e., the Temple service] does not exist, they would go on the new moon and the Sabbath to the prophet upon whom the Lord dwells, similar to how He dwells in the Temple of God, and from him they would learn the ways of the Lord and receive an outpouring of holiness and blessing. And on the festivals they would ascend in pilgrimage to the Great Temple. Therefore, [the text] specifically seized upon the new moon and the Sabbath alone. And our Sages of blessed memory derived from this that a person is obligated to receive the countenance of his teacher on the festival, for in this time, when there is no Temple, receiving the countenance of one’s teacher takes the place of the pilgrimage. And although on the new moon and the Sabbath there is no obligation, since there is no obligation of pilgrimage [on those days], on the festival there is an obligation in this matter, since one is obligated to ascend in pilgrimage. And from this verse we learned that receiving the countenance of the teacher is like receiving the countenance of the Divine Presence in the Temple.
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: ‘Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid you.’
verse value 4150
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. Verse gematria: 4150 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֖י, 2 letters) and the longest is "slacken·not·for·me" (אַל־תַּעֲצׇר־לִ֣י, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·tied" (וַֽתַּחֲבֹשׁ֙), "she-ass" (הָאָת֔וֹן), "to·girl" (אֶֽל־נַעֲרָ֖הּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "slacken·not·for·me" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·go" (root הלך, 98x in II Kings). First appearance of the root נערה ("to·girl") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽתַּחֲבֹשׁ֙ [and·tied] (716) + הָאָת֔וֹן [she-ass] (462) + וַתֹּ֥אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + אֶֽל־נַעֲרָ֖הּ [to·girl] (356) + נְהַ֣ג [drive] (58) + וָלֵ֑ךְ [and·go] (56) + אַל־תַּעֲצׇר־לִ֣י [slacken·not·for·me] (831) + לִרְכֹּ֔ב [to·mount·and·ride] (252) + כִּ֖י [for] (30) + אִם־אָמַ֥רְתִּי [if·I·say] (692) + לָֽךְ [to·you] (50) = 4150.
Rashi
Hurry and go. Hasten:
Do not stop me. Do not delay on my account the riding:
Radak
"Drive on." Some explain that she was riding, and she told the lad to drive the animal — that is, to urge the donkey on with the bit to hasten its pace. And the meaning of "do not hold back for me to ride" is: do not hold the donkey back from walking calmly on my account, unless I tell you, "drive on gently." And others explain that she was walking on foot in her bitterness of soul, and she told the lad to drive the donkey and himself walk behind the donkey, and not hold the donkey back so that she might ride, unless she tells him. And Targum Yonatan follows this approach, except that he rendered "do not hold back" as spoken by the woman, translating: "Do not press upon me to ride, except when I tell you."
Ralbag
"This day is neither a new moon nor a Sabbath. It appears that in those days, people would come before the great ones to hear their words, and they would instruct them in the path they should walk and in the deeds they should perform."
"She had the donkey saddled." This means that when she had the servant saddle the donkey, she told him to lead the donkey and walk before her, and not stop the donkey from walking, so that she would ride on the donkey only if she told him that she wanted to ride because of weariness.
Metzudat David
And she saddled [the donkey]. She tied the saddle.
"Lead on and go. Lead the donkey and you go, and do not delay on my account, for I will mount upon it; only when I tell you to stop, then you shall stop."
Metzudat Zion
Stop me. Delay me, so too (Judges 13:15): let us detain you, please:
Malbim
The questions: Why did she saddle the donkey and not the youth?
"And she saddled the donkey" – because the lad was necessarily a young boy; for otherwise it would have been forbidden for her to go with him alone in the field, on account of impermissible seclusion (yichud). She saddled the donkey herself to hasten the matter, and in the bitterness of her heart she went on foot. And she told her lad that the donkey should not be held back on her account for her to ride, except when she would tell him to — and so she went on foot until she came to Mount Carmel.
So she went, and came to the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant: ‘Behold, yonder is that Shunammite.
verse value 4957
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "you" (אֹתָהּ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·man·of·God" (אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "Shunammite" (הַשּׁוּנַמִּ֥ית). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·man" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Carmel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Ralbag
"Behold, this Shunammite woman." The meaning is: Behold, this one whom we see is the Shunammite woman.
Metzudat David
From opposite. From afar:
"Behold, the Shunammite woman." This means: "Behold, the one who is coming, namely the Shunammite woman."
Metzudat Zion
That one. That one there:
Malbim
(25–26) “Behold, that Shunammite”—this means to say that it is a strange matter, why she came at an inappropriate time. Therefore, [he said,] “run, please, to meet her,” for surely she is lacking something, either for herself, or for her husband, or for her son. That is why he said, “Is all well with you?” etc.
Run, I pray you, now to meet her, and say to her: Is it well with you? is it well with your husband? is it well with the child?’ And she answered: ‘It is well.’
verse value 4491
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֛ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·meet·her" (לִקְרָאתָהּ֒, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 381: the·peace, the·peace, the·peace. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "run·now" (רֽוּץ־נָ֣א), "to·meet·her" (לִקְרָאתָהּ֒), "and·say·to·her" (וֶאֱמׇר־לָ֗הּ). The root שלום appears 4 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·say·to·her" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·your·man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings); "to·meet·her" (root קרא, 50x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·boy', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: עַתָּה֮ [now] (475) + רֽוּץ־נָ֣א [run·now] (347) + לִקְרָאתָהּ֒ [to·meet·her] (736) + וֶאֱמׇר־לָ֗הּ [and·say·to·her] (282) + הֲשָׁל֥וֹם [the·peace] (381) + לָ֛ךְ [to·you] (50) + הֲשָׁל֥וֹם [the·peace] (381) + לְאִישֵׁ֖ךְ [to·your·man] (361) + הֲשָׁל֣וֹם [the·peace] (381) + לַיָּ֑לֶד [to·the·boy] (74) + וַתֹּ֖אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + שָׁלֽוֹם [belonging·to] (376) = 4491.
Rashi
And she said peace. Behold this is a shortened verse, for he should have written, and he asked her and she said peace:
Ralbag
And she said, "Peace." She did not wish to open her mouth to say anything bad.
Metzudat David
And she said, "Peace." After he [Gehazi] had asked her [the three questions], she told him that all was well, and she did not wish to reveal it to him either.
And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of God said: ‘Let her alone; for her soul is bitter within her; and Hashem has hid it from me, and has not told Me.’
verse value 4491
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 99 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִֽי, 2 letters) and the longest is "God" (הָאֱלֹהִים֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: God, God. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·the·hill" (אֶל־הָהָ֔ר), "and·took·hold" (וַֽתַּחֲזֵ֖ק), "in·his·feet" (בְּרַגְלָ֑יו). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "and·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "to·man" (root איל, 153x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·feet', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 15 words.
Radak
To push her away. On account of her honor, so that she would not kiss the feet of the prophet; or on account of the prophet’s honor, so that she would not cling to his feet.
He concealed it from me. Until now, for at that very hour when she fell at his feet, it was said to him in prophecy:
Ralbag
“And she clung to his feet.” To prostrate herself before him and to supplicate before him on behalf of her son. And behold, Gehazi approached to push her away and to remove her, so that she would not humble herself before the prophet. All this humbling—perhaps he did this out of respect for Elisha, because he knew that it was not his desire that a woman come so close to him.
Metzudat David
To push her away. For the sake of the prophet's honor, so that she would not hold onto his feet.
“Relax her.” Give her ease and do not push her away, for she acts thus because of the bitterness of her soul, and I do not know what it is, for the Lord concealed it from me when it occurred, and even now He has not told me.
Metzudat Zion
To push her. To shove her away, so too (Psalms 1:4): whom the wind drives away:
Malbim
The questions: What did he intend by saying, "The Lord has hidden from me"?
“And she clung to his feet” – this alludes to the fact that she would not let him go until he would go with her. And Gehazi sought to push her away, for it is not proper decorum for a woman to approach a prophet. But [Elisha] said, “Let her alone,” because this was due to the bitterness of her soul. And “the Lord concealed it from me” – this means that whatever the Lord does as a punishment, He first reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets, so that they may seek mercy, as it is written: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” But whatever occurs on its own, through illness, is concealed from the prophet. And from this he derived that she had not sinned, and that this did not come upon her because of a sin.
Then she said: ‘Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say: Do not deceive me?’
verse value 3815
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "not" (הֲלֹ֣א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "son·of" (בֵ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·asked" (הֲשָׁאַ֥לְתִּי, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "I·asked" (הֲשָׁאַ֥לְתִּי), "deceive" (תַשְׁלֶ֖ה). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings); "son·of" (root בן, 66x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·lord', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֕אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + הֲשָׁאַ֥לְתִּי [I·asked] (746) + בֵ֖ן [son·of] (52) + מֵאֵ֣ת [from] (441) + אֲדֹנִ֑י [my·lord] (65) + הֲלֹ֣א [not] (36) + אָמַ֔רְתִּי [I·utteranced] (651) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + תַשְׁלֶ֖ה [deceive] (735) + אֹתִֽי [me] (411) = 3815.
Rashi
Did I not say. To you, do not lie to your maidservant:
Do not deceive me. Do not lead me astray with a false matter:
Radak
Do not deceive me. Just as it is stated, "Do not lie to your maidservant," and "v'tashlah" (and you will deceive) is akin to "v'tashgeh" (and you will err); the Targum translates "sh'gagah" (error) as "sh'lo," meaning that you should not mislead me. And what benefit is there to me in a son if he does not survive? And the Targum of Jonathan translates: "Did I not say to you: If you give me a living son, but if not, do not test me."
Metzudat David
Did I ask? But did I ask for a son, that against my will you promised me even something that would not endure?
"Have I not said?" – At the time of the promise, I said: "Do not deceive me by promising me something that is subject to being annulled."
Metzudat Zion
You will let slip. A matter of error and forgetting, so too (II Samuel 6:7): for a slip, meaning: you will mislead [me]:
Malbim
And she said, "Did I ask [for a son]?"—for one who urgently entreats his fellow sometimes gives him something temporarily, so that he may cease from bothering him. Not so is this case, for I did not [even] ask for a son; rather, you gave me one. It is therefore fitting that the son remain permanently, especially since I stipulated and said, 'Do not deceive me,' as it is written, 'Do not lie to your maidservant'—meaning that it should not be a gift given only temporarily.
Then he said to Gehazi: ‘Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute you, answer him not; and lay my staff upon the face of the child.’
verse value 7100
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 89 letters. Notable word values: "hand" (בְיָדְךָ֮) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 7100 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·if·salutes·you" (וְכִֽי־יְבָרֶכְךָ֥, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 870: support, support. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Gehazi" (לְגֵיחֲזִ֜י), "if·you·find" (כִּי־תִמְצָ֥א), "you·shall·bless·them" (תְבָרְכֶ֔נּוּ). The root משענת appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·answer·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
Do not greet him. Do not ask after the welfare, and all this, that he should not multiply words and ask him where you are going, and he answers to revive the dead, and this is not the honor of the miracle to boast in it for the one through whose hand it came, and he did not do so, but to all who ask him he says, my teacher sent me to revive the dead (Tanchuma Beshalach 26, Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10:2):
Radak
“Gird your loins.” He said to him: This is because he will go swiftly and with alacrity.
"If you meet a man, do not bless him." This he said to him so that he would not be delayed along the way, and his intent would remain fixed on his mission, and he would not turn his heart to any other matter, neither in deed nor in speech. And in the Midrash: that it seemed to him like a joke, and every person who met him would say to him, "Do you really believe this staff revives the dead?" Therefore it did not succeed in his hand.
Ralbag
“Gird your loins and take my staff in your hand.” He commanded him to gird his loins so that he would be able to run faster, for girding prevents the movement of the internal limbs. For this reason as well, he was forbidden to bless any man he might encounter on the way, nor to answer those who blessed him, so that he would not be delayed on the road. And it seemed that Gehazi had not guarded himself from all that Elisha had told him. Therefore, it did not avail when he placed Elisha’s staff upon the face of the lad. And it also seemed that Gehazi was not worthy that this matter should be accomplished through him. And this will be explained from the sin he committed in the matter of Naaman.
Metzudat David
“Gird your loins.” To go quickly and with agility.
"Do not bless him." In order that you not delay on the way.
Metzudat Zion
My staff. The staff upon which he leans:
You will answer him. From the term for response and reply:
Malbim
The questions: If Elisha thought that Gehazi too would revive him easily by placing the staff, why was it not done according to his words, and why did he himself need to lie upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth?
"Take my staff in your hand." Elisha initially thought that the boy was merely fainting (for Hashem had not informed him through prophecy, as stated above), and this was sufficient reason to place the staff, even through his agent. He commanded him not to speak with anyone, so as not to interrupt the power that Elisha had placed in his hand to act in his stead and function like him. He called him "the boy" (na'ar), indicating that he had bestowed upon him strength and might to awaken his faculties, which is the meaning of the term "na'ar." Therefore, Gehazi said to him, "The boy has not awakened," for according to his understanding, it was merely a fainting spell and drowsiness, and he needed to be roused from his sleep.
And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: ‘The child is not awaked.’
verse value 5326
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "support" (אֶת־הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 325: the·boy, the·boy. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·Gehazi" (וְגֵחֲזִ֞י), "support" (אֶת־הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙), "attentiveness" (קָ֑שֶׁב). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "not" (root לא, 106x in II Kings); "before·them" (root פנים, 72x in II Kings). First appearance of the root גחזי ("and·Gehazi") in II Kings. First appearance of the root קול ("voice") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'attentiveness', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Radak
And there is no voice. To answer:
And there was no attention [paid] to hear; for if he had heard but was unable to answer, he would have moved or signaled with his eyes or with his hands; but this one did not exhibit either of these behaviors.
"The youth did not wake." We find that "awakening" is used for the dead, as in "Awake and sing, you inhabitants of dust." The reasoning we stated regarding the child whom Elijah revived is the exact same reasoning applicable to this youth whom Elisha revived. And we have support for this from the words of our Sages of blessed memory, who asked: What is the law concerning the son of the Shunammite woman—does he cause ritual impurity? And the answer was: A corpse causes impurity, but a living person does not cause impurity.
Ralbag
"And there was no voice and no hearing." This means that he did not speak and did not hear when they spoke to him.
Metzudat David
He passed before them. He preceded them:
"And there was no voice." Our Sages of blessed memory said (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 10:2): For Gehazi did not heed the words of the prophet, and he continued to mock on the way, saying that he was going to revive the dead.
“And there is no attention.” It is the same thing, for when there is no sound, there is nothing to attend to; and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
Response. A matter of listening:
He awoke. A matter of rousing:
And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
verse value 2600
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. Verse gematria: 2600 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "dying" (מֵ֔ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·couch" (עַל־מִטָּתֽוֹ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "a lying down" (מֻשְׁכָּ֖ב), "upon·couch" (עַל־מִטָּתֽוֹ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "the·house" (root בית, 141x in II Kings); "dying" (root מות, 61x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֥א [and·came] (19) + אֱלִישָׁ֖ע [Elisha] (411) + הַבָּ֑יְתָה [the·house] (422) + וְהִנֵּ֤ה [and·behold] (66) + הַנַּ֙עַר֙ [the·boy] (325) + מֵ֔ת [dying] (440) + מֻשְׁכָּ֖ב [a lying down] (362) + עַל־מִטָּתֽוֹ [upon·couch] (555) = 2600.
Malbim
And Elisha came into the house, and behold, he saw that the child was dead; and it was not that he had died at that moment, but rather that he was already dead, lying on his bed, having already been dead at the time when he was laid upon the prophet’s bed.
He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed to Hashem.
verse value 1831
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "behind" (בְּעַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·prayed" (וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֖ל, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·shut" (וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "two" (root שנים, 39x in II Kings). First appearance of the root פלל ("and·he·prayed") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'two', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיָּבֹ֕א [and·came] (19) + וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר [and·shut] (279) + הַדֶּ֖לֶת [door] (439) + בְּעַ֣ד [behind] (76) + שְׁנֵיהֶ֑ם [two] (405) + וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֖ל [and·he·prayed] (556) + אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (57) = 1831.
Ralbag
"And he shut the door against them both." This means that there were no others in the house besides the two of them, for he did not want anyone else to be present, so that his prayer would be more complete, and so that no one would see what he was doing.
Malbim
(33–34) "And he went in" – therefore he secluded himself with him in the chamber and prayed to restore souls to corpses, and he prostrated himself upon him to warm his flesh, so that it would be ready to receive the revival. And it has already been explained elsewhere that when Elisha came to perform all the great deeds which he did – through the increase of the oil in the flask, and the healing of the pottage in the pot, and the healing of the waters, and the floating of the iron [axe-head] – it is not mentioned in these instances that he needed prayer; rather, he accomplished what he did by the power of his prophecy and succeeded. However, when he came to revive the son of the Shunammite woman, he required prayer, for the return of the vital spirit to corpses is not entrusted to the hand of an agent, but is from God alone. Only the preparation of the body to receive life was through the prophet, not the actual return of the soul into it. And as is explained in the Zohar (Parashat Beshalach), the child died because it says [of her], "you shall embrace [a son]," and he was from the side of the feminine aspect (sitra denukva) – meaning, only his mother was prepared for the birth, but not the father. And his vitality was weak below, lacking the sustaining power of the father, and above he was from the side of judgment, for "her feet go down to death." And this is what is written, "dead, lying on his bed," meaning his hold was in the bed of Solomon. And Elisha bestowed upon him another spirit from the side of the masculine aspect (sitra deduchra), and emanated from his own life-force upon him. Therefore, he closed the door behind both of them. And after he prayed to bring down a new spirit, he prepared the corpse of the child so that a new structure would be built, and he put his mouth upon his mouth to blow into him spirit from his own spirit, and his eyes upon his eyes to bestow upon him the sensation of the senses and intellect from his own senses, and his palms upon his palms to prepare the natural soul that would be revealed over the entire body from his palms. And with this, he prepared three parts of the soul to receive life. And he bent over him with all his strength until the flesh of the child became warm, which is a preparation for natural heat, so that the miracle would not occur upon nothingness but upon something. And likewise he did this seven times: either to extend existence upon his body below for the seventy days of his life, for the nature of man changes within him seven times; or to draw upon him from above sustenance from the seven days of the upper structure. And he called him here "the child" because a new birth occurred to him, as mentioned. And "the lad sneezed" – meaning, he sneezed, for his orifices opened and the spirit of life passed into his limbs, and then he was completed in life and opened his eyes. And this was the seventh miracle in the count of his wonders, similar to the miracle his master Elijah performed with the son of the Zarephathite woman.
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 him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
verse value 2932
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 70 letters. The shortest word is "his·mouth" (פִּ֨יו, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·his·eyes" (עַל־עֵינָיו֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 116: and·went·up, upon·him. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "upon·the·child" (עַל־הַיֶּ֗לֶד), "his·mouth" (פִּ֨יו), "upon·peh" (עַל־פִּ֜יו). The root על appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·peh" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "and·went·up" (root עלה, 67x in II Kings); "and·his·eyes" (root עין, 49x in II Kings). First appearance of the root כף ("and·his·hands") in II Kings. First appearance of the root בשר ("flesh") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
And he stretched himself upon him. Yonatan translates: and he wearied himself upon him. It is the language of weariness, there is an example of it in the Baraita of Haazinu and in Sifrei and Menachem explained: 'and he stretched himself' the explanation of the word according to its matter, he lay stretched upon him:
Radak
"And he put his mouth upon his mouth." As we explained regarding Elijah, who said, "He stretched himself upon the child," the whole matter is meant to align with the language of prayer for one who prays over another, just as is said regarding Isaac, "opposite his wife." And it is also possible [that the intent was] to breathe upon the child, to warm him with the natural heat coming from his [Elisha's] mouth and eyes, for most miracles are performed with a small amount of natural stratagem.
"And he bent over him." He threw himself down and prostrated himself upon him, like the verse "and he fell to the ground"; and this is [what] Targum Yonatan [renders]: "and he bent over him."
Ralbag
And he put his mouth upon his mouth. As if he desired that life should flow to the youth from the limbs of Elisha, and behold, he did this after the prayer.
"And he bent over him." This means that afterward he returned to pray, and walked back and forth in the house; his heart and intent in prayer drew to him the movement of his feet to walk, from the movement of the sound of song, the movement in dances. And this is evident from experience in one who thinks thoughts: his soul is stirred within them now this way and now that way, so that he is moved to walk swiftly at the time he thinks these thoughts. And he recounts that after the prayer he would go up and bend over the child.
Metzudat David
And he went up. Upon the bed:
"His mouth upon his mouth" – as if he were transmitting from the life-force residing in his own limbs to the limbs of the young man.
Metzudat Zion
And he stretched himself out. A matter of stretching out the body, so too (I Kings 18:42): and he stretched himself out upon the earth:
And he warmed. From the word warmth:
Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
verse value 4714
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "one" (אַחַ֥ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינָֽיו, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 325: the·boy, the·boy. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·sneezed" (וַיְזוֹרֵ֤ר), "until·Sheba" (עַד־שֶׁ֣בַע). The root אחד appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 141x in II Kings); "upon·him" (root על, 116x in II Kings); "and·went" (root הלך, 98x in II Kings). First appearance of the root פעם ("times") in II Kings. First appearance of the root פקח ("and·he·opened") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
And he sneezed. He sneezed:
Radak
"He stepped down and walked in the house, once this way and once that way." He stepped down to the ground to pray, for he had already gone up onto the bed on which the boy lay, and had lain upon it, and prostrated himself upon it, until his flesh grew warm; and afterward he stepped down to the ground again and prayed and prostrated himself further. And the reason he walked once this way and once that way was to focus his heart even more. Similarly, David said: "I will walk in the integrity of my heart within my house."
"And the lad sneezed." He sneezed; and the Targum, [on] "his sneezes flash forth light" [Job 41:10], [renders 'his sneezes' as] "zeriruhi."
Ralbag
"And behold, the lad sneezed after this." [I.e.,] that he sneezed. And Elisha acted in this order: to pray and bend over the child, exerting himself upon him, until he did this seven times. Then the child opened his eyes, and his revival was completed for him.
Metzudat David
And he returned. He went back to descend from the bed:
Once here: one time to move to one side, and one time to move to the other side.
“Up to seven times.” He sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes.
Metzudat Zion
And he sneezed. A matter of sneezing, for his sneezes flash forth light (Job 41:10), its Targum: zerirohi:
And his eyes opened. Opened, so too (there 27:19): his eyes were opened:
And he called Gehazi, and said: ‘Call this Shunammite.’ So he called her. And when she was come in to him, he said: ‘Take up your son.’
verse value 3611
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "call!" (קְרָא֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Shunammite" (אֶל־הַשֻּׁנַמִּ֣ית, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·Shunammite" (אֶל־הַשֻּׁנַמִּ֣ית), "and·he·called·her" (וַיִּקְרָאֶ֖הָ), "lift" (שְׂאִ֥י). The root קרא appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·Gehazi" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·she·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֣א [and·called] (317) + אֶל־גֵּיחֲזִ֗י [to·Gehazi] (69) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + קְרָא֙ [call!] (301) + אֶל־הַשֻּׁנַמִּ֣ית [to·Shunammite] (836) + הַזֹּ֔את [this] (413) + וַיִּקְרָאֶ֖הָ [and·he·called·her] (322) + וַתָּבֹ֣א [and·she·came] (409) + אֵלָ֑יו [to·him] (47) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שְׂאִ֥י [lift] (311) + בְנֵֽךְ [your·son] (72) = 3611.
Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.
verse value 4352
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "and·came" (וַתָּבֹא֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "upon·his·feet" (עַל־רַגְלָ֔יו, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·she·fell" (וַתִּפֹּ֣ל), "and·she·bowed·down" (וַתִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "land" (root ארץ, 67x in II Kings); "and·went·out" (root יצא, 48x in II Kings). First appearance of the root חוה ("and·she·bowed·down") in II Kings. First appearance of the root בנה ("her·son") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'land', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. 5 of the verse's 8 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וַתָּבֹא֙ [and·came] (409) + וַתִּפֹּ֣ל [and·she·fell] (516) + עַל־רַגְלָ֔יו [upon·his·feet] (349) + וַתִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ [and·she·bowed·down] (1120) + אָ֑רְצָה [land] (296) + וַתִּשָּׂ֥א [and·lifted] (707) + אֶת־בְּנָ֖הּ [her·son] (458) + וַתֵּצֵֽא [and·went·out] (497) = 4352.
Radak
"And she went out." From the upper chamber of Elisha.
And Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant: ‘Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.’
verse value 4435
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "returned" (שָׁ֤ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·prophets" (הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 118: the·prophets, the·prophets. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "Gilgal" (הַגִּלְגָּ֙לָה֙), "to·his·servant" (לְנַעֲר֗וֹ), "lip" (שְׁפֹת֙). The root בן appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·his·face" (root פנים, 72x in II Kings); "in·the·land" (root ארץ, 67x in II Kings). First appearance of the root רעב ("and·the·famine") in II Kings. First appearance of the root סיר ("the·pot") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
Set the pot. He placed it on the stove:
A pottage. A stew:
To the sons of the prophets. To the students of the prophets:
Radak
"Set the pot." [Sefer he-]Arukh: that is to say, place it upon the 'lips' [i.e., the supports of the hearth].
Nizid: A stew, as it is written, “And Jacob boiled a stew” (Genesis 25:29).
Ralbag
"Set the great pot [on the fire]." This means: Prepare the great pot to cook a dish in it, and cook a dish in it for the sons of the prophets, who are the disciples of the prophets.
Metzudat David
"Set the pot." Arrange the pot on its place [i.e., its stand], and cook a dish in it:
Metzudat Zion
Set [it]. A matter of placing the pot in its proper position, so too (Ezekiel 24:3): 'Set the pot, set [it]':
The pot. The cooking-pot:
A pottage. A stew, so too (Genesis 25:29): and Jacob cooked a stew:
Malbim
And Elisha: Now it relates two additional miracles that Elisha performed, which are the eighth and ninth in the count of his wonders. He first stated that He did not alter nature for no reason, but only due to great necessity. For he had returned to Gilgal; until now he had dwelt near Shunem and on Mount Carmel, and there he had helpers and supporters at his hand. But now he returned to Gilgal, which was distant from those who supported him. This occurred during the seven years of famine that were in the days of Jehoram. During these days, the Shunammite dwelt in the land of the Philistines (as stated in Chapter 8). Second, it was a time of famine. Third, the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and it fell upon him to provide for them. He said to his servant to set the large pot upon the fire to cook a stew to give to all the sons of the prophets.
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.
verse value 3841
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָ֣ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·field" (אֶל־הַשָּׂדֶה֮, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 309: field, field. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "to·the·field" (אֶל־הַשָּׂדֶה֮), "to·glean" (לְלַקֵּ֣ט), "herbs" (אֹרֹת֒). The root איל appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·field" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "for·not" (root כי, 76x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שדה ("field") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·cloth', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Rashi
To gather sprouts. An herb which they call 'orga', that brightens the eyes, and there are those who explain: 'sprouts' vegetables, like (Isaiah 18:4): like clear heat upon the light:
And he found a wild vine. A vine in a field:
And he gathered from it wild gourds. Wild gourds grew from it, it is a 'bolliyn' in the vernacular, the poison of death, and in the name of Rabbi Menachem I heard: he gathered them apart from it, not from it itself, wild gourds:
And he cut. And he cleaved:
Radak
"To gather herbs." To gather vegetables to eat, as in Targum Yonatan: "to gather greens." And so, "for your dew is like the dew of light" [Isaiah 26:19] — the dew that is fit for vegetables. And in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory: What is "orot"? It was taught in the name of R. Meir: this is "gargir" [a wild herb]. R. Yochanan said: Why is it called "orot" [light]? Because it lights up the eyes. And it is called "iruga" in the vernacular. And the leaves are what is meant by "to gather," not the seed.
"And he found a vine of the field." Targum Yonatan: "And he found a vine in the field, and he gathered from it gourds of the field." And some say that 'vine' is according to its plain meaning, and they explain that 'gourds of the field' are mushrooms, which is known in the words of our Sages of blessed memory; and those mushrooms grew near the vine. And we found in the commentary of the Geonim of blessed memory that 'gourds of the field' are like small melons, and they are bitter, and from their seed they make oil. This is what our Sages of blessed memory said regarding 'the oil of gourds,' and it is called in the language of Ishmael 'ḥandal.' If so, according to this interpretation, it means that the 'vine of the field' is that stalk on which these gourds grow, which is like a vine, and it is called a 'vine of the field.'
"And he gathered from it [mimenu]." We find that 'gefen' [vine] is used as both masculine and feminine; mostly it is masculine, as here, where it says 'mimenu' [from it, masculine]. And so too, 'a luxuriant vine' [Hosea 10:1, using a masculine verb]. And the Master of the Masorah counted this among the six [instances] that are read 'mimenu' [masculine] though one might suppose ['sevirin'] they should be 'mimenah' [feminine].
"And he sliced it." Like "he split," from [the same root as] "like a slice of pomegranate" [Song of Songs 4:3], just as "one who plows and cleaves" [Psalms 141:7] is used of the earth.
"For they did not know." That they [the gourds] are bitter.
Ralbag
"to gather herbs." This means: to gather vegetables.
"And he found a vine of the field, and gathered from it wild gourds." Some of the commentators explained that these are cucumbers, called 'meriqomoro' in the vernacular, which are extremely harmful and dangerous to eat. And some explained that they are what is called 'colocynth,' which is also like a deadly poison.
"And he sliced [them] into the pot of stew." This means that he cut those herbs and put them into the pot of stew, for they did not know that they would be unfit for food.
Metzudat David
“Vine of the field.” A species of vines that grow in the field, and their fruits are a poisonous and deadly matter.
"And he cut it up." He split it into pieces, and put it into the pot, for he did not recognize it as being a poisonous substance:
Metzudat Zion
Herbs. A matter of field plants, so too (Isaiah 26:19): the dew of the herbs is your dew:
Wild gourds. They are those that grow on a wild vine, and they are bitter, and they make oil from them, and in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory (Shabbat, ch. 2, m. 2), it is called 'the oil of wild gourds':
And split. A matter of cleaving, so too (Song of Songs 4:3): as a pomegranate split open:
Malbim
And one went out into the field to gather vegetables, or truffles and mushrooms, and he found a wild vine, which is a bitter species and a deadly poison. He gathered much of it, cut it into pieces, and put it into the pot of stew, "for they did not know" – meaning, they did not know that it was a deadly poison; or perhaps the rest of the sons of the prophets did not know that he had placed it in the pot, for had they known, someone among them who recognized it as harmful would have been found.
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 man of God, there is death in the pot.’ And they could not eat thereof.
verse value 2877
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "death" (מָ֤וֶת, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·husbands" (לַאֲנָשִׁ֖ים, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·they·poured" (וַיִּֽצְק֥וּ), "to·husbands" (לַאֲנָשִׁ֖ים), "to·eat" (לֶאֱכ֑וֹל). The root אכל appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·husbands" (root איש, 119x in II Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 119x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·eat', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 13 words.
Radak
"And they poured for the men." The yod is held with a ge'ya, on account of the omission, in the written form, of the yod that is the first radical of the verb; and its meaning is that they poured the stew into bowls for the men to eat.
As they eat them. With a kaf:
Death in a pot. Because they were bitter:
Ralbag
And they poured out for the men to eat. This means that they poured from the pot into the bowl, and when they ate from it, they cried out that there was poison of death in the pot. And by way of a miraculous sign, the prophet commanded them to take flour and throw it into the pot, and when they did this, the pottage was healed, and there was no harmful thing in the pot.
Metzudat David
And they poured. They poured the pottage into the bowls to eat it:
"Death in the pot, etc." You are a man of God; behold, there is something in the pot that causes death, for they perceived its bitterness.
Malbim
And they said, “Death in the pot,” meaning: A. They cried out about the past, that the portion they had eaten harmed them; B. About the future, that the remainder of the people would not be able to eat.
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.
verse value 2662
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. The shortest word is "pour" (צַ֤ק, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·take·flour" (וּקְחוּ־קֶ֔מַח, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·take·flour" (וּקְחוּ־קֶ֔מַח), "to·the·pot" (אֶל־הַסִּ֑יר), "pour" (צַ֤ק). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "to·the·pot" (root איל, 153x in II Kings); "thing" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·pot', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + וּקְחוּ־קֶ֔מַח [and·take·flour] (268) + וַיַּשְׁלֵ֖ךְ [and·threw] (366) + אֶל־הַסִּ֑יר [to·the·pot] (306) + וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + צַ֤ק [pour] (190) + לָעָם֙ [to·the·people] (140) + וְיֹאכֵ֔לוּ [and·they·will·eat] (73) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + הָיָ֛ה [was] (20) + דָּבָ֥ר [thing] (206) + רָ֖ע [evil] (270) + בַּסִּֽיר [in·the·pot] (272) = 2662.
Radak
"And take flour." The vav is like those vavs that we have written are at the beginning of a matter and are not for the addition of a matter, such as "And Abraham lifted up his eyes" and its likes, or it indicates a hidden word together with it, and its explanation is: "Go and take."
"And he cast it into the pot." But had they not already poured the stew into bowls? Rather, it appears that he commanded them to return the stew to the pot, and afterward he cast the flour into the pot, so that he would not need to put the flour into each and every bowl.
Metzudat David
And he said. Elisha said, "Return the pottage to the pot, and take flour to put into the pot, and then the poison will be removed."
"Pour out for the people." Now, pour into the bowls and let them eat.
"And there was not." This means: "And indeed it was so," for from then on there was no poisonous, deadly matter:
Malbim
The questions: Why did He command to give flour, and it would have been fitting for Him to say in His speech that the poison be nullified and not cause destruction?
And he said, "And take flour." Regarding the remedy for the past, it would have sufficed if the prophet had simply said that he would heal the harmful substance, especially since it is the manner of a miracle to heal the harmful agent with something similar to it, just as in the miracle of the waters where he threw in salt, and as our Sages of blessed memory stated that the Holy One, Blessed be He, strikes with a knife and heals with a knife. However, regarding the remedy for the future, so that it would be transformed into a substance that nourishes the body, he threw in flour there, for it is not the manner of a miracle to create something from nothing, but rather something from something. The lethal poison is the opposite of the nature of that which nourishes the body, for it destroys and ruins it. And even though he removed the harmful agent from it, there was still nothing in it that would nourish the body. Through the fact that he threw in flour there, the blessing fell upon the small amount of flour until the entire mixture became fit for food. And therefore he said, "Pour it out for the people, that they may eat." Moreover, there was no evil in the pot, for he had healed it from the very beginning, to the extent that even the men who had already eaten from it were not harmed, for there had been no evil in the pot from the very beginning.
And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of corn in his sack. And he said: ‘Give to the people, that they may eat.’
verse value 4716
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. Verse gematria: 4716 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֜א, 2 letters) and the longest is "twenty·bread" (עֶשְׂרִֽים־לֶ֣חֶם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 278: first-fruits, in·his·sack. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "from·Baal" (מִבַּ֣עַל), "first-fruits" (בִּכּוּרִים֙), "twenty·bread" (עֶשְׂרִֽים־לֶ֣חֶם). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "went·in" (root בוא, 146x in II Kings); "and·man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שערה ("barley") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·sack', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
From Baal-shalishah. The name of a region, and Yonatan translated: from the land of the south. 'Baal' the language of 'plain', and many times in Scripture:
Bread of first-ripe. On Passover, for the grain is first-ripe then:
In his sack. In his garment:
To the people. To the students whom he fed:
Radak
From "Baal-shalishah." This is the name of a place mentioned in the Book of Samuel: "And he passed through the land of Shalishah." And the Targum [renders it]: "This and that is the land of the South."
"The bread of the firstfruits" – from the first barley that was harvested, for the time of the barley harvest was [at that period].
"And fresh grain in his sack." In its husk, as the Targum renders it, and its meaning is: "in its garment."
Ralbag
"Firstfruits of bread." It is from the harvest of barley, for it is the first to be harvested.
"And Carmel in his sack." I would think that the barley had already been roasted, and then they would break it, and they would bind it into large pieces, which is called "Carmel." And he says that it was in his sack, meaning in a vessel that was meant for carrying these items.
Metzudat David
"Bread of the firstfruits." Bread made from the harvest that was reaped there first, and there were twenty of them, and they were of the species of barley.
"And fresh grain in his sack." Tender and full ears of grain, while they are still in their husks:
Metzudat Zion
From Baal-shalishah. A place name:
First-ripe. From the word first-born, meaning: that which is reaped first:
And kernels. So are called tender ears of grain:
In his sack. Targum Yonatan translates: in their husks:
Malbim
"And a man"—and during this time of famine, the Lord provided for Elisha. A man came from Baal-shaliyshah and brought to the prophet as a first-fruits offering twenty loaves of barley bread, which had been harvested there as the first yield, and ears of grain still in their husks. The barley was of the kind that ripens in the month of Nisan. The man thought that Elisha would eat the loaves, but Elisha commanded that they be set before his disciples. A blessing came upon them through a miracle. Our Sages of blessed memory teach that there were two thousand disciples, so that each loaf sufficed for a hundred men.
And his servant said: ‘How should I set this before a hundred men?’ But he said: ‘Give the people, that they may eat; for thus says Hashem: They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.’
verse value 4148
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "what?" (מָ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·let·them·eat" (וְיֹאכֵ֔לוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "his·attendant" (מְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹ), "I·will·give" (אֶתֵּ֣ן), "eat" (אָכֹ֥ל). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 342x in II Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "man" (root איש, 119x in II Kings). First appearance of the root שרת ("his·attendant") in II Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 10 words.
Rashi
What shall I give this. Every loaf and loaf:
Metzudat David
"What shall I set this?" This means: "Surely, they are but few."
“Eat, and there shall be a surplus.” In them there will be enough to eat, and there will still be a remainder.
So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of Hashem.
verse value 1634
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1634 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "and·gave" (וַיִּתֵּ֧ן, 4 letters) and the longest is "before·them" (לִפְנֵיהֶ֛ם, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in II Kings. Unique to this verse in II Kings (hapax): "and·left·over" (וַיּוֹתִ֖רוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 276x in II Kings); "as·word·of" (root דבר, 147x in II Kings); "before·them" (root פנים, 72x in II Kings). Full calculation: וַיִּתֵּ֧ן [and·gave] (466) + לִפְנֵיהֶ֛ם [before·them] (215) + וַיֹּאכְל֥וּ [and·ate] (73) + וַיּוֹתִ֖רוּ [and·left·over] (628) + כִּדְבַ֥ר [as·word·of] (226) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1634.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim