This verse portrays a mother’s devastating loss yet prepares the reader for a mighty demonstration of God’s life-giving power.
Elisha the prophet ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, after succeeding Elijah. During this time, he often traveled through the region of Shunem, a town located in the territory of Issachar near the Jezreel Valley. There he formed a friendship with a woman referred to in Scripture only as “the Shunammite.” She had shown him great hospitality, and in gratitude, Elisha foretold that she would bear a son despite her husband’s old age. As the child grew older, he one day fell ill while in the fields, and his father’s servant carried him to his mother. The verse then declares, When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then died. (v.20)
This verse highlights a pivotal moment in the Shunammite woman’s life. The child she received as a miraculous gift from the LORD suddenly died upon her knees, accentuating her deep sense of loss and helplessness. Shunem, located in northern Israel, had experienced political and religious turmoil leading up to this time. Yet God’s power and mercy shine in this narrative, even amid tragedy. Immediately after his death, the Shunammite woman set off to find Elisha, trusting in the LORD and in His prophet’s ability to restore life. The sorrowful scene in verse 20 serves as the turning point for one of the most remarkable miracles in the Old Testament—the miraculous raising of her son by Elisha (2 Kings 4:18-37), which foreshadows later biblical accounts of resurrection, including Jesus’s own victories over death (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:14-15).
God’s compassion for the woman and her child in this moment anticipates the mercy consistently displayed throughout Scripture. The grim event of the child’s passing would eventually display God’s dominion over life itself. In the New Testament, Jesus echoes these themes of faith and restoration when He proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), reaffirming that God alone has the power to resurrect and heal.
Set to dark mode
2 Kings 4:20 meaning
Elisha the prophet ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, after succeeding Elijah. During this time, he often traveled through the region of Shunem, a town located in the territory of Issachar near the Jezreel Valley. There he formed a friendship with a woman referred to in Scripture only as “the Shunammite.” She had shown him great hospitality, and in gratitude, Elisha foretold that she would bear a son despite her husband’s old age. As the child grew older, he one day fell ill while in the fields, and his father’s servant carried him to his mother. The verse then declares,
When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then died. (v.20)
This verse highlights a pivotal moment in the Shunammite woman’s life. The child she received as a miraculous gift from the LORD suddenly died upon her knees, accentuating her deep sense of loss and helplessness. Shunem, located in northern Israel, had experienced political and religious turmoil leading up to this time. Yet God’s power and mercy shine in this narrative, even amid tragedy. Immediately after his death, the Shunammite woman set off to find Elisha, trusting in the LORD and in His prophet’s ability to restore life. The sorrowful scene in verse 20 serves as the turning point for one of the most remarkable miracles in the Old Testament—the miraculous raising of her son by Elisha (2 Kings 4:18-37), which foreshadows later biblical accounts of resurrection, including Jesus’s own victories over death (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:14-15).
God’s compassion for the woman and her child in this moment anticipates the mercy consistently displayed throughout Scripture. The grim event of the child’s passing would eventually display God’s dominion over life itself. In the New Testament, Jesus echoes these themes of faith and restoration when He proclaims, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), reaffirming that God alone has the power to resurrect and heal.