God can bring life from death for those who seek Him in faith.
She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. (v.21)
This moment takes place in the days of the prophet Elisha, who ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel around the 9th century BC. Previously in 2 Kings 4, Elisha had promised a child to a hospitable woman from Shunem, a region located in the fertile Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. After the miraculous birth, the child tragically became ill and died. In this verse, the Shunammite woman carries her dead son and places him on Elisha’s bed, a clear act of faith and desperation—she believes there is still hope if she seeks out the man of God. By shutting the door, she preserves the scene for the prophet’s intervention, refusing to accept finality.
Elisha’s era was one of frequent conflict and spiritual wavering in the northern kingdom, made evident elsewhere in 2 Kings as Israel contended with idolatries, foreign threats, and repeated calls from prophets to return to the LORD. Despite the turmoil, this narrative highlights the covenant faithfulness of God, who often displayed His power as a reminder that He alone gives life. The Shunammite’s resolute decision to lay her son on Elisha’s bed underscores her conviction that the power of the one true God could overcome even death, foreshadowing resurrection themes later revealed in the New Testament.
Elisha’s miraculous raising of this boy in the following verses prefigures the ministry of Jesus, who showed similar compassion and power when He raised a widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17). In both instances, a grieving mother exhibits faith and hope in God’s goodness, reminding us that He is intimately involved in the sufferings of His people and ultimately overcomes the greatest trials for those who trust Him.
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2 Kings 4:21 meaning
She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. (v.21)
This moment takes place in the days of the prophet Elisha, who ministered in the northern kingdom of Israel around the 9th century BC. Previously in 2 Kings 4, Elisha had promised a child to a hospitable woman from Shunem, a region located in the fertile Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. After the miraculous birth, the child tragically became ill and died. In this verse, the Shunammite woman carries her dead son and places him on Elisha’s bed, a clear act of faith and desperation—she believes there is still hope if she seeks out the man of God. By shutting the door, she preserves the scene for the prophet’s intervention, refusing to accept finality.
Elisha’s era was one of frequent conflict and spiritual wavering in the northern kingdom, made evident elsewhere in 2 Kings as Israel contended with idolatries, foreign threats, and repeated calls from prophets to return to the LORD. Despite the turmoil, this narrative highlights the covenant faithfulness of God, who often displayed His power as a reminder that He alone gives life. The Shunammite’s resolute decision to lay her son on Elisha’s bed underscores her conviction that the power of the one true God could overcome even death, foreshadowing resurrection themes later revealed in the New Testament.
Elisha’s miraculous raising of this boy in the following verses prefigures the ministry of Jesus, who showed similar compassion and power when He raised a widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17). In both instances, a grieving mother exhibits faith and hope in God’s goodness, reminding us that He is intimately involved in the sufferings of His people and ultimately overcomes the greatest trials for those who trust Him.