2 Kings 4:1-7

Listen to 2 Kings 4:1-7

A poor widow

1 Now there was a woman who had been married to a member of a group of prophets. She appealed to Elisha, saying, "My husband, your servant, is dead. You know how he feared the LORD. But now someone he owed money to has come to take my two children away as slaves."

2 Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me what you still have left in the house." She said, "Your servant has nothing at all in the house except a small jar of oil."

3 He said, "Go out and borrow containers from all your neighbors. Get as many empty containers as possible.

4 Then go in and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all those containers. Set each one aside when it's full."

5 She left Elisha and closed the door behind her and her sons. They brought her containers as she kept on pouring.

6 When she had filled the containers, she said to her son, "Bring me another container." He said to her, "There aren't any more." Then the oil stopped flowing,

7 and she reported this to the man of God. He said, "Go! Sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what remains."

Read Chapter Compare Translations

2 Kings 4:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 4

This chapter treats of the miracles of Elisha, of his multiplying a poor widow's pot of oil for the payment of her husband's debts, 2Ki 4:1-7 of obtaining a son for a Shunamitish woman, who had been very hospitable to him, 2Ki 4:8-17, of his raising up her son to life when dead, 2Ki 4:18-37, of his curing the deadly pottage made of wild gourds, 2Ki 4:38-41, and of his feeding one hundred men with twenty barley loaves, 2Ki 4:42-44.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Unlock Deeper Insights: Get Over 20 Commentaries with Plus! Subscribe Now

2 Kings 4:1-7 Study Resources

Sermons

Renewing: The Little Pot of Oil

Jill Briscoe

Who is the Holy Spirit and what does the Bible say about His work today? Can I experience the supply of His sustaining power in my life?This teaching is also available in Jill’s book A Little Pot of Oil.

Listen

The Holy Spirit of Prayer

Stuart and Jill Briscoe

When we pray, most of us spend a lot of time praying for ourselves, our family, and our friends. But did you know there is a lot more that God wants us to pray about?In this message, Jill uses the story of the little pot of oil to explain how we can let the Holy Spirit guide us in our prayer life so that God can work in our lives.

Listen

Not the End Part 1

James Kaddis

In the last several months, we have experienced an immense amount of loss. In the midst of that loss, it is very easy to be distracted by the things that we no longer have. But God wants to use that to draw our attention to what we actually do have. He takes what we often perceive as little, but what is actually abundant, and uses it to bring even greater fruitfulness and blessing. Today on Light on the Hill we are going to talk about that, as pastor James Kaddis opens Second Kings chapter four.

Listen

A Little Pot of Oil

Stuart and Jill Briscoe

Scripture tells a story about a widow who has run out of options on how to pay her creditors. She’s facing the real possibility that she will lose both of her young sons to slavery as a means of paying her debt. This desperate woman is out of money, out of hope, and out of faith. She’s angry at God for the situation she’s facing with seemingly no way out.Have you ever felt that way?How do you find peace when your faith is completely out of focus? When the sheer weight of the moment has blinded you to the Holy Spirit at work on your behalf, Jill’s message will remind you that God is sufficient. You have all you need when you have all of Him in all you.

Listen

The Holy Spirit of Prayer

Jill Briscoe

Listen

A Little Pot of Oil

Jill Briscoe

In 2 Kings 4, there's a story about a widow who has run out of options on how to pay her creditors. She's facing the real possibility that she will lose both of her young sons to slavery, as a means of paying her debt. This desperate woman is out of money, out of hope, and out of faith. She's angry at God for the situation she's facing with seemingly no way out. Have you ever felt that way? How do you find peace when your faith is completely out of focus? When the sheer weight of the moment has blinded you to the Holy Spirit at work on your behalf? Jill's message will remind you that God is sufficient. And you have all you need when you have all of Him in all you.

Listen