2 Kings 4:24

24 Then she saddled the donkey and ordered her servant, "Drive as fast as you can; don't slow down for me unless I say so."

2 Kings 4:24 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 4:24

Then she saddled an ass
Her servant did it by her order:

and said to her servant, drive, and go forward;
make all the haste he could:

slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee;
do not be afraid of riding too fast for me; if thou dost, I will tell thee; till then, keep on a good pace: Abarbinel says she walked afoot all the way, and ordered the man not to slacken his pace in riding for her, unless she called to him; and the Targum seems to favour this sense,

``do not press me to ride unless I call to thee;''

so that the ass was for Elijah to ride on; but one would think, that, as she was in haste, quicker dispatch would be made by her riding than by walking, see ( 2 Kings 4:22 ) .

2 Kings 4:24 In-Context

22 She called to her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants with a donkey. I must get to the man of God as fast as I can; I'll come straight back."
23 He asked, "Why are you going to him today? It isn't Rosh-Hodesh and it isn't Shabbat." She said, "It's all right."
24 Then she saddled the donkey and ordered her servant, "Drive as fast as you can; don't slow down for me unless I say so."
25 She set out and came to the man of God on Mount Karmel. When the man of God saw her in the distance, he said to Geichazi his servant, "Look, here comes that Shunamit.
26 Run now to meet her, and ask her, "Is everything all right with you? with your husband? with the child?" She answered, "Everything is all right."
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.