2 Kings 4:2

2 Elisha answered, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The woman said, "I don't have anything there except a pot of oil."

2 Kings 4:2 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 4:2

And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee?
&c.] Or can I do, being poor himself, and unable to relieve her out of his substance, and not knowing where to get anything for her; and so what could she expect from him? signifying, that he pitied her case, but all that he could do was to give her his best advice, and pray for her:

tell me what thou hast in thy house?
that she could part with and dispose of, in order to pay her debt; and satisfy her creditor:

and she said, thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a
pot of oil;
that is, nothing of any value; she might have some things, some sort of household goods, though perhaps she had parted with most of them in her poverty; this was the most valuable thing she had.

2 Kings 4:2 In-Context

1 The wife of a man from the groups of prophets said to Elisha, "Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know he honored the Lord. But now the man he owes money to is coming to take my two boys as his slaves!"

2 Elisha answered, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The woman said, "I don't have anything there except a pot of oil."

3 Then Elisha said, "Go and get empty jars from all your neighbors. Don't ask for just a few.

4 Then go into your house and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and set the full ones aside."

5 So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. As they brought the jars to her, she poured out the oil.