2 Kings 4:27

27 Then she came to Elisha at the hill and grabbed his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away, but Elisha said to him, "Leave her alone. She's very upset, and the Lord has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me."

2 Kings 4:27 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 4:27

And when she came to the man of God to the hill
To the top of it:

she caught him by the feet;
in reverence to him, and as a supplicant, she prostrated herself at his feet, and, out of affection to him, caught hold on them, and held them fast, and determined not to leave him until he had promised to go with her, see ( Matthew 28:9 ) . It was usual with the Jews to lay hold on and kiss the feet or knees of those to whom they did homage, or made supplication, see ( Matthew 28:9 ) ( Luke 7:38 ) . (See Gill on Luke 7:38), and so with the Greeks, as may be observed in various passages in Homer F25 and others:

but Gehazi came near to thrust her away;
as being troublesome and disagreeable to his master, and not for her honour and credit:

and the man of God said, let her alone, for her soul is vexed within
her;
or "is bitter" F26, full of trouble and distress, and knows not what to do, nor very well what she does:

and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me:
what is the cause of this her trouble; for prophets did not know things of themselves, nor had they the vision of prophecy at their will and pleasure, but according to the will of God.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 Vid. Barthium ad Claudian. de Raptu Proserpin. l. 1. ver. 50.
F26 (hrm) "amara", Pagninus, Montanus

2 Kings 4:27 In-Context

25 So she went to Elisha, the man of God, at Mount Carmel. When he saw her coming from far away, he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, there's the Shunammite woman!
26 Run to meet her and ask, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the boy all right?'" She answered, "Everything is all right."
27 Then she came to Elisha at the hill and grabbed his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away, but Elisha said to him, "Leave her alone. She's very upset, and the Lord has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me."
28 She said, "Master, did I ask you for a son? Didn't I tell you not to lie to me?"
29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, "Get ready. Take my walking stick in your hand and go quickly. If you meet anyone, don't say hello. If anyone greets you, don't respond. Lay my walking stick on the boy's face."
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.