Bible Strands
2 Kings 4:12
And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.” And when he had called her, she stood before him,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elisha addresses his servant Gehazi during a visit to the Shunammite woman’s home, immediately after resting in her upper room. He commands Gehazi to summon the woman so she may stand before him.
The words — The verb קְרָא (ke.Raʾ) means “to summon” or “to call,” appearing twice to track the command and its execution. The second form, וַ/יִּקְרָא (vaʾ/yiqrāʾ), marks the completed action as the woman takes her position before Elisha.
The thread — Prophets directing servants appears in 1 Kings 19:3 when Elijah departs and leaves his attendant behind. The pattern of seeking a prophet’s counsel is recorded in 2 Kings 3:11, while 2 Kings 8:4 later shows Gehazi acting as the official messenger recounting Elisha’s miracles.
Why it lands — The narrative establishes a deliberate protocol for approaching the man of God, requiring the woman to be summoned and positioned before him. It demands attention to the ordered steps necessary for the subsequent divine interaction.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 8:4 Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done.”
- 1 Kings 19:3 And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
- 2 Kings 3:11 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
- 2 Kings 4:29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.”
- 2 Kings 5:20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
- 1 Kings 18:43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he said to his servant. So the servant went and looked, and he said, “There is nothing there.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
- Acts 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper.