Bible Strands
2 Kings 4:14
So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” “Well, she has no son,” Gehazi replied, “and her husband is old.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elisha instructs Gehazi to ask the Shunammite woman what provision can be made for her, following her refusal of royal or military patronage. Gehazi responds by stating her lack of a son and her husband's advanced age.
The words — The phrase וּמֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת (u./Meh la./'a.Sot) literally renders “and what [is] to do,” capturing Gehazi’s practical inquiry about available provisions. The term אֵין־ בֵּן ('ein- ben) states plainly “not a son,” establishing her familial status.
The thread — This pairing of childlessness and an aging husband appears in Luke 1:7, which notes Elizabeth’s barrenness and her advanced years. The Shunammite’s domestic stability is also highlighted in 2 Kings 4:13 when she declines external patronage to remain with her people.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that human circumstances, whether lack or stability, precede divine intervention. It directs attention to the specific conditions Elisha must address rather than offering comfort or explanation.
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, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
Cross-references
- Genesis 15:2 But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
- 1 Samuel 1:8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
- Luke 1:7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
- Genesis 18:10 Then the LORD said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was behind him, listening at the entrance to the tent.
- Genesis 25:21 Later, Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD heard his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
- Judges 13:2 Now there was a man from Zorah named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, whose wife was barren and had no children.
- Genesis 17:17 Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”
- Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.
- 1 Samuel 1:2 He had two wives, one named Hannah and the other Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.