Bible Strands
2 Kings 4:35
Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elisha acts alone in the Shunammite woman’s house immediately after the boy’s body warms from his prior contact. The verse contains no speech, only a sequence of physical actions at the moment of revival.
The words — The Hebrew terms וַ/יָּ֜שָׁב (va/i.Ya.shov) and וַ/יֵּ֣לֶךְ (va/i.Ye.lekh) describe Elisha turning away and pacing back and forth through the room. The phrase אַחַ֥ת הֵ֙נָּה וְ/אַחַ֣ת הֵ֔נָּה literally indicates a single trip in each direction.
The thread — The narrative of a prophet restoring a dead child appears in 1 Kings 17:22 and 2 Kings 8:5, while 2 Kings 13:21 records a posthumous prophetic body reviving a man.
Why it lands — The text records the boy sneezing seven times and opening his eyes as the direct result of Elisha’s repeated physical contact, marking the conclusion of the revival. Readers observe the concrete sequence of events without added theological commentary.
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
Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 8:5 And Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought the dead back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had revived came to appeal to the king for her house and her land. So Gehazi said, “My lord the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life.”
- 2 Kings 13:21 Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.
- 1 Kings 17:22 And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived.
- 2 Kings 8:1 Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed that a seven-year famine will come to the land.”
- Luke 7:14 Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up!”
- Luke 8:55 Her spirit returned, and at once she got up. And He directed that she be given something to eat.
- John 11:43 After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
- Acts 9:40 Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up.