II Kings 4 · The Lantern

The Widow’s Oil

And a certain woman, one of the wives of the sons of the prophets, cried out to Elisha, saying: “Your servant my husband is dead, and you yourself know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor has come to take my two children for himself as slaves.”

It is said that this woman was the wife of Obadiah, the treasurer of Ahab and a secret disciple of Elijah, who had taken one hundred prophets away from the rage of Jezebel and had fed them when they were hungry. It seems that in this affair he was entrusted with the gold of the royal house, but after his death his wife was left with a huge debt to be paid to his masters.

Just as we said concerning blessed Elijah that he typified our Lord and Savior, dearly beloved, so we assert with confidence and assurance that holy Elisha was an image of our Savior.

Concerning this oil of piety it is said in the fourth book of Kings that a certain woman came to Elisha and said that her creditors wished to take her children; and she said: "My husband was a man who feared God." And Elisha said that she should bring all the vessels of her neighbors and pour some of that oil into each one, until all were filled.

And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me — what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing at all in the house except a jar of oil.”

And he said: “Go, ask for vessels for yourself from outside, from all your neighbors — empty vessels; do not get few.

And go in and shut the door behind you and behind your sons, and pour into all these vessels; and set aside each one that is full.”

And she went from him and shut the door behind her and behind her sons; they kept bringing the vessels to her, and she kept pouring.

And it was, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” And the oil stopped.

And she came and told the man of God; and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons shall live on what is left.”

The Shunammite Woman

And it was one day that Elisha crossed over to Shunem, and a great woman was there; and she urged him to eat bread. And it was, as often as he crossed over, that he would turn aside there to eat bread.

And she said to her husband: “Look, please — I know that he is a holy man of God, who passes by us continually.

Let us make, please, a small walled upper room, and set for him there a bed, and a table, and a chair, and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn aside there.”

And it was one day that he came there; and he turned aside to the upper room and lay down there.

And he said to Gehazi his boy, “Call this Shunammite.” And he called her, and she stood before him.

And he said to him, “Say to her, please: ‘Look — you have gone to all this trouble for us. What is there to do for you? Is there something to speak for you to the king, or to the commander of the army?’” And she said, “I am living among my own people.”

And he said, “Then what is there to do for her?” And Gehazi said, “Truly — she has no son, and her husband is old.”

And he said, “Call her.” And he called her, and she stood in the doorway.

And he said, “At this appointed time, at the time of life, you will be embracing a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, man of God — do not lie to your servant.”

And the woman conceived and bore a son at that appointed time, at the time of life, as Elisha had spoken to her.

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son

And the child grew. And it was one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers.

And he said to his father, “My head! My head!” And he said to the servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

And he carried him and brought him to his mother; and he sat on her knees until noon — and he died.

And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door behind him, and went out.

And she called to her husband and said, “Send me, please, one of the servants and one of the donkeys, and let me run to the man of God and return.”

And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is not new moon and not sabbath.” And she said, “Peace.”

And she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on, and go; do not slow the riding for me unless I tell you.”

And she went, and came to the man of God, to Mount Carmel. And it was, when the man of God saw her from opposite, that he said to Gehazi his boy: “Look — that Shunammite.

Now run to meet her, please, and say to her: ‘Is it peace with you? Is it peace with your husband? Is it peace with the child?’” And she said, “Peace.”

And she came to the man of God, to the mountain, and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi approached to push her away; but the man of God said: “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter within her — and the LORD has hidden it from me, and has not told me.”

And she said, “Did I ask a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead me’?”

And he said to Gehazi: “Gird up your waist, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet a man, do not bless him; and if a man blesses you, do not answer him. And lay my staff on the face of the boy.”

When he saw her suffering and anguish, he immediately sent his disciple, entrusting him with his staff, and told him to lay it on the dead child and to inform him about the results of his ministry. He wanted the resurrection of the dead to happen by means of the staff of the master and the hands of the disciple, if his servant was sufficient for the miracle.

There is another representation of the same truth: Elisha's action in first dispatching his servant with his staff to raise the dead child. The son of the woman who had given Elisha hospitality had died; the news was brought to Elisha, and he sent his servant with the staff. "Go," he told him, "lay the staff on the dead child." Was the prophet unsure what to do?

After the death of her son, that woman went out and prostrated herself at the feet of holy Elisha, but the blessed man gave his staff to his servant and said to him, "Go, and lay my staff on the face of the child.

And the mother of the boy said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And he rose and followed her.

And Gehazi had crossed over ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the boy — but there was no voice and no attention. And he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The boy has not awakened.”

And Elisha came into the house — and look, the boy was dead, laid on his bed.

And he went in and shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD.

And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his palms on his palms, and stretched himself out on him; and the flesh of the child grew warm.

"Sing to the Lord." Why? What has he done? Why is there a new song due him? "For he has done wondrous deeds." He performed miracles among the Jews: he cured paralytics; he cleansed lepers; he raised the dead to life. But other prophets had done that too. He changed a few loaves into many and fed a countless multitude. But Elisha did that.

What is the point of the addition you thought you should make to this comparison drawn from the example of blessed Elisha, namely, that he raised a dead boy by breathing into his face? Do you really think that the breath of Elisha became the soul of the boy? I would not have thought that you had wandered so far from the truth.

Thus, blessed Elisha came and went up to the chamber, because Christ was to come and ascend the gibbet of the cross. Elisha bent down to revive the child; Christ humbled himself to lift up the world that lay in sin. Elisha further put his eyes on [the child's] eyes, his mouth on his mouth and his hands on his hands.

And he turned away and walked in the house, once this way and once that; and he went up and stretched himself out on him. And the boy sneezed as many as seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.

And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” And he called her, and she came to him. And he said, “Lift up your son.”

And she came and fell at his feet and prostrated herself to the ground; and she lifted up her son and went out.

Elisha Purifies the Poisonous Stew

And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and the famine was in the land. And the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his boy, “Set the great pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

And one went out to the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered wild gourds from it, his garment full; and he came and sliced them into the pot of stew — for they did not know them.

And they poured it out for the men to eat. And it was, as they ate of the stew, that they cried out and said, “Death is in the pot, man of God!” And they could not eat it.

And he said, “Then bring flour.” And he threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour it out for the people, and let them eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

Feeding a Hundred Men

And a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits — twenty loaves of barley bread, and fresh grain in his sack. And he said, “Give it to the people, and let them eat.”

And his attendant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” And he said: “Give it to the people, and let them eat. For thus says the LORD: They shall eat, and have some left over.”

And he set it before them, and they ate, and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.