The child’s mother said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose, and followed her.
Parallel Translations
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The child’s mother said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose, and followed her.
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And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
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And the mother of the child said: 'As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And he arose, and followed her.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to 2 Kings 4:30 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Kings 2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel.” Elisha said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
- Ruth 1:16-18 Ruth said, “Don’t urge me to leave you, and to return from following you, for where you go, I will go; and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.” When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.
- Exodus 33:12-16 Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your way, now, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight; and consider that this nation is your people.” He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here. For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
- 2 Kings 2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho.” He said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 2Ki 4:30 And the mother of the child said,…
2Ki 4:30 And the mother of the child said, [As] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
Ver. 30. And he arose, and followed her.] As our Saviour also, upon a like occasion, arose and followed Jairus, {Mat 9:18-19} not taking offence at his weak faith, nor turning him off, as presuming to prescribe.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain I will not leave thee, until thou goest home…
I will not leave thee, until thou goest home with me. For she had no great confidence in Gehazi, nor was her faith so strong as to think that the prophet could work so great a miracle at this distance, and by his staff; which possibly was one reason why this did no good. Compare Mat 9:18; 13:58; 17:20.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the mother of the child said,.... Having no…
And the mother of the child said,.... Having no faith in what the servant was to do, or could do:
as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee; signifying she would not go with his servant, but insisted upon it that he himself went with her, or she would not depart:
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and he arose, and followed her; influenced by her importunity, and a sense of favours he had received from her, and more especially by the Spirit of God.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Will not leave thee - Until thou goest home…
Will not leave thee - Until thou goest home with me. For she had no great confidence in Gehazi, nor was her faith so strong as to think that the prophet could work so great a miracle at this distance.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 30. I will not leave thee.] The prophet…
Verse 30. I will not leave thee.] The prophet it seems had no design to accompany her; he intended to wait for Gehazi's return; but as the woman was well assured the child was dead, she was determined not to return till she brought the prophet with her.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 2Ki 4:30. And the mother of the child said,…
2Ki 4:30. And the mother of the child said, I will not leave thee — Until thou goest with me; for she had no great confidence in Gehazi, nor was her faith so strong as to think that the prophet could work so great a miracle at that distance, and by his staff. And he arose, and followed her — Being overcome by her importunity, and his tenderness toward so great a friend.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 30. I will not leave thee — After the…
30. I will not leave thee — After the heartless attempt of Gehazi to thrust her away from the prophet’s presence, (2Ki_4:27,) she has no confidence in his ministry, even though he carry the staff of Elisha. Sacred vestments and a holy commission will not command the confidence of earnest souls, unless they be associated with a minister who himself gives evidence of a true and tender heart.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 30. I will not leave thee] Whether the staff…
30. I will not leave thee] Whether the staff sent by Gehazi may have an effect, she cannot know. Her only security is in Elisha’s presence, and with him she will return to her desolated home. It seems as though the prophet had not at first intended to go with her, but she will take no refusal, so he prepares for the journey. ‘She, not regarding the staff or the man, holds fast to Elisha. No hopes of his message can loose her fingers. She imagined that the servant, the staff, might be severed from Elisha: she knew that wherever the prophet was, there was power’ (Bp Hall).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (30) I will not leave thee.—She wished the prophet…
(30) I will not leave thee.—She wished the prophet himself to go to her child. The writer appropriately substitutes “the mother of the child” for “the Shunammite” or “the woman” in connection with this impassioned utterance, which induced the prophet to yield to her wishes.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And the mother of the child said, As the…
And the mother of the child said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, (comp. 2Ki_3:2, 2Ki_3:4, 2Ki_3:6) I will not leave thee. Apparently, the woman supposed that Elisha intended to do nothing more, but trust the child"s recovery to such virtue as might inhere in his staff. But her own resolution was long ago taken she would be content with nothing less than bringing the prophet face to face with her dead child. She "will not leave" him till he consents to accompany her to her home. And he arose, and followed her; as, no doubt, he had intended from the first.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 As Yahweh lives, and as you live
As Yahweh lives, and as you live
"As surely as Yahweh lives and as you live." This shows that the mother is taking an oath. The mother compares the certainty that Yahweh and Elisha are alive to the certainty of what she is saying. This is a way of making a solemn promise. AT: "I solemnly promise that"
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but the child did not speak or hear
This means that the child was not alive. The full meaning of this statement can be made explicit. AT: "but the child did not show any signs of being alive" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
has not awakened
Here being dead is spoken of as being asleep. AT: "is still dead" (See: Euphemism)
translationWords
life
raise
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.