The Meaning of 2 Kings 4:13 Explained

2 Kings 4:13

KJV: And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

YLT: And he saith to him, 'Say, I pray thee, unto her, Lo, thou hast troubled thyself concerning us with all this trouble; what -- to do for thee? is it to speak for thee unto the king, or unto the head of the host?' and she saith, 'In the midst of my people I am dwelling.'

Darby: And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she said, I dwell among mine own people.

ASV: And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said  unto him, Say  now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful  for us with all this care;  what [is] to be done  for thee? wouldest  thou be spoken  for to the king,  or to the captain  of the host?  And she answered,  I dwell  among  mine own people. 

What does 2 Kings 4:13 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 4:8-24 - Entertaining A Prophet
The real man needs a very small supply of outward comfort, because his life is hid in God. It does not consist in the abundance of things that he possesses, but in faith, love, and hope. What a noble testimony it would be to our character, if people who saw us going to and fro became convinced that "this is an holy man of God," 2 Kings 4:9!
Sunstroke in the tropics is a frequent cause of death, Psalms 121:6. When a child is taken sick, it is the mother who is the best comforter; but there are limits to a mother's power to help. This woman of Shunem must be referred to in Hebrews 11:35. She was so sure of the life-restoring prayers of the great prophet that she did not feel it necessary to tell her husband what had befallen. Why should she grieve him, when the child would soon be given back to them! In noble confidence she dared to say that all would be well, and God did not disappoint nor fail. Shunem was fifteen miles from Carmel, and there was not an inch of the road which was not covered by the mother's splendid faith that God would make all-grace abound toward her. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 4

1  Elisha multiplies the widow's oil
8  He obtains a son for the good Shunammite
18  He restores her son when dead
38  At Gilgal he heals the deadly pottage
42  He satisfies a hundred men with twenty loaves

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 4:13 mean?

And he said to him Say now to her Look you have been concerned for us with all care this what [can I] do for you do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army and she answered among my own people I dwell
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ אֱמָר־ נָ֣א אֵלֶיהָ֮ הִנֵּ֣ה חָרַ֣דְתְּ ׀ אֵלֵינוּ֮ אֶת־ כָּל־ הַחֲרָדָ֣ה הַזֹּאת֒ מֶ֚ה לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת לָ֔ךְ הֲיֵ֤שׁ לְדַבֶּר־ לָךְ֙ אֶל־ הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ א֖וֹ שַׂ֣ר ؟ הַצָּבָ֑א וַתֹּ֕אמֶר בְּת֥וֹךְ עַמִּ֖י אָנֹכִ֥י יֹשָֽׁבֶת

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֗וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
אֱמָר־  Say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
נָ֣א  now 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
אֵלֶיהָ֮  to  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הִנֵּ֣ה  Look 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
חָרַ֣דְתְּ ׀  you  have  been  concerned 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: חָרַד  
Sense: to tremble, quake, move about, be afraid, be startled, be terrified.
אֵלֵינוּ֮  for  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַחֲרָדָ֣ה  care 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲרָדָה  
Sense: fear, anxiety, quaking, trembling, (extreme) anxiety, anxious care.
הַזֹּאת֒  this 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת  [can  I]  do 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָ֔ךְ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
הֲיֵ֤שׁ  do  you  want  me 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
לְדַבֶּר־  to  speak  on 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
לָךְ֙  your  behalf 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
שַׂ֣ר  the  commander 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
؟ הַצָּבָ֑א  of  the  army 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
וַתֹּ֕אמֶר  and  she  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
עַמִּ֖י  my  own  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
יֹשָֽׁבֶת  dwell 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.