The Meaning of 2 Kings 4:4 Explained

2 Kings 4:4

KJV: And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

YLT: and thou hast entered, and shut the door upon thee, and upon thy sons, and hast poured out into all these vessels, and the full ones thou dost remove.'

Darby: and go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels, and set aside what is full.

ASV: And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when thou art come in,  thou shalt shut  the door  upon thee and upon thy sons,  and shalt pour out  into all those vessels,  and thou shalt set aside  that which is full. 

What does 2 Kings 4:4 Mean?

Context Summary

2 Kings 4:1-7 - Every Vessel Filled
Elisha's ministry was not startling. It was redemptive and constructive. Widows came to him for help against their creditors; mothers appealed on behalf of their children; poison was rendered powerless; and loaves were multiplied. Do not judge power by the noise it makes. The dew excites less notice than a thunder-storm, but it may be more refreshing. A life filled with quiet ministry will bear comparison with one whose outbursts of passion are followed by reaction and depression. Twelve hours of daily sunshine, year in and year out, are preferable to the summer of daylight in the Arctic Circle, followed by months of midnight.
When our need is urgent, and we spread it before God, the question is never about the amount of oil, but of the empty vessels. We fear that there will not be enough oil; God is concerned lest we fail to bring sufficient vessels to hold all He wants to give. The oil was multiplied in the pouring, as the meal of the other widow was increased in the spending. God's oil will never be exhausted so long as we can receive and impart. According to our faith will it be done. It is not a question of how much God can give, but how much we can use. [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 4:4 mean?

And when you have come in and you shall shut the door behind you and your sons then pour it into all vessels these and the full ones set aside
וּבָ֗את וְסָגַ֤רְתְּ הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙ בַּעֲדֵ֣ךְ וּבְעַד־ בָּנַ֔יִךְ וְיָצַ֕קְתְּ עַ֥ל כָּל־ הַכֵּלִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וְהַמָּלֵ֖א תַּסִּֽיעִי

וּבָ֗את  And  when  you  have  come  in 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְסָגַ֤רְתְּ  and  you  shall  shut 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: סָגוּר 
Sense: to shut, close.
הַדֶּ֙לֶת֙  the  door 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: דַּל 
Sense: door, gate.
בַּעֲדֵ֣ךְ  behind  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: בַּעַד 
Sense: behind, through, round about, on behalf of, away from, about.
בָּנַ֔יִךְ  your  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
וְיָצַ֕קְתְּ  then  pour  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יָצַק  
Sense: to pour, flow, cast, pour out.
עַ֥ל  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַכֵּלִ֖ים  vessels 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: כְּלִי  
Sense: article, vessel, implement, utensil.
הָאֵ֑לֶּה  these 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.
וְהַמָּלֵ֖א  and  the  full  ones 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מָלֵא  
Sense: full, fullness, that which fills.
תַּסִּֽיעִי  set  aside 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: נָסַע  
Sense: to pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart.