Elisha and the Shunammite Woman (sequel from earlier)

 Original story in II Kings 4:8 - 27

This sequel in

II Kings 8: 1 - 6

This translation is from

ANCHOR BIBLE vol. 11

edited/commentary/textual notes

by Mordechai Cogan, Ph.D.

professor emeritus of

Hebrew University of Jerusalem

huji.ac.il/academics/

Once Elisha spoke to the woman whose

son he had revived, "Up, go, you and

your household, and live wherever you

will, for YHWH has decreed a seven-year

famine, and it has already come upon the

land!"  The woman proceeded to act in

accordance with the word of the man of

God; she and her household went and

lived in the land of the Philistines for

seven years.  At the end of the seven years,

the woman returned from the land of the

Philistines and she went to appeal to the

king concerning her house and her field.

[The Qumran / Dead Sea Scrolls

text (6Q Kgs 15) has a shorter

text than Masoretic Text :

at the end of seven years

is lost, probably through

haplography of the previous

words]

Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the

attendant of the man of God: "Tell me

all of the great deeds that Elisha has

performed."  And as he was telling the

king how Elisha had revived the dead, 

the woman whose son he had revived was

appealing to the king concerning her 

house and her field.  Gehazi said,

"My Lord king, this is the woman

and this is her son whom Elisha revived!"

The king questioned the woman and she 

told him.  Then the king assigned a

eunuch / courtier to her with orders :

Restore everything that belongs to her

and all the income from her field,

from the day she left the country until

now!"