Comentario sobre II Reyes 4:49

A wife of one of the disciples of the prophets. She was the wife of Ovadyoh. Every expression of ‘בְּנֵי הַנְּבִיאִים’ [lit., “the sons of the prophets”], in Scripture, is translated [by Targum Yonoson] as, “the disciples of the prophets.”¹See Targum above 2:3, 2:7 and 2:15.

Our sages of blessed memory said that this "certain" woman was the wife of Ovadia and the collector of the loan was Yehoram son of Achav, for in his lifetime Achav had lent her money with interest in order to financially support the prophets.

Now the creditor. He was Yehorom, son of Achov, who would lend him with interest, enabling him to sustain the prophets in his father’s time [according to] Midrash Rabbi Tanchuma. Therefore it is stated, “And struck Yehorom between his arms,”²Below 9:24. which he stretched out to take interest.

A jar of oil. Enough oil for anointment [=אָסוּךְ], and the ‘א’ is part of the root,³Alternatively, the root is סוך, and the ‘א’ is an added prefix.—Radak like the ‘א’ of, “and my speech [=וְאַחְוָתִי] in your ears,”⁴Iyov 13:17. and the ‘א’ of, “the dread [=אִבְחַת] of those struck down by the sword.”⁵Yechezkeil 21:20.

The blessing will settle on him

Nothing at all

From people outside your house, and as an additional clarification, he said to her, "from every single one of you're neighbors".

And close the door. [It affords] respect to the miracle [if] it comes about in secret.

Do not ask for a little, for there are a lot of vessels

And the full one[s] you shall remove. From before you, and you shall place another vessel in its place to fill it, but you must not move the jug of oil from its place, for the Holy One, Blessed Is He, is making it as a spring, and it is not customary to move a spring from its place.⁶Alternatively, she must not move the jug of oil because a miracle continues only in the place where it started.—Radak I heard this Midrash Aggadah.

They would bring [the containers] to her. The vessels.⁷They even brought her broken vessels and miraculously they became whole. These too were filled with oil.—Radak

They brought her the empty vessels because she didn't move from her place with her oil jug

Then the oil stopped. From coming anymore. [According to] Midrash Aggadah, the price of oil went up.⁸Bereishis Rabbah 35:3.

that she had borrowed

She came and told, etc. She came for advice, whether to sell [the oil] or to wait until it would become even more expensive. He said to her, “Go sell, for there is enough [to pay] all your debt, and for you and your sons to live with the remainder, until the dead are resurrected.”⁹He blessed them with eternal life, i.e., life until the Resurrection of the Dead.—Malbim

What is left of the oil goes to your debt

There [lived] a prominent woman. [I.e.,] an important [woman]. And I saw in Pirkei of Rabbi Eliezer,¹⁰Chapter 23. that she was the sister of Avishag the Shunamis.¹¹See I Melochim 1:1-4.¹²She is also identified as the mother of Iddo the prophet.—Radak See I Melochim 13:1 and Rashi there.

He wanted to say, come on the day that Elisha passed through Sunam

Thereafter, whenever he passed through. In that city, he would stop at her house to eat a meal.

He would go. [יור is] the present tense, [i.e.,] he would go there.

“Behold, now I know.” Because she never saw a fly at his table or semen on his sheet.¹³Maseches Berachos 10b. From here we derive that a woman recognizes her guests better than her husband does.

I recognize that he is a holy man, and it is not important enough to sit with us on the table, and he said to the congregation "remember to bless and the women remember about the guests over the men.

To get lonely in his room; alone

And the day came. And it was one day.

Come today and then go there after you went up

You have busied yourself with us. On our account.

He didn't want to speak with the woman face to face.

With all this attention. To put your heart into this task, as in, “and shudders [=וחרד] concerning My word,”¹⁴Yeshayahu 66:2. [i.e.,] is diligent concerning the task that it be accomplished, and puts his heart into it.

As if to say, 'I dwell among my family and nobody wants to harm us, and i don't need anyone's help to antagonize someone.'

What can be done for you? What do you need that we do for you, for you busied yourself on our account.

“In the midst of my people.” Among my relatives, [i.e.,] no one harms me. I have no need for the king or for the general of the army.¹⁵Alternatively, “I dwell among my relatives and they can speak to the king on my behalf if necessary.”—Radak

And he said. Elisha [said] to Geichazi.

After she went before him, to Gehzi, and what is this kindness they are doing to her.

“Then what is there to do for her?” To reciprocate for this favor.

Truthfully, he had the right to be kind, because she had no son, and she was an old woman , and by the way of nature she cant give birth again and if you give birth to another son it would be a great gift.

When she saw that he wasn't speaking to her face to face, she distanced herself and stood out in the doorway

“At this season [next year] when the time comes to give birth.” Just as you are alive and well today, so will you be alive at this season [next year]¹⁶I.e., Elisha was guaranteeing her future health by comparing it to her present state of health. Alternatively, חַיָּה refers to a woman who gives birth and כָּעֵת חַיָּה refers to a nine month span, the normal period of pregnancy. Elisha told her that the baby will be born after fully developing in the womb.—Metzudas Dovid at this time and embracing a son.

As if to say, in the time to come, at the time it is appropriate to be "alive" ( meaning a woman who is giving birth) and at the end of nine months are the days of pregnancy.

“Do not my master.” Do not say, “embracing a son.” Why do I need to embrace him if I will end up burying him?¹⁷She suspected that her son would survive for only a short period because the prophet used the expression “you will be hugging a son” instead of “you will have a son,” the expression used by the angels when they told Avrohom that Sarah will bear him a son. See Bereishis 18:10.—Malbim This is what she said to him when he died, “Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead me’?”

Do not deceive. Do not show me something that will fail. You have power to beg mercy, so that a son will be given to me. But I beg you, do not give me [any child], rather a child who will live.

Do not deceive. Like “whose waters will not fail.”¹⁸Yeshayahu 58:11.

When the time was for her to give birth. Like this time when she was alive and well. Therefore, the word is voweled [to mean], like “this” time.¹⁹I.e., the ‘כ’ is voweled with a קָמַץ instead of a שְׁוָא.

According to what Elisha said

That same day he went out to his father while he was standing next to the reapers.

“My head! My head!” I am sick in my head.²⁰It is common for those in pain to repeat their cries; see Yirmiyahu 4:19.—Radak

I have pain in my head, and the word was doubled in the manner of someone who is groaning with pain, like it says my bowels, my bowels I write in pain.

He said. His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him to his mother.”

“Drive and go on.” [I.e.,] hurry.

Tied the saddle.

Do not hold back from riding because of me. Do not hold back the riding [pace] because of me.²¹Some say she walked alongside the donkey and others say she rode the donkey.—Radak

Ride the donkey and go and don't delay for my sake (thinking) that I may want to mount it, but when I tell you stop, stop.

From a distance.

As if to say, the following one is the Shunamit.

And she said, “[All is] well.” This is an abbreviated verse, for it should have been written, “And he asked her, and she said, ‘We are well.’”

Then he asked her, she said to him all is well, and she didn't want to reveal it to him also.

In the passing of the Navi's honor, do not hold his leg.

Give to her weakness and don't thrust her away, because it has been done by her bitter soul, and I didn't know because Hashem hid it from me in this time, and also now it was not told to me.

Did I not say. To you, “Do not deceive your maidservant”?²²Below v. 16.

And did I ask for a son until you forced me to promise something that I couldn't do.

“Do not mislead”? Do not mislead me concerning a mistake.²³Alternatively, Gא תַשְׁגֶּה means “do not grieve me.”—Targum

Do not greet him. Do not inquire about his welfare. All this [was done] to discourage conversation, where one might ask him, “Where are you going?” and he would say, “To revive the dead.” It is not respectful for the miracle when the maker brags about it. But, he did not obey.²⁴Geichazi took his mission very lightly and considered it a joke. He was therefore unsuccessful in his mission. Radak When anyone asked him [where he was going], he responded, “My master sent me to revive the dead.”²⁵Alternatively, Elisha initially thought that the boy had merely fainted and therefore his personal presence would not be necessary.—Malbim

To go quick but cautiously

In order that you do not delay in root

I will forsake you, not to go with you

he went infront of them

our rabbis of blessed memory say, that gehazi didn't listen to the words of the prophet, and he was also bragging on the way, saying that he was going to revive the dead.

it's the same thing, for when there is no voice there isn't anything to listen to, it is double language but in different words

And he spread himself upon him. [Targum] Yonoson rendered ‘וְאַלְהֵי עֲלוֹהִי’, an expression of weariness.²⁶I.e., “he laid exhausted upon him.” There is a similar word in the Beraisa of Ha’azinu and in Sifrei. But Menachem rendered ‘וַיִּגְהַר’, an interpretation of the word according to its context, “he prostrated himself upon him.”²⁷See I Melochim 18:42.

on the bed

it was the influence of his vital organs invigorating the vital organs of the lad

[The boy] sneezed. He sneezed.²⁸According to the Zohar, the boy that Elisha revived was Chavakuk the prophet. This is alluded to in v. 16 above, where the prophet tells the woman “you will be hugging [=חֹבֶקֶת] a son.”

he got off the bed again

once to cover this an once to cover that

the child didnt wake up until the seventh time

Put up the large pot. Place it on the stove.

put the pot on a cooking place and cook food in it

A porridge. A cooked dish.

For the disciples of the prophets. For the disciples of the prophets.

To gather greens [herbs]. [‘אֹרֹת’ is] field-rocket which is called oruge, and it enlightens [=מֵאִיר] the eyes.²⁹See Maseches Yoma 18b. Others interpret ‘אֹרֹת’ as herbs, as in, “like a clear heat on herbs [=אוֹר].”³⁰Yeshayahu 18:4.

from the fruit of a species of wild vines that are great in the feild and of the fruits that are poisinous

And he found a vine in the field. A vine in the field.

he cut them into peices and put them in the pot because he did not recognize it that it was a poisinous thing.

And gathered wild gourds from it. Wild mushrooms sprouted from it, boleiz, in O.F., which are poisonous.³¹They did not realize that the mushrooms were poisonous. And in the name of Rabbi Menachem I heard, “and he gathered in addition to the fruit that grew from it, wild gourds.”

And sliced [them]. Split them.

as if to say and there was something, because up until now, there hadn't been anything poisonous or deadly (in the pot)

now he poured it onto the dish and they ate

From Ba’al-Shalishah. The name of a province. But [Targum] Yonoson rendered, “from the land toward the south.” “בַּעַל” is an expression meaning “a plain.” There are many [such expressions] in Scripture.

bread that was made from the first harvest, there were 20 (loaves) of them, and they were made from species of barley

Bread from the first crop. It was during Pesach, when the grain ripens.³²Although the word בִּכּוּרִים usually refers to the new crop offering that was brought in the Beis Hamikdosh [see Shemos 34:26], here it merely means “bread from the first crop,” without reference to the new crop offering.

soft and full sheaves, like they were still in their husks

In their shells. In its wrapper.³³I.e., the grains were still in their husks. Alternatively, after grain is toasted and broken up, it is placed in a vessel known as צִקְלוֹן.—Ralbag

To the people. To the disciples [of the prophets] whom he sustained.

“How will I present this.” Each bread.

there would be enough food for all of them, and there would also be some left over

as if to say there is very little [food] here