2 Kings 4:31
New International Version
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

New Living Translation
Gehazi hurried on ahead and laid the staff on the child’s face, but nothing happened. There was no sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The child is still dead.”

English Standard Version
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

Berean Standard Bible
Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

King James Bible
And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

New King James Version
Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

New American Standard Bible
Then Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and informed him, saying, “The boy has not awakened.”

NASB 1995
Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and told him, “The lad has not awakened.”

NASB 1977
Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was neither sound nor response. So he returned to meet him and told him, “The lad has not awakened.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Now Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and told him, saying, “The boy has not awakened.”

Amplified Bible
Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response [from the boy]. So he turned back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened (revived).”

Christian Standard Bible
Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

American Standard Version
And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Gekhazi passed on before them and put his staff on the face of the boy, and there was not a voice, neither one hearing. And he returned to meet him and he told him and said to him: “The boy has not awakened!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Giezi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face: but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

Contemporary English Version
Gehazi ran on ahead and laid Elisha's walking stick on the boy's face, but the boy didn't move or make a sound. Gehazi ran back to Elisha and said, "The boy didn't wake up."

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Giezi was gone before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, and there was no voice nor sense: and he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: The child is not risen.

English Revised Version
And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Gehazi went ahead of them and put the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi came back to meet the man of God. Gehazi told him, "The boy didn't wake up."

Good News Translation
Gehazi went on ahead and held Elisha's stick over the child, but there was no sound or any other sign of life. So he went back to meet Elisha and said, "The boy didn't wake up."

International Standard Version
Meanwhile, Gehazi went on ahead of them and placed the staff on the youngster's face, but when there was no sound or reaction, he returned, met Elisha, and told him, "The youngster has shown no sign of awakening."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: 'The child is not awaked.'

Literal Standard Version
And Gehazi has passed on before them, and lays the staff on the face of the youth, and there is no voice, and there is no attention, and he turns back to meet him, and declares to him, saying, “The youth has not awoken.”

Majority Standard Bible
Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

New American Bible
Meanwhile, Gehazi had gone on ahead and had laid the staff upon the boy, but there was no sound, no response. He returned to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

NET Bible
Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child's face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha he told him, "The child did not wake up."

New Revised Standard Version
Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. He came back to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

New Heart English Bible
Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Therefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, "The child has not awakened."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

World English Bible
Gehazi went ahead of them, and laid the staff on the child’s face; but there was no voice and no hearing. Therefore he returned to meet him, and told him, “The child has not awakened.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Gehazi hath passed on before them, and layeth the staff on the face of the youth, and there is no voice, and there is no attention, and he turneth back to meet him, and declareth to him, saying, 'The youth hath not awaked.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elisha Raises the Shunammite's Son
30And the mother of the boy said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her. 31Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.” 32When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.…

Cross References
John 11:11
After He had said this, He told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up."

2 Kings 4:32
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed.

2 Kings 5:20
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him."

2 Kings 8:1
Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, "Arise, you and your household; go and live as a foreigner wherever you can. For the LORD has decreed a seven-year famine, and it has already come to the land."


Treasury of Scripture

And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Why he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

neither voice

1 Samuel 14:37
And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.

1 Samuel 28:6
And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

Ezekiel 14:3
Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

hearing [heb] attention

1 Kings 18:26,29
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made…

not awaked

Job 14:12
So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Daniel 12:2
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Mark 5:39
And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

Jump to Previous
Awaked Awakened Boy Boy's Child Elisha Face Gehazi Geha'zi Hearing Laid Life Meet Passed Response Sign Sound Staff Voice Wherefore
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Awaked Awakened Boy Boy's Child Elisha Face Gehazi Geha'zi Hearing Laid Life Meet Passed Response Sign Sound Staff Voice Wherefore
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














(31) There was neither voice, nor hearing.--1Kings 18:29; see margin, and Isaiah 21:7.

Wherefore he went again.--And he came back to meet him (Elisha).

The child is not awaked.--The lad woke not.

The Rabbis explain Gehazi's failure by assuming that he had disobeyed his master's injunction by loitering on the way. This is contradicted by the narrative itself. He had acted with all despatch. Others blame him on other grounds, which, in the absolute silence of the text, cannot be substantiated. The prophet says no word of censure when he receives the announcement of the failure. Bahr thinks that Elisha himself was at fault in supposing he could transfer the spirit and power of a prophet to his servant; and acted in over-haste without a Divine incentive. (Comp. 2Samuel 7:3 seq.)

The true explanation is suggested in the Note on 2Kings 4:29. (Bahr is wrong in taking the staff to be other than a walking staff. A different word would be used for rod or sceptre.) . . .

Verse 31. - And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Gehazi did as he had Been told, executed his mission faithfully; but there was no apparent result. The child was not reused by the staff being placed across his face. All remained still and silent as before. Although on some occasions it has pleased God to allow miracles to be wrought by the instrumentality of lifeless objects, as when Elisha's hones resuscitated a dead man (2 Kings 13:21), and when virtue went out from the hem of our Lord's garment (Mark 5:25-34), and still more remarkably, when "handkerchiefs or aprons from the body of Paul were brought unto the sick, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits were case out of them" (Acts 19:12); yet the instances are, comparatively speaking, rare, and form exceptions to what may be called the usual Divine economy of miracles. Miracles are, as a general rule, attached in Scripture to intense unwavering faith - faith, sometimes, in those that are the objects of them, almost always in those that are the workers of them. The present case was not to be an exception to the general rule, the circumstances not calling for an exception. The power of faith was to be shown forth once more in Elisha, as not long previously in Elijah (1 Kings 17:19-23); and Israel was to be taught, by a second marvelous example, how much the effectual fervent prayer of a faithful and righteous man avails with the Most High. The lesson would have been lest had the staff been allowed to effect the resuscitation. Wherefore he - i.e. Gehazi - went again to meet him - i.e. Elisha - and told him, saying, The child is not waked. It is clear from this, that Gehazi had expected an awakening; but there is nothing to show what the prophet himself had expected. We are certainly not entitled to conclude, with Peter Martyr,' that "Elisha did wrong in attempting to 'delegate his power of working miracles to another;" or even, with Starke, that "Elisha gave the command to Gehazi from over haste, without having any Divine incentive to it."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Gehazi
וְגֵחֲזִ֞י (wə·ḡê·ḥă·zî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1522: Gehazi -- perhaps 'valley of vision', servant of Elisha

went on
עָבַ֣ר (‘ā·ḇar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on

ahead of them
לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם (lip̄·nê·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face

and laid
וַיָּ֤שֶׂם (way·yā·śem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

the staff
הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙ (ham·miš·‘e·neṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4938: Support, sustenance, a walking-stick

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the boy’s
הַנַּ֔עַר (han·na·‘ar)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

face,
פְּנֵ֣י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

but there was no
וְאֵ֥ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

sound
ק֖וֹל (qō·wl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

[or]
וְאֵ֣ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

response.
קָ֑שֶׁב (qā·šeḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7182: Attentiveness

So he went back
וַיָּ֤שָׁב (way·yā·šāḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

to meet [Elisha]
לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ (liq·rā·ṯōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7125: Against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way

and told him,
וַיַּגֶּד־ (way·yag·geḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

“The boy
הַנָּֽעַר׃ (han·nā·‘ar)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer

has not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

awakened.”
הֵקִ֖יץ (hê·qîṣ)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6974: Arise, be awake, watch


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OT History: 2 Kings 4:31 Gehazi passed on before them and laid (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 4:30
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