2 Kings 4:22
“And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The mother asks her husband for a servant and a donkey to go quickly to Elisha, saying she will return.
Context
She speaks to her husband, requesting the means to travel urgently to Mount Carmel where Elisha is. She gives him no explanation of the reason for her journey.
What Does 2 Kings 4:22 Mean?
Notice what she does not say. She does not say, 'Our son is dead.' She does not explain her urgency. She simply asks for what she needs: a young man to accompany her and a donkey to ride. Her request is framed as a prayer, 'I pray thee,' which suggests courtesy and restraint even as her faith propels her forward. She adds a promise: 'I will run to the man of God, and come again.' She will not be long. She speaks as if she knows exactly what will happen, even though she cannot say it to her husband yet.
Why does she not tell him the child is dead? Perhaps she cannot bear to say it aloud. Perhaps she is protecting him from despair. Or perhaps, in her deepest faith, she speaks as if the death is not final, as if returning to the man of God is not a desperate last resort but a simple matter of getting from one place to another. She trusts not the normal channels of help—physicians, rituals of mourning, her husband's counsel—but solely the man through whom God speaks. This is radical faith, and it moves her to action without argument or delay.
Application
Sometimes we must move toward God without first explaining ourselves to others. Trust him even when you cannot yet speak the full truth of your need to those around you.