2 Kings 4:23
“And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Her husband questions why she would go to Elisha on an ordinary day rather than a holy day. She simply says, 'It shall be well.'
Context
Her husband does not understand the urgency. Religious custom held that people sought prophets on new moons or the Sabbath. He questions her departure.
What Does 2 Kings 4:23 Mean?
The husband is not unreasonable. He is being careful and conventional. New moons and Sabbaths were the appointed days when people sought out the prophets. Why would she go today, an ordinary day, without explanation? His question hangs in the air. But the woman gives him no answer, no reasoning, no plea for understanding. She simply says, 'It shall be well.' Shalom. Everything will be fine. She knows something he does not yet know, and she has already turned to go.
This is the kind of faith that can seem like madness to those who do not share it. She offers no argument, no explanation of her urgency. She simply trusts, and that trust is so complete that she can speak peace into the uncertainty. Her words 'It shall be well' are not a lie or a false hope. They are the echo of Elisha's promise spoken over her when she said 'do not lie unto me.' She is holding fast to that word, even as her heart is shattered. In this, she prefigures all of us who must learn to say 'It shall be well' not because the world around us is well, but because God is faithful.
In the Original Language
shalom (שלום), 'well' / 'peace' -- the woman's simple statement of peace holds the entire weight of her faith
Application
When others question your sense of urgency in seeking God, you need not justify yourself. Your peace in him is its own answer.