2 Kings 8:2
New International Version
The woman proceeded to do as the man of God said. She and her family went away and stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.

New Living Translation
So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

English Standard Version
So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Berean Standard Bible
So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.

King James Bible
And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

New King James Version
So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God, and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.

New American Standard Bible
So the woman arose and acted in accordance with the word of the man of God: she went with her household and resided in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

NASB 1995
So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

NASB 1977
So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Legacy Standard Bible
So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Amplified Bible
So the woman set out and did everything in accordance with the word of the man of God. She and her household went and stayed temporarily as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

Christian Standard Bible
So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as resident aliens in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So the woman got ready and did what the man of God said. She and her household lived as foreigners in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

American Standard Version
And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God; and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Contemporary English Version
The woman did exactly what Elisha had said and went to live in Philistine territory. She and her family lived there seven years.

English Revised Version
And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The woman did what the man of God told her. She and her family went to live in Philistine territory for seven years.

Good News Translation
She had followed his instructions and had gone with her family to live in Philistia for the seven years.

International Standard Version
So the woman followed the instructions given to her by the man of God, and she went to the territory of the Philistines to live for seven years with her household.

Majority Standard Bible
So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines.

NET Bible
So the woman did as the prophet said. She and her family went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

New Heart English Bible
The woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household, and lived in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the woman arose, and did according to the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

World English Bible
The woman arose, and did according to the man of God’s word. She went with her household, and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And the woman rises, and does according to the word of the man of God, and goes, she and her household, and sojourns in the land of the Philistines [for] seven years.

Young's Literal Translation
And the woman riseth, and doth according to the word of the man of God, and goeth, she and her household, and sojourneth in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the woman will rise and will do according to the word of the man of God: and will go, she and her house, and she will sojourn in the land of the rovers seven years.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And she arose, and did according to the word of the man of God: and going with her household, she sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And she rose up, and she acted in accord with the word of the man of God. And going with her household, she sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

New American Bible
The woman got ready and did as the man of God said, setting out with her household, and living in the land of the Philistines for seven years.

New Revised Standard Version
So the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God; she went with her household and settled in the land of the Philistines seven years.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So the woman arose and did according to the word of the prophet of God; and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the woman arose and she did according to the word of the Prophet of God, and she went, she and the children of her house, and she dwelt in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God; and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the woman arose, and did according to the word of Elisaie, both she and her house; and they sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Shunammite's Land Restored
1Now 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.” 2So the woman had proceeded to do as the man of God had instructed. And she and her household lived as foreigners for seven years in the land of the Philistines. 3At the end of seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to the king to appeal for her house and her land.…

Cross References
2 Kings 4:35-37
Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. / Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.” / She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

2 Kings 4:8-10
One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat. / Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God. / Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”

2 Kings 4:32-34
When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his bed. / So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. / Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm.

2 Kings 4:11-17
One day Elisha came to visit and went to his upper room to lie down. / And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call the Shunammite woman.” And when he had called her, she stood before him, / and Elisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army?’” “I have a home among my own people,” she replied. ...

2 Kings 4:18-21
And the child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the harvesters. / “My head! My head!” he complained to his father. So his father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” / After the servant had picked him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. ...

2 Kings 4:22-26
And the woman called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may go quickly to the man of God and return.” / “Why would you go to him today?” he replied. “It is not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” “Everything is all right,” she said. / Then she saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me unless I tell you.” ...

2 Kings 4:27-31
When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.” / Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not deceive me?’” / So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go! If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my staff on the boy’s face.” ...

Genesis 12:10
Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

Genesis 26:1
Now there was another famine in the land, subsequent to the one that had occurred in Abraham’s time. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines at Gerar.

Ruth 1:1
In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man from Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the land of Moab.

Acts 11:28-29
One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.) / So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

Acts 7:11
Then famine and great suffering swept across Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers could not find food.

Matthew 2:13-15
When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” / So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, / where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Luke 4:25-26
But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land. / Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

James 5:17
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.


Treasury of Scripture

And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.

with

1 Timothy 5:8
But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

land

Judges 3:3
Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

1 Samuel 27:1-3
And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand…

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2 Kings 8
1. The Shunammite, having left her country seven years, to avoid the famine,
5. for Elisha's miracle's sake has her land restored by the king.
7. Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad and succeeds him
16. Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah
20. Edom and Libnah revolt
23. Ahaziah succeeds Jehoram
25. Ahaziah's wicked reign
28. He visits Joram, being wounded, at Jezreel














So the woman arose
This phrase marks the beginning of a significant act of obedience and faith. The Hebrew root for "arose" is "קוּם" (qum), which often implies not just a physical rising but a decisive action or change in status. In the context of the narrative, the Shunammite woman, who had previously experienced the miraculous restoration of her son through Elisha, now responds to the prophet's warning. Her rising is an act of trust in God's word delivered through His prophet, demonstrating her faith and readiness to act upon divine instruction.

and did according to the word of the man of God
The phrase underscores the woman's obedience to Elisha, the "man of God." The Hebrew term for "word" is "דָּבָר" (dabar), which can mean a matter, thing, or command. This highlights the authority of Elisha's message as not merely human advice but a divine directive. Her compliance reflects a deep respect for the prophetic office and an acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. Historically, prophets were seen as God's mouthpieces, and adherence to their words was considered obedience to God Himself.

She and her household
This phrase indicates that the woman's decision affected not just herself but her entire household. The Hebrew word for "household" is "בַּיִת" (bayit), which can refer to a physical house or a family unit. Her leadership and faith had a communal impact, emphasizing the biblical principle that the faith of one can influence many. This reflects the patriarchal structure of ancient Israelite society, where the head of the household's decisions were binding on all members.

went away and sojourned in the land of the Philistines
The act of going away to "sojourn" implies a temporary relocation. The Hebrew word "גּוּר" (gur) means to dwell as a foreigner or to reside temporarily. This decision to live among the Philistines, traditional enemies of Israel, underscores the severity of the famine and the woman's trust in God's provision even in foreign lands. Historically, the Philistines were a significant presence in the region, and their land was often seen as a place of refuge during times of crisis, despite the cultural and religious differences.

for seven years
The number seven in Hebrew culture often symbolizes completeness or divine perfection. The duration of seven years suggests a complete cycle of time, possibly indicating a period of testing or divine judgment. In the biblical narrative, periods of seven often precede restoration or renewal, hinting at God's providential care and the eventual return of the woman and her household to their land. This aligns with the biblical theme of God's faithfulness through trials and His ultimate plan for restoration.

(2) After the saying.--According to the word.

In the land of the Philistines.--The lowlands of the coast were not so subject to droughts as the limestone highlands of Israel. (Comp. Genesis 12:10; Genesis 26:1.) The Philistines, besides, dealt with foreign traders who put in to their shores. (Comp. Joel 3:4-6.)

Verse 2. - And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God. It is a satisfaction to find that there was yet faith in Israel. There were still those to whom the prophet was the mouthpiece of God, who waited on his words, and accepted them as Divine commands whereto they were ready to render immediate and entire obedience. It is conjectured by some that the woman had become a widow, and fallen into comparative poverty; but the narrative gives no indication of this. Even opulent persons have to migrate in times of severe dearth. And she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the philistines. Philistia was a great grain country (Judges 15:5), and, though not altogether exempt from famine, was less exposed to it than either Judaea or Samaria. The soil was exceedingly fertile, and the vapors from the Mediterranean descended upon it in clews and showers, when their beneficial influence was not felt further inland. The Shunammite may have had other reasons for fixing her residence in the Philistine country; but probably she was chiefly determined in her choice by its proximity and its productiveness. Seven years. As long, i.e., as the famine lasted (see the last clause of ver. 1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So the woman
הָֽאִשָּׁ֔ה (hā·’iš·šāh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

got ready
וַתָּ֙קָם֙ (wat·tā·qām)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

and did
וַתַּ֕עַשׂ (wat·ta·‘aś)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

as the man
אִ֣ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of God
הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

had instructed.
כִּדְבַ֖ר (kiḏ·ḇar)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

She
הִיא֙ (hî)
Pronoun - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are

and her household
וּבֵיתָ֔הּ (ū·ḇê·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

lived as foreigners
וַתָּ֥גָר (wat·tā·ḡār)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1481: To turn aside from the road, sojourn, to shrink, fear, to gather for, hostility

for seven
שֶׁ֥בַע (še·ḇa‘)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7651: Seven, seven times, a week, an indefinite number

years
שָׁנִֽים׃ (šā·nîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 8141: A year

in the land
בְּאֶֽרֶץ־ (bə·’e·reṣ-)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of the Philistines.
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֖ים (pə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia


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OT History: 2 Kings 8:2 The woman arose and did according (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)
2 Kings 8:1
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