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Myles Coverdale Bible

2 Kings 4:2

Eliseus sayde vnto her: What shal I do for the? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? She sayde: Thy handmayden hath nothinge in the house but a pitcher wt oyle.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Debtor;   Elisha;   Miracles;   Oil;   Poor;   Readings, Select;   Servant;   Widow;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Elisha;   Home;   Human;   Limitations, Human;   Limited Resources;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles Wrought through Servants of God;   Oil;   Poor, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Miracle;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Miracle;   Orphan;   Poor and Poverty, Theology of;   Widow;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Preaching;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Oil;   Pottery in Bible Times;   Sons of the Prophets;   Vessels and Utensils;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Debt;   Marriage;   Medicine;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Feeding the Multitudes;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Miracles;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Gehazi;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Pot;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Oil;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Preaching;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Debt;   Elisha;   Handmaid;   Oil;   Pot;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Slaves and Slavery;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
Hebrew Names Version
Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? tell me; what have you in the house? She said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.
King James Version
And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
English Standard Version
And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?" And she said, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
New Century Version
Elisha answered, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The woman said, "I don't have anything there except a pot of oil."
New English Translation
Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil."
Amplified Bible
Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have [of value] in the house?" She said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a [small] jar of [olive] oil."
New American Standard Bible
So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Elisha saide vnto her, What shall I do for thee? tell mee, what hast thou at home? And she sayd, Thine handmayd hath nothing at home, saue a pitcher of oyle.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your servant-woman has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
Contemporary English Version
"Maybe there's something I can do to help," Elisha said. "What do you have in your house?" "Sir, I have nothing but a small bottle of olive oil."
Complete Jewish Bible
Elisha asked her, "What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house but a flask of oil."
Darby Translation
And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid has not anything at all in the house but a pot of oil.
Easy-to-Read Version
Elisha answered, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" The woman said, "I don't have anything in the house except a jar of olive oil."
George Lamsa Translation
And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what have you in the house? And she said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a pot of oil.
Good News Translation
"What shall I do for you?" he asked. "Tell me, what do you have at home?" "Nothing at all, except a small jar of olive oil," she answered.
Lexham English Bible
Elisha asked her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" Then she said, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of olive oil."
Literal Translation
And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me. What do you have in the house? And she said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a pot of oil.
American Standard Version
And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil.
Bible in Basic English
Then Elisha said to her, What am I to do for you? say now, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house but a pot of oil.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Elisa saide vnto her: Tell me what I shall do for thee? What hast thou in thyne house? She saide: Thyne handemayde hath nothing at all in the house, saue a pitcher with oyle.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Elisha said unto her: 'What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house?' And she said: 'Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.'
King James Version (1611)
And Elisha said vnto her, What shall I doe for thee? Tell mee, what hast thou in the house? And shee sayd, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, saue a pot of oyle.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Elisaie said, What shall I do for thee? tell me what thou hast in the house. And she said, Thy servant has nothing in the house, except oil wherewith I anoint myself.
English Revised Version
And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
Berean Standard Bible
"How can I help you?" asked Elisha. "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To whom Elisee seide, What wolt thou that Y do to thee? seie thou to me, what hast thou in thin hows? And she answeride, Y thin handmayde haue not ony thing in myn hows, no but a litil of oile, bi which Y schal be anoyntid.
Young's Literal Translation
And Elisha saith unto her, `What do I do for thee? declare to me, what hast thou in the house?' and she saith, `Thy maid-servant hath nothing in the house except a pot of oil.'
Update Bible Version
And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? tell me; what do you have in the house? And she said, Your slave doesn't have anything in the house, save a pot of oil.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
World English Bible
Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? tell me; what have you in the house? She said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.
New King James Version
So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil."
New Living Translation
"What can I do to help you?" Elisha asked. "Tell me, what do you have in the house?" "Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil," she replied.
New Life Bible
Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your woman servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."
New Revised Standard
Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Elisha said unto her - What shall I do for thee? tell me what thou, hast, in the house. And she said - Thy maid-servant hath, nothing at all, in the house, save a flask of oil.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Eliseus said to her: What wilt thou have me do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in thy house? And she answered: I, thy handmaid, have nothing in my house but a little oil, to anoint me.
Revised Standard Version
And Eli'sha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil."
THE MESSAGE
Elisha said, "I wonder how I can be of help. Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Nothing," she said. "Well, I do have a little oil."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."

Contextual Overview

1 And there cried a woman amoge the wyues of the prophetes children vnto Eliseus, and sayde: Thy seruaunt my hu?bade is deed, and thou knowest that thy seruaunt feared the LORDE. Now commeth the man that he was detter vnto, and wyll take awaye both my children to be bonde seruauntes. 2 Eliseus sayde vnto her: What shal I do for the? Tell me, what hast thou in the house? She sayde: Thy handmayden hath nothinge in the house but a pitcher wt oyle. 3 He sayde: Go yi waye, borowe without of all thy neghboures emptye vessels, & that not a fewe, 4 and go in, and shut ye dore behynde the with thy sonnes, and poure of it in to all ye vessels: & whan thou hast fylled them, delyuer them forth. 5 She wente, and shut the dore vnto her with hir sonnes, which broughte her the vessels, and so she poured in. 6 And whan the vessels were full, she sayde vnto hir sonne: Brynge me yet one vessell. He sayde vnto her: There is not one vessell more here. Then stode ye oyle styll. 7 And she sent, and tolde the man of God. He sayde: Go thy waye, sell the oyle, and paye the creditour: but lyue thou and yi sonnes of the resydue.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What shall I: 2 Kings 2:9, 2 Kings 6:26, 2 Kings 6:27, Matthew 15:34, John 6:5-7, Acts 3:6, 2 Corinthians 6:10

save a pot of oil: 1 Kings 17:12, James 2:5

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 17:14 - The barrel of meal Proverbs 18:23 - poor Mark 8:8 - they took John 2:7 - Fill John 6:13 - and filled

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
Then the LORDE God put him out of the garden of Eden, to tyll ye earth, whece he was take.
Genesis 4:25
Adam laye yet with his wyfe agayne, & she bare a sonne, and called him Seth. For God (sayde she) hath apoynted me another sede, for Abell, whom Cain slew.
Genesis 4:26
And Seth begat a sonne also, and called him Enos. At the same tyme beganne men to call vpon the name of the LORDE.
Genesis 9:20
Noe beganne to take hede vnto ye tyllinge of the grounde, & planted a vyniarde.
Genesis 37:13
Israel sayde vnto Ioseph: Do not yi brethren kepe the catell in Sichem? Come, I wil sende the vnto the. He answered: Here am I.
Genesis 47:3
Then sayde Pharao vnto his brethren: What is youre occupacion? They answered: Thy seruauntes are kepers of catell, we and oure fathers also.
Exodus 3:1
Moses kepte the shepe of Iethro his father in lawe prest of Madian, & droue the shepe on the backsyde of the wyldernes, and came to the mountayne of God, Horeb.
Psalms 127:3
It is but lost labour that ye ryse vp early, and take no rest, but eate the bred of carefulnesse: for loke to whom it pleaseth him, he geueth it in slepe.
Amos 7:15
the LORDE toke me, & sayde vnto me: Go thy waye, and prophecy vnto my people of Israel.
Luke 11:51
from the bloude of Abell, vnto ye bloude of Zachary, which perished betwene the altare and ye temple. Yee I saye vnto you: it shalbe requyred of this generacion.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee?.... Or can I do, being poor himself, and unable to relieve her out of his substance, and not knowing where to get anything for her; and so what could she expect from him? signifying, that he pitied her case, but all that he could do was to give her his best advice, and pray for her:

tell me what thou hast in thy house? that she could part with and dispose of, in order to pay her debt; and satisfy her creditor:

and she said, thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil; that is, nothing of any value; she might have some things, some sort of household goods, though perhaps she had parted with most of them in her poverty; this was the most valuable thing she had.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A pot of oil - Or, “an anointing of oil” - so much oil, i. e., as would serve me for one anointing of my person. The word used occurs only in this passage.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 4:2. Save a pot of oil. — Oil was used as aliment, for anointing the body after bathing, and to anoint the dead. Some think that this pot of oil was what this widow had kept for her burial: see Matthew 26:12.


 
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