2 Kings 8:4

THE MESSAGE

The king was talking with Gehazi, servant to the Holy Man, saying, "Tell me some stories of the great things Elisha did." It so happened that as he was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm. Gehazi said, "My master the king, this is the woman! And this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king had been speaking to Gehazi, the attendant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things Elisha has done.”

Hebrew Names Version
Now the king was talking with Gechazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Please tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.

King James Version
And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

English Standard Version
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."

New Century Version
The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had said, "Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done."

New English Translation
Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet's servant, and said, "Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done."

Amplified Bible
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."

New American Standard Bible
Now the king was speaking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please report to me all the great things that Elisha has done."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King talked with Gehazi the seruant of the man of God, saying, Tell mee, I pray thee, all the great actes, that Elisha hath done.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the king was speaking with Gehazi, the young man of the man of God, saying, "Please recount to me all the great things that Elisha has done."

Contemporary English Version
Meanwhile, the king was asking Gehazi the servant of Elisha about the amazing things Elisha had been doing.

Complete Jewish Bible
The king was talking with Geichazi the servant of the man of God. "Tell me," he said, "all the great things Elisha has done."

Darby Translation
And the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha has done.

Easy-to-Read Version
The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king said to Gehazi, "Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done."

George Lamsa Translation
And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the prophet of God, saying, Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.

Good News Translation
She found the king talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant; the king wanted to know about Elisha's miracles.

Lexham English Bible
Now the king was speaking to Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please tell me all of the great things which Elisha has done."

Literal Translation
And the king was speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Please tell me all of the great things that Elisha has done.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The kynge spake vnto Gehasi the seruaunt of the man of God, & sayde: Tell me all the greate actes that Eliseus hath done.

American Standard Version
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

Bible in Basic English
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Now, give me an account of all the great things Elisha has done.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king talked with Gehezi the seruaunt of the man of God, saying: Tel me I pray thee al the great deedes that Elisa hath done.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying: 'Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.'

King James Version (1611)
And the king talked with Gehazi the seruant of the man of God, saying, Tell mee, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king spoke to Giezi the servant of Elisaie the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things which Elisaie has done.

English Revised Version
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the king had been speaking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please relate to me all the great things Elisha has done."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli the kyng spak with Giezi, child of the man of God, and seide, Telle thou to me alle the grete dedis whiche Elisee dide.

Young's Literal Translation
And the king is speaking unto Gehazi, servant of the man of God, saying, `Recount, I pray thee, to me, the whole of the great things that Elisha hath done.'

Update Bible Version
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the attendant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray you, all the great things that Elisha has done.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

World English Bible
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Please tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.

New King James Version
Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done."

New Living Translation
As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, "Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done."

New Life Bible
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."

New Revised Standard
Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, the king, was speaking unto Gehazi, servant of the man of God, saying, Do recount unto me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king talked with Giezi, the servant of the man of God, saying: Tell me all the great things that Eliseus hath done.

Revised Standard Version
Now the king was talking with Geha'zi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me all the great things that Eli'sha has done."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, "Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done."

Contextual Overview

¹Years before, Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought to life, "Leave here and go, you and your family, and live someplace else. God has ordered a famine in the land; it will last for seven years." The woman did what the Holy Man told her and left. She and her family lived as aliens in the country of Philistia for seven years. Then, when the seven years were up, the woman and her family came back. She went directly to the king and asked for her home and farm. ⁴The king was talking with Gehazi, servant to the Holy Man, saying, "Tell me some stories of the great things Elisha did." It so happened that as he was telling the king the story of the dead person brought back to life, the woman whose son was brought to life showed up asking for her home and farm. Gehazi said, "My master the king, this is the woman! And this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!" ⁶ The king wanted to know all about it, and so she told him the story. The king assigned an officer to take care of her, saying, "Make sure she gets everything back that's hers, plus all profits from the farm from the time she left until now."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the king: As it appears not likely that the king would hold conversation with a leprous man; or, that, knowing Gehazi had been dismissed with the highest disgrace from the prophet's service, he would talk with him concerning his late master; some have supposed that this happened before the cleansing of Naaman. But it agrees better with the chronology to consider it as having taken place after that event; the king, probably, having an insatiable curiosity to know the private history of a man who had done such astonishing things. As to the circumstances of Gehazi's disease, he might overlook that, and converse with him, keeping at a reasonable distance, as nothing but actual contact could defile.

Gehazi: 2 Kings 5:20-27, 2 Kings 7:3, 2 Kings 7:10

Tell: Matthew 2:8, Luke 9:9, Luke 23:8, John 9:27, Acts 24:24

all the great: 2 Kings 2:14, 2 Kings 2:20-22, 2 Kings 2:24, 2 Kings 3:14-16, 2 Kings 4:3-6, 2 Kings 4:16, 2 Kings 4:17, 2 Kings 5:14, 2 Kings 5:27, 2 Kings 6:6, 2 Kings 6:9-12, 2 Kings 6:17-20, 2 Kings 6:32, 2 Kings 7:1, 2 Kings 7:16-20

Reciprocal: Genesis 42:1 - Why do ye 2 Kings 4:12 - Gehazi

Cross-References

Jeremiah 51:27
"Raise the signal in the land, blow the shofar-trumpet for the nations. Consecrate the nations for holy work against her. Call kingdoms into service against her. Enlist Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a field marshal against her, and round up horses, locust hordes of horses! Consecrate the nations for holy work against her— the king of the Medes, his leaders and people.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God,.... Elisha's servant, just at the same time the woman made her application to him; so that this was before he was dismissed from the service of the prophet, and consequently before the affair of Naaman's cure, and so before the siege of Samaria:

saying, tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done; the miracles he wrought, as the dividing of the waters of Jordan, and healing those near Jericho; the affair of procuring water for the armies of the three kings in Edom he needed not to relate, since Jehoram was an eyewitness thereof; the next was the multiplying the widow's cruse of oil, when he in course came to those that were done for the Shunammite woman.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 8:4. The king talked with Gehazi — This is supposed to have happened before the cleansing of Naaman, for is it likely that the king would hold conversation with a leprous man; or that, knowing Gehazi had been dismissed with the highest disgrace from the prophet's service, he could hold any conversation with him concerning his late master, relative to whom he could not expect him to give either a true or impartial account?

Some think that this conversation might have taken place after Gehazi became leprous; the king having an insatiable curiosity to know the private history of a man who had done such astonishing things: and from whom could he get this information, except from the prophet's own confidential servant? It agrees better with the chronology to consider what is here related as having taken place after the cure of Naaman. As to the circumstance of Gehazi's disease, he might overlook that, and converse with him, keeping at a reasonable distance, as nothing but actual contact could defile.