What Does 2 Kings 4:27 Mean in the King James?
And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Before the hidden cause is revealed, Elisha’s first word is a command to release her.
THE MEANING
Her nefesh, her living soul, her whole self, is bitter within her now. Gehazi tries to push her away, and Elisha tells him to let her be, even as he admits that what has happened remains hidden from him. The verse holds recognition of her grief alongside the limits of what is known.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse loosens the belief that care depends on knowing the whole story first: her anguish is recognized while its cause remains undisclosed.
THE ROOT
הַרְפֵּה
harpeh
GROWS FROM
רפה
To slacken, loosen, or let go.
“Let her alone” in this verse is harpeh. The Hebrew command carries the sense of loosening and letting go. Gehazi moves to push her away; Elisha’s word halts that force and lets her grief remain present.
ALSO GROWS
raphah: To slacken or let go.
רָפָה
It is the verb’s basic sense, which gives “let her alone” the texture of releasing one’s hold.
rifyon: Slackness or loosening.
רִפְיוֹן
This related noun echoes the easing of force at the heart of Elisha’s command.
נֶפֶשׁ
nephesh
GROWS FROM
נפש
The living being or self.
English “soul” can sound like an inner part separated from a person, but nephesh names the living self. The verse places bitterness in her whole living person, not in a detachable part of her.
ALSO GROWS
nephesh: Living soul; a living person or self.
נֶפֶשׁ
This is the word used for the woman’s soul, naming her as a whole living person in grief.
naphash: To rest or be refreshed.
נָפַשׁ
This verb shares the root and extends its range toward the living self’s rest and renewal.
מָרָה
marah
GROWS FROM
מרר
To be bitter or become bitter.
Behind “vexed,” the Hebrew depicts bitterness. The root gives her distress a tangible quality, like something bitter to taste, rather than leaving it as a vague agitation.
ALSO GROWS
marar: To be bitter or become bitter.
מָרַר
This verb is the root’s basic action, giving the woman’s inner distress the quality of bitterness.
merorim: Bitter herbs.
מְרֹרִים
The same word family names bitterness as a tasteable thing, making the verse’s description concrete.
THE PATTERN
Scripture names anguish as it is felt and brings it into relation, even while its cause may remain unknown.
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.THE THREAD
And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.The phrase מָרַת נָפֶשׁ (marat nefesh, “bitterness of soul”) joins the same roots for bitterness and living soul found in this verse. That repeated wording makes the grief unmistakable even before its cause is disclosed.
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