2 Kings 4 · Verse 24

2 Kings 4:24

Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
2 Kings 4:24, King James Version

2 Kings 4:24 in other translations

BSBThen she saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”
WEBThen she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, “Drive, and go forward! Don’t slow down for me, unless I ask you to.”
ASVThen she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.
YLTAnd she saddleth the ass, and saith unto her young man, ‘Lead, and go, do not restrain riding for me, except I have said so to thee.'
DARBYThen she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Drive and go forward; slack not the riding for me, except I bid thee.
BBEThen she made the ass ready and said to her servant, Keep driving on; do not make a stop without orders from me.
WebsterThen she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

What does 2 Kings 4:24 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
24. Drive, and go forward--It is usual for women to ride on asses, accompanied by a servant, who walks behind and drives the beast with his stick, goading the animal at the speed required by his mistress. The Shunammite had to ride a journey of five or six hours to the top of Carmel.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 24 Drive, and go forward - It is customary in the East for a servant to walk along side or drive the ass his master rides. Sometimes he walks behind, and goads on the beast; and when it is to turn, he directs its head with the long pole of the goad. It is probably to this custom that the wise man alludes when he says, "I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth," on the ground.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Kings 4:18-37

Here is the sudden death of the child. All the mother's tenderness cannot keep alive a child of promise, a child of prayer, one given in love. But how admirably does the prudent, pious mother, guard her lips under this sudden affliction! Not one peevish word escapes from her. Such confidence had she of God's goodness, that she was ready to believe that he would restore what he had now taken away. O woman, great is…

Read the full comment on 2 Kings 4:18-37 →

2 Kings 4:24 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַֽתַּחֲבֹשׁ֙va.ta.cha.Voshand she saddledH2280
הָֽאָת֔וֹןha.'a.Tonthe donkeyH860
וַתֹּ֥אמֶרva.To.merand she saidH559
אֶֽל\־'el-toH413
נַעֲרָ֖הּna.'a.Rahservant herH5288
נְהַ֣גne.Haglead onH5090
וָלֵ֑ךְva.Lekhand goH1980
אַל\־'al-may notH408
תַּעֲצָר\־ta.'a.tzor-you hold backH6113
לִ֣יli<to> me
לִרְכֹּ֔בlir.Koto rideH7392
כִּ֖יkithatH3588
אִם\־'im-exceptH518
אָמַ֥רְתִּי'a.Mar.tiI have saidH559
לָֽךְ\׃Lakhto you

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 2 Kings 4:24

  • 1 Samuel 25:19-20

    And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

  • Exodus 4:20

    And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

  • 1 Kings 13:23

    And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

  • 1 Kings 13:13

    And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Then she.
Ex 4:20; 1Sa 25:20; 1Ki 13:13,23
an ass.These animals were not anciently, as now, used only by the lower classes, but were in general use among the noble and chief personages of the East, and it was not unusual for even the husband to walk by the side of his wife while thus riding; the driver, as was the custom, following. The Shunammite, when she went to the prophet, did not desire so much attendance; but only requested her husband to send her an ass and its driver.
Drive.
1Sa 25:19
slack not thy riding for me. Heb. restrain not for me toride.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 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.

  • 2 Kings 4:24

    Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

  • 2 Kings 4:25

    So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

Read all of 2 Kings 4

2 Kings 4:24 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Después hizo enalbardar una borrica, y dijo al mozo: Guía y anda; y no me hagas detener para que suba, sino cuando yo te lo dijere.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et elle fit seller l’ânesse, et dit à son jeune homme: Mène-la, et marche; ne m’arrête pas dans la course, à moins que je ne te le dise.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie sattelte die Eselin und sprach zu ihrem Knaben: Treibe immerfort; halte mich nicht auf im Reiten, es sei denn, daß ich es dir sage!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Stravitque asinam, et præcepit puero: Mina, et propera: ne mihi moram facias in eundo: et hoc age quod præcipio tibi.