Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 4
Carmel is a long, low mountain by Israel’s west coast. On this mountain, Elijah stood alone to oppose the leaders of the religion of the false god Baal (1 Kings 18:19-40). It seems that Elisha had chosen now to make his home here. The distance from Shunem to the nearest part of Carmel is about 15 miles (25 kilometres).
The woman rode on a donkey (a small animal like a horse); a servant ran with her. She told the servant that the matter was urgent; they went as quickly as they could.
Elisha saw her in the valley as she approached Carmel. It was unusual for a woman to go on such a journey. Probably God told Elisha who she was. It would not be easy to recognise her from a great distance. It was clear to him that she would have only come for prayer about some important matter.
So, Elisha sent his own servant, Gehazi, to find out what the trouble was. Elisha thought that something was not well with the woman, her husband or her son. To those questions, the woman gave the same answer that she had given to her husband. ‘SHALOM’, she said in the Hebrew language – in English, ‘It is well’. She was trusting God to deal with the matter. However, at the same time, she would not discuss the matter with Elisha’s servant. She knew that she needed Elisha’s prayers on this occasion. She was depending upon Elisha’s close relationship with God.
Next part: The woman reminds Elisha of God's promise to her (2 Kings 4:27-28)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 1000+ page course book.
© 2025, Keith Simons.