Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume I: A Kingdom Divided

Lesson 11 Elisha Performs Miracles
the Second Book of the Kings 4:1—5:27

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume I
next lesson: The LORD Thwarts Syrian Attacks

This material coordinates with Lesson 11 on pages 70–75 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, and I showed myself their Master, says the LORD. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”—the Book of Jeremiah 31:31–34

welcome to Volume I of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume I of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided contains 28 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 23-lesson Volume II: Restoration & Redemption also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Second Book of the Kings 2:1—3:27
In Lesson 10 Elijah’s Fiery Departure, the prophet Elijah takes leave of Elisha and is whisked up into heaven in a whirlwind. Before Elijah disappears, Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit—a request that the LORD grants. Meanwhile, defeat at the hands of the Syrians has proven the northern kingdom of Israel to have an inferior military, so the king of Moab decides to quit paying tribute to Israel. Joram, Ahab’s son who has succeeded to the throne, enlists two other kings to help him fight the Moabites—Jehoshaphat from the southern kingdom of Judah and the king of Edom. When the armies are in danger of being overcome by thirst in the wilderness, Elisha reluctantly agrees to consult the LORD on their behalf. The prophet foretells victory over the Moabites. Meanwhile, the Moabite king sacrifices his own first-born son, causing Israel and their allies to withdraw.

map notes—who is eligible for a miracle?
The seventeenth chapter in the First Book of the Kings described the prophet Elijah performing miracles to aid the widow of Zarephath. These included restoring her son to life. Zarephath isn’t in territory settled by the descendants of Jacob but instead is farther north in a region inhabited by the Sidonians near the Mediterranean coast. This area is beyond the scope of our map. In the fourth chapter in the Second Book of the Kings, Elisha also restores a woman’s son to life, but she lives within the boundaries of the northern kingdom in the city of Shunem. In the fifth chapter, however, Elisha heals a Syrian official of leprosy. In the Gospel According to Luke 4:16–30, Jesus calls attention to God using Elisha to heal a leper living outside the traditional boundaries of territory settled by the people whose ancestors entered into covenant with the LORD. One of Jesus’ main points in the passage is: “no prophet is acceptable in his own country.” As it is, Naaman almost fails to be healed because healing requires that he dip in the Jordan River, which Naaman believes is inferior to the Abana and Pharpar Rivers in Syria. Click on the map (above right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 74 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

what’s the point of emphasizing Elisha’s miracles? (43:53)
In the video overview that accompanies this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at some important details that are extremely easy to miss when reading the fourth and fifth chapters in the Second Book of the Kings. These have to do with the primary way in which Elisha’s miracles differ from those performed by Elijah, and that turns out to be not at all insignificant. At first glance, Elisha’s miracles appear very similar to Elijah’s. Although both prophets restore life, there’s a notable difference in the nature of Elisha’s actions. It’s somewhat surprising that this receives so little attention in biblical commentaries. Can you figure out the primary difference from reading the Second Book of the Kings 4:11–37?


The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. You can follow along with the video as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 11, “Elisha Performs Miracles,” on pages 70–75 in the study book.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about where the LORD’s prophets are being sent?
This is a question that probably already has occurred to many participants in this Bible study.

?  Consider why the greatest prophets are being sent to the northern kingdom of Israel instead of to the southern kingdom of Judah.
?  For what purpose is the LORD sending these prophets?
?  To whom in the northern kingdom are God’s messages addressed?
?  What response does the LORD want to see from the northern kings?
?  What response does the LORD want to see from the people living in the northern kingdom of Israel?
?  Consider why the LORD doesn’t just abandon those people in the north since so many of them seem to have abandoned worship of God.

biblical vocabulary—sons of the prophets
“Sons of the prophets” is a term that describes men who have chosen to serve the LORD. The First and Second Books of the Kings indicate that these sons of the prophets live in community, may have wives and children, and are loosely connected to the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The key difference is that Elijah and Elisha have been chosen by God to speak in God’s name.

It’s worth noting that the biblical authors seem to wish to avoid equating “sons of the prophets” with the prophets who now have begun to speak on behalf of the LORD. It’s significant that they’re called sons of the prophets rather than prophets. This text is working to not equate them with either Elijah or Elisha, two prophets who were given the power of God when they were called to speak for the LORD.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about how God brings about healing & restores life?
Surprisingly, the prophet Elisha uses everyday materials to bring about healing and restore life.

?  What ordinary materials does Elisha use to provide for the widow of one of the sons of the prophets?
?  How does Elisha restore the Shunammite woman’s son to life?
?  What does Elisha use to eliminate poison in the pottage that the sons of the prophets have prepared?
?  What are the ordinary means used in the sacraments used by the present-day Catholic Church to bring about healing and restore life?
?  What might explain why the LORD chooses to use such everyday materials to effect signs and miracles?

who’s king in Israel?
The fifth chapter in the Second Book of the Kings is vague about who’s ruling the northern kingdom when Naaman the Syrian arrives seeking a cure for his leprosy. Although the king goes unnamed, the ruler of Israel at this time is Joram. He last was named in the third chapter in the Second Book of the Kings. (In the Revised Standard Version and some other translations, Joram sometimes is referred to as Jehoram, making it easy to confuse him with the ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah who’s also called by both names. In commentaries for this study, Joram always refers to the ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel and Jehoroam always refers to the ruler of the southern kingdom of Judah.)

the significance of the Jordan River
The fifth chapter in the Second Book of the Kings emphasizes the importance of the Jordan River in healing Naaman’s leprosy. In the Old Testament, the Jordan represents the boundary to the Promised Land and so serves as a biblical type of boundary to be crossed to enter into eternal life. It isn’t a coincidence that Elijah crossed the Jordan River before being taken to heaven in a whirlwind, and it isn’t a coincidence that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. Symbolically, Naaman’s healing is a type of re-creation—after he dips in the Jordan River seven times his flesh is restored like the flesh of a little child. Naaman’s healing foreshadows the sacrament of Baptism. His leprosy doesn’t simply disappear, his skin is made new. In Scripture, the number seven represents completion but not perfection—it always points to something more. Naaman’s physical re-creation points ahead to Jesus. In the sacrament of Baptism, Christians enter into the waters of death and emerge re-created in Christ. What Naaman receives is a mere shadow of spiritual healing and eternal life, since the sacramental benefits associated with Baptism don’t take effect until after the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth looks at the Fourth Gospel’s emphasis on the sacrament of Baptism.

humility—you could look it up in our archives
Naaman became angry when told to wash in the Jordan. He expected more and considered the Jordan an inferior river. His pride threatened to prevent him from being healed. The opposite of pride is humility. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps examines how “humility” relates to lowliness. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

?  Consider why Naaman is able to change his mind about dipping in the Jordan River.
?  What prejudices might prevent people living in the present day from receiving the healing available through faith in Jesus?

WHAT DO YOU THINK about Gehazi’s greed?
In the Second Book of the Kings 5:26–27, Elisha expresses displeasure because Gehazi sought material goods from Naaman the Syrian.

?  What might explain why Elisha turns down material reward from Naaman?
?  What underlies Gehazi’s desire to obtain silver and festal garments?
?  What contrast are the authors of the Second Book of the Kings trying to emphasize between Naaman and Gehazi?
?  Consider ways people living in the present-day world might be relying more on the idea of material security than on trust that God will provide for their needs.
?  Without being imprudent, what’s one thing that an individual Christian could do to increase reliance on God?

what’s happening when & where
Click on the timeline for Lesson 11 to expand it. It also appears on page 75 in the study book.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic Bible study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including the passage in this lesson from the Second Book of the Kings 4:1—5:27.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page, and it includes links to cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Second Book of the Kings 4:1—5:27 (NIV)

round black doveclose with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s biblical text.

O God, you gave the prophet Elisha power
to heal and restore life.
Help us to trust in your love and providential care,
and give us the strong faith necessary
to inherit the eternal life made possible for us
through the Passion, death, and Resurrection of your Son.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lesson 12 The LORD Thwarts Syrian Attacks—the Second Book of the Kings 6:1—7:20
Lesson 10 Elijah’s Fiery Departure—the Second Book of the Kings 2:1—3:27

you also may like our study of the Gospel According to John
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth, a 25-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines the Fourth Gospel’s view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, with special emphasis on the institution of the sacraments of the Church as the means by which Christians are purified and made holy. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary, and takes a closer look at the way in which Jesus relates to individual men and women. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets— Volume I: A Kingdom Divided. Information about beginning this or one of our other Turning to God’s Word Bible studies can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I always are available to answer your Bible-study questions or concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Scripture on the online study pages for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided links to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE). The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.