The Meaning of Elisha and the Widow with the Olive Oil (2 Kings 4:1-7)

Here we take a look at the deeper meaning of the story of Elisha helping a widow escape a creditor in 2 Kings 4:1-7. This story is not simply a recorded miracle, it conveys the truth that God and his law are against the exploitation of the poor and widows, and that biblical commandments instruct us not to extract usury payments. In this story Elisha addresses one of the biggest issues of his day and ours: social justice.

Here is how the story goes in Scripture: 

One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, "My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared YHWH. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves."

"How can I help you?" Elisha asked. "Tell me, what do you have in the house?"

"Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil," she replied.

And Elisha replied, "Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled."

She did as he said. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. Soon every container was full to the brim! 

"Bring me another jar," she instructed her sons.

"There aren't any more!" he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing.

When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, "Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over." -2 Kings 4:1-7

It's easy to read through stories like this, and really a huge section of 1 and 2 Kings where it rapid-fire lists obscure things that happen. Most Christians will read through these and focus on that all things are possible with God, and that miracles happen even in the most unlikely ways.

Those are important takeaways, but Scripture has depth. There's more that's going on than just the surface level, even though the surface does of course matter. There's a reason this story is recorded in the Bible and it goes beyond just that God does miracles.

Here Elisha is addressing one of the biggest issues of his day. He is touching on one of the flagstone justice issues that concerned every biblical prophet. The story of the widow and the olive oil is recorded because the author of this book of Scripture wants it known that Elisha denounced usury.

You may not be familiar with the word usury, but you have not escaped its existence. Usury is the practice of charging interest on a loan. Many people will tell you that usury is charging exorbitant interest rates on loans, but Hebrew and Greek (and Latin) don't have separate words to distinguish between interest and usury.

Take a look at what the widow says. The issue is not just that the bills are piling up and she's not sure how she will pay them. The creditor her husband borrowed from was going to take her two sons from her and make them slaves!

Scripture specifically condemns this entire mess and the creditor's behavior multiple times. We see in Exodus 22:22 a warning not to exploit widows. Ezekiel 18:22 says that a child will not be held accountable to pay for the sins of their parents. Leviticus 25:37 says that no one should take interest from the poor. The creditor is violating all of these commandments in this story. 

Elisha was angry that this powerful creditor was attempting to exploit this poor widow by calling in a loan on the threat of taking her sons as punishment. This story was recorded in 2 Kings as a protest against the behavior of powerful people like this.

Yes, God provides and does miracles. But God also stands against exploiting the poor. The story of Elisha and the widowed woman is a straightforward denunciation of usury. 

Related posts:
Jesus, the Jubilee, and Prozbul: The Financial Issues of the New Testament
12 Times Old Testament Prophets Denounced Rulers for Failing to Protect the Poor
How John the Baptist Prepared the Way for the Messiah