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4 Kings 4:31

But Giezi was gone before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child, and there was no voice nor sense: and he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: The child is not risen.

Challoner: The staffSt. Augustine considers a great mystery in this miracle wrought by the prophet Eliseus, thus: By the staff sent by his servant is figured the rod of Moses, or the Old Law, which was not sufficient to bring mankind to life then dead in sin. It was necessary that Christ himself should come, and by taking on human nature, become flesh of our flesh, and restore us to life. In this Eliseus was a figure of Christ, as it was necessary that he should come himself to bring the dead child to life and restore him to his mother, who is here, in a mystical sense, a figure of the Church.

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The verse in its languages

Vulgate (Clementine): Giezi autem præcesserat ante eos, et posuerat baculum super faciem pueri, et non erat vox, neque sensus : reversusque est in occursum ejus, et nuntiavit ei, dicens : Non surrexit puer.
Septuagint (Swete): καὶ Γιεζεὶ διῆλθεν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπέθηκεν τὴν βακτηρίαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ παιδαρίου, καὶ οὐκ ἦν φωνὴ καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀκρόασις· καὶ ἐπέστρεψεν εἰς ἀπαντὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῷ λέγων Οὐκ ἠγέρθη τὸ παιδάριον.
Hebrew (WLC): וְגֵחֲזִ֞י עָבַ֣ר לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם וַיָּ֤שֶׂם אֶת הַמִּשְׁעֶ֨נֶת֙ עַל פְּנֵ֣י הַנַּ֔עַר וְאֵ֥ין ק֖וֹל וְאֵ֣ין קָ֑שֶׁב וַיָּ֤שָׁב לִקְרָאתוֹ֙ וַיַּגֶּד ל֣וֹ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א הֵקִ֖יץ הַנָּֽעַר

Haydock's commentary

The child is not risen. By the staff of Eliseus is represented the rod of Moses, or the old law, which was incapable of restoring life to mankind, then dead by sin. It was necessary that Christ himself should come in our flesh, to restore us to life again. In this, Eliseus, as a figure of Christ, behoved to go in person to restore the dead child to life. (Challoner)

St. Augustine (contra Faust. xii. 35.) shews that many like things recorded in the Old Testament are figures of the New. (Worthington)

Many of the fathers observe, that this miracle was intended to shew the necessity of the Incarnation to redeem lost man. The staff did not therefore restore life. Some lay the blame on Giezi; others on the woman, who required the prophet to come in person; and others suppose that Eliseus followed herein his own spirit. But all this is destitute of proof. (Calmet)

He might alter his mind (Tirinus) at the request of the woman, and to imitate Elias; (3 Kings xvii. 21.) all by God's direction. (Haydock)

He had before trusted that God would perform the miracle by means of the staff, as he did formerly by the rod of Moses, or by the mantle of Elias. (Menochius)

From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.

The Fathers on this verse

St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm LXXI

17. But there is in some copies, “For I have not known literature.” Where some books have “trading,” there others “literature:” how they may accord is a hard matter to find out; and yet the discrepancy of interpreters perchance showeth the meaning, introduceth no error. Let us inquire then how to understand literature also, lest we offend grammarians in the same way as we did traders a little before: because a grammarian too may live honourably in his calling, and neither forswear nor lie. Let us examine then the literature which he hath not known, in whose mouth all the day long is the praise of God. …