Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Kings 4:1

"Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear Jehovah: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen." — 2 Kings 4:1 (ASV)

The creditor is come ... - The Law of Moses, like Athenian and Roman law, recognized servitude for debt and allowed for the pledging of the debtor’s person, which, in an early state of society, is regarded as the safest and most natural security (see the marginal reference). In the present case, it would seem that as long as the debtor lived, the creditor had not enforced his right over his sons; but now on his death, he claimed their services, to which he was legally entitled.