He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, even now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’ ”
Naaman said, “Be pleased to take two talents.” He urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants; and they carried them before him. When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and stored them in the house. Then he let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you come from, Gehazi?” He said, “Your servant went nowhere.”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v24 Or, fortress, or secret place.
Or, fortress, or secret place.
Naaman’s servants.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv22–25 2Ki 5:22 And he said, All [is] well. My…
2Ki 5:22 And he said, All [is] well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
Ver. 22. My master hath sent me.] This was all false and forged. Little conscience is made of lying by covetous cormorants, so they may get by it.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv22–24 This was a very unlikely story; but Naaman was…
This was a very unlikely story; but Naaman was not willing to question it, but glad of the opportunity of showing his gratitude to the prophet.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv22–25 And he said, all is well,.... He need give…
And he said, all is well,.... He need give himself no uneasiness at the coming and sight of him:
my master hath sent me, saying, behold, even now there be come to me; just then, since he departed from him:
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from Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: where perhaps was a school of them:
give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments: which, as it was a downright lie, so highly improbable that Elisha should ask so large a sum of money, with two changes of raiment, for two young scholars, see Kg2 5:5 and which Naaman, with a little reflection, might have seen through; but his heart was so filled with gratitude for the benefit received, that he was glad of an opportunity, at any rate, of showing respect to the prophet.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v23 Urged him - Who at first refused it upon…
Urged him - Who at first refused it upon a pretense of modesty.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv22–24 Verse 22. And he said] שלום shalom. It is…
Verse 22. And he said] שלום shalom. It is peace; all is right. This was a common mode of address and answer.
There be come to me from mount Ephraim] There was probably a school of the prophets at this mount.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v24 2Ki 5:24. When he came to the tower —…
2Ki 5:24. When he came to the tower — A safe and private place, which he chose for the purpose, and where possibly he hid and kept other things, which he had got by such like frauds and artifices. And let the men go — Before they came within sight of his master.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv22–25 From mount Ephraim - Bethel and Gilgal 2Ki 2:1,…
From mount Ephraim - Bethel and Gilgal 2Ki 2:1, at both of which there were “schools of the prophets,” were situated on Mount Ephraim.
A talent of silver - A large demand in respect of the pretended occasion; but small compared with the amount which Naaman had pressed on the prophet 2Ki 5:4. Gehazi had to balance between his own avarice, on the one hand, and the fear of raising suspicion on the other.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv23–24 Him. The weight must have been considerable, (6000 sicles,…
Him. The weight must have been considerable, (6000 sicles, ver. 26., and Exodus xxxviii. 25.; Haydock) otherwise Giezi would have preferred carrying them himself, that his master might not know. (Calmet) --- He had pretended a reluctance to take more than one talent, not to swerve from his master’s injunctions. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v23 in two bags--People in the East, when travelling, have…
in two bags--People in the East, when travelling, have their money, in certain sums, put up in bags.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv23–24 23. Naaman said… take two talents — Worth about…
23. Naaman said… take two talents — Worth about three thousand three hundred and twenty dollars.
Upon two of his servants — Naaman’s servants. Comp. 2Ki_5:24. The gift was a weight which one could not well carry.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv22–25 22. My master hath sent me] Naaman would naturally…
22. My master hath sent me] Naaman would naturally rejoice at hearing that circumstances had wrought for an acceptance of the present, which for himself the prophet had refused.
from mount [R.V. the hill country of] Ephraim] The Gilgal mentioned in the previous chapter [2Ki_4:38] seems to have been near the hill country of Ephraim. There, we know, there was a college of prophets, and in the neighbourhood may have been others. From all these centres the members would come to Elisha for counsel. Gehazi uses one of the probably common incidents of the prophet’s life to form the foundation for his deceit. The communities of prophets would naturally be poor, and few things were more likely than that they should reach Samaria in need both of money and clothing. The story was full of plausibility.
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a talent of silver] Though a large sum to ask for as aid to the prophets, it would appear but little to the man who had brought ten times as much with him, in addition to six thousand shekels of gold. Hence he gives him twice what he asks, which Gehazi must have counted a wondrous gain.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv22–25 (22) Even now.—Or, this moment, just.
(22) Even now.—Or, this moment, just.
Mount Ephraim.—The hill-country of Ephraim,or highlands of Ephraim, where Gilgal and Bethel were situate.
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Changes of garments.—The same phrase as in 2Ki_5:5.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv22–25 And he said, All is well. Gehazi"s reply was,…
And he said, All is well. Gehazi"s reply was, "All is well." There has been no accident, no calamity only a casual circumstance has caused a change in my master"s wishes, which I am sent thus hurriedly to communicate to thee. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now (i.e. just at this time) there be come to me from Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. The details are added to give a greater air of truthfulness to the story. Give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments; i.e. a change apiece, and a talent between them rather a large sum in respect of the pretended occasion, but a trifle compared with the amount which Naaman had expected to expend (ver. 5), and probably very much less than he had recently pressed upon the prophet (ver. 16). Gehazi had to balance between his own greed on the one hand, and the fear of raising suspicion on the other. His story was altogether most plausible, and his demand prudently moderate.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v25 Thy servant went no whither.
2Ki_5:25
Thy servant went no whither.
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A lie sticks
A little newsboy, to sell his paper, told a lie. The matter came up in the Sunday school. Would you tell a lie for a penny? asked a young lady teacher of one of her boys. No maam, he answered very decidedly. For sixpence, then? No maam. For a shilling? No, maam? For a thousand shillings? Dick was staggered. A thousand shillings looked big. Wouldnt it buy a lot of things? While he was thinking, another boy behind him called out, No, maam. Why not? asked the teacher. Because, said the boy, when the thousand shillings are all gone, and all the things theyve got with them have gone too, the lie is there, all the same. It is so. A lie sticks. Everything else may be gone, but that is left, and it must be carried with you, whether you will or not.
Heredity not wholly a disadvantage
A young man complains to Jupiter that in consequence of his fathers debaucheries he is pierced with pangs and punished with pains for sins not his own. Jupiter replies that in accordance with the very law of which he complains, he also receives from his father delicate nerves, vigorous muscles, and keen senses which are inlets of joy and many noble capacities and faculties of mind and heart. Jupiter offers in his case to suspend the offensive organic law; but warns him that, in losing his pain, he shall also lose all advantages and benefits through that same law of hereditary descent. And he further reminds him that even his pain is a monitor to warn him from the paths of vice trodden by his father. The sufferer withdraws his complaint, resigns himself, and resolves by pious obedience to all bodily laws to bring back his body to a normal and healthy state. (Combe on the Constitution of Man. )
Continuity of evil influences
Suppose a company of shipowners started a sea captain with an imperfect chart and with an unseaworthy vessel, and after the vessel has been gone five days they feel sorry about it, and wish they had not let the vessel go out in that way. Does that make any difference to those who have gone out? No! In the first storm the captain and the crew go down. And if you come to God in the latter part of your life, when you have given your children an impulse in the wrong direction, those ten, or fifteen, or twenty years of example in the wrong direction will be mightier than the few words you can utter now in the right direction. So it is with the influence you have had anywhere in community. If you have all these years given countenance to those who are neglecting religion, can you correct that? (T. De Witt Talmage.)
Heredity may transmit predisposition to disease
We know from experience that a full measure of health is not often the happy condition of human tissues; we have, in short, a variety of circumstances which, as we say, predispose the individual to disease. One of the commonest forms of predisposition is that due to heredity. Probably it is true that what are known as hereditary diseases are due far more to a hereditary predisposition than to any transmission of the virus itself in any form. Antecedent disease predisposes the tissues to form a nidus for bacteria; conditions of environment or personal habits frequently act in the same way. Damp soils must be held responsible for many disasters to health, not directly, but indirectly, by predisposition; dusty trades and injurious occupations have a similar effect. Any one of these three different influences may in a variety of ways affect the tissues and increase their susceptibility to disease. Not infrequently we may get them combined. (Newman, Bacteria.)
Verse 27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.--
Gehazi smitten with leprosy
The sin which led to this punishment suggests--
I. That it is a mark of the highest contempt of the Holy God to link His name with our sinful purposes. As the Lord liveth, said Gehazi, I will take somewhat of him (2Ki_5:20). To stamp base metal with the image and name of the king is regarded as a great crime against the country and the monarch. How much greater the crime of stamping upon our evil actions the name of God. Yet some of the most diabolical acts that stain the page of history have been wrought in the name of the sinless Redeemer.
II. That the transgression of the first table of the moral law is a step to the transgression of the second. The man who will speak lightly of a good master will find it an easy matter to misrepresent the character of his fellow-servant. The child who dishonours a good parent will not be likely to be a kind brother. Those who fear not God, will as a rule regard not men (Luk_18:2). The sin against the less, comes easily after the sin against the greater. Gehazi first profaned the name of God, and then wronged his earthly master.
III. That those who will lie in order to deceive, must lie in order to conceal. Gehazis lie to Naaman was soon followed by another to Elisha. It has been said that a lie has no legs. There are men in the world who have no limbs upon which they can walk, and are indebted to the artificial help of crutches to make their way in the world. So a lie must be kept up by the crutches of other lies. The punishment for the sin teaches--That those who sin and seek to cover it by concealment, will be compelled, in time, to be the means of its revelation. (Outlines of Sermons by a London Minister.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v25 no whither
no whither
Heb. "not hither or thither."
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v23 two talents
two talents
This can be written in modern measurements. This talents are of silver. AT: "two talents of silver" or "66 kilograms of silver" (See: Biblical Weight and Ellipsis)
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laid them on two
"gave them to"
Naaman urged Gehazi
Naaman urged him to take gifts. AT: "Naaman urged Gehazi to take the gifts" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
Your servant
Gehazi refers to himself here as Elisha's servant.
translationWords
servant
Elisha
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 24, 25 5:22-23 Naaman believed Gehazi’s fabricated story to be genuine…
5:22-23 Naaman believed Gehazi’s fabricated story to be genuine and was happy to repay Elisha.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.