She said to her mistress, “I wish that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would heal him of his leprosy.”
Someone went in, and told his lord, saying, “The maiden who is from the land of Israel said this.”
The king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “Now when this letter has come to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.”
When the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? But please consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me.”
It was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 8 Meaning, Elisha.
Meaning, Elisha.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv3–8 2Ki 5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would…
2Ki 5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord [were] with the prophet that [is] in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
Ver. 3. For he would recover him of his leprosy.] Few in Israel believed thus much. {Luk 4:27} This poor girl was confident that the prophet, famous in her country for so many miracles, both could and would cure her master, if duly sought unto; and her words found credit, to the great honour of the true God.
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 vv3–8 In Samaria; either, first, In the kingdom of Samaria.…
In Samaria; either, first, In the kingdom of Samaria. Or, secondly, In the city of Samaria; where he was when she was taken; or where he commonly resided, though he went to other places, as need required.
He would recover him of his leprosy; or, take him away (as this Hebrew verb is used, Gen 30:23; Zep 1:2) from his leprosy, i.e. take away his leprosy from him.
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 vv3–8 And she said unto her mistress,.... As she was…
And she said unto her mistress,.... As she was waiting upon her at a certain time, and perhaps her mistress was lamenting the case of her husband as desperate and incurable:
would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria; meaning Elisha, who, though sometimes in one place, and sometimes in another, yet often at Samaria, and it seems was there when this girl was taken captive:
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for he would recover him of his leprosy; the maid had heard of the miracles wrought by Elisha, and doubted not that at the request of her lord he would be willing, as she believed he was able, to cure him of this disease.
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 v5 Go to, &c. - It was very natural for…
Go to, &c. - It was very natural for a king to suppose, that the king of Israel could do more than any of his subjects.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 7, 8 Verse 3. Would God my lord] אחלי achaley, I…
Verse 3. Would God my lord] אחלי achaley, I wish; or, as the Chaldee, Syrian, and Arabic have, "Happy would it be for my master if he were with the prophet," &c.
Here the mystery of the Divine providence begins to develop itself. By the captivity of this little maid, one Syrian family at least, and that one of the most considerable in the Syrian empire, is brought to the knowledge of the true God.
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 vv3–8 2Ki 5:3. Would God my Lord were with the…
2Ki 5:3. Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria — In the kingdom of Samaria; or, rather, in the city of Samaria; where Elisha was when she was taken, and where he commonly resided, though he went to other places as need required. For he would recover him of his leprosy — She had heard of the wonderful things which he had done, and therefore was confident he could work this cure. Children should betimes acquaint themselves with the wondrous works of God, that wherever they go they may speak of them, to the profit of others. Yea, and servants, like this little maid, may be blessings to the families in which Providence casts their lot, by telling what they know of the glory of God, and the honour of his ministers.
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 vv4–8 One went in - Rather, “he went in,” i.…
One went in - Rather, “he went in,” i. e. Naaman went and told his lord, the king of Syria.
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 vv5, 7, 8 Raiment; the tunic and the cloak, (Calmet) of a…
Raiment; the tunic and the cloak, (Calmet) of a finer sort. (Tirinus)
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 vv5, 7, 8 ten talents of silver--£3421; 6000 shekels of gold; a…
ten talents of silver--£3421; 6000 shekels of gold; a large sum of uncertain value.
ten changes of raiment--splendid dresses, for festive occasions--the honor being thought to consist not only in the beauty and fineness of the material, but on having a variety to put on one after another, in the same night.
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 vv3, 5, 6, 7, 8 3. Recover him of his leprosy — Literally, he…
3. Recover him of his leprosy — Literally, he would gather him from his leprosy. The expression is an allusion to the Israelitish custom of shutting lepers out of the camp, and gathering them in again after their leprosy was healed. The same expression is used of Miriam’s reception into the camp after her exclusion of seven days. Num_12:14.
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 vv3–8 3. Would God] This interjection is found only here…
3. Would God] This interjection is found only here and in Psa_119:5. There it is rendered ‘O that my ways were directed’.
the prophet that is in Samaria] Elisha had a house in the city of Samaria, as we see from verse 9, and also from 2Ki_6:32. The fame of the prophet, and the mighty cures which God wrought through him, must have been matter of much note ere they reached this little servant.
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he would recover him] The verb, which commonly means ‘to assemble’ or ‘gather together’, is very expressive in the mouth of the Israelitish maiden, for the leper in Israel must keep himself apart, and never be gathered with the rest of the people. The passive is used (Num_11:14-15) when Miriam was cured of her leprosy, ‘she was received in again’, i.e. joined in the company of the rest of the people.
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 vv3–8 (3) Would God.—O that! ’Ahalê here; in Psa_119:5, ’Ahalay.…
(3) Would God.—O that! ’Ahalê here; in Psa_119:5, ’Ahalay. The word seems to follow the analogy of ’ashrê, “O the bliss of!” (Psa_1:1). It perhaps means “O the delight of!” the root ’ahal being assumed equivalent to the Arabic halâ, Syriac halî, “dulcis fuit.”
For he would recover him.—Then he would receive him back. (Comp. Num_12:14-15.) In Israel lepers were excluded from society. Restoration to society implied restoration to health. Hence the same verb came to be used in the sense of healing as well as of receiving back the leper. Thenius, however, argues that as the phrase “from leprosy” is wanting in Numbers 12, the real meaning is, “to take a person away from leprosy,” to which he had been, as it were, delivered up.
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 vv3–8 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my…
And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! literally, Oh that my lord were before the prophet who is in Samaria! Elisha had a house in Samaria, (2Ki_6:32) where he resided occasionally. For he would recover him of his leprosy. The "little maid" concludes from her small experience that, if her master and the great miracle-working prophet of her own land could be brought together, the result would be his cure. She has, in her servile condition, contracted an affection both for her master and her mistress, and her sympathies are strongly with them. Perhaps she had no serious purpose in speaking as she did. The words burst from her as a mere expression of goodwill. She did not contemplate any action resulting from them. "Oh that things could be otherwise than as they are! Had I my dear master in my own country, it would be easy to accomplish his cure. The prophet is so powerful and so kind. He both could and would recover him." Any notion of her vague wish being carried out, being made the ground of a serious embassy, was probably far from the girl"s thought. But the "bread cast upon the waters returns after many days." There is no kind wish or kind utterance that may not have a result far beyond anything that the wisher or utterer contemplated. Good wishes are seeds that ofttimes take root, and grow, and blossom, and bear fruit beyond the uttermost conception of those who sow them.
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 v5 And the King of Syria said, Go to, Go.
2Ki_5:5-7
And the King of Syria said, Go to, Go.
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The problem of Naaman the leper
Naaman the Syrian was a brave, intelligent, resourceful, and successful soldier, but he was a leper. And that but was the fly in the ointment which made all his brilliant qualities of no worth. The problem was to remove the fly from the ointment before it was too late. The fact that Naaman was so capable and indispensable to his sovereign made the necessity the more urgent. The economist could not bear to see such magnificent plant lying idle. The patriot felt it grievous that the country should be deprived of the services of so valuable and loyal a servant. But the question was How? Leprosy was as incurable as it was incapacitating. A man might avoid it, but once within its toils he could in no wise escape. So every one thought until a chance word of an Israelite slave-girl reawakened hope. The little maid spoke with such confidence of the possibility, nay the certainty, of her masters cure, could he but be with the prophet in Samaria, that her suggestions became the staple of the conversation of the court, and finally reached the ears of the king. Her words carried such conviction that the courtiers found themselves actually taking the cure for granted, and proceeding to discuss the method by which it could be accomplished. On that matter everybody had his own theory. The problem is still with us. On every side are men and women of amiable qualities and natural ability, capable of estimable service to their day and generation, who, because of some moral defect, inherited or acquired, are missing their opportunity, and proving a burden to the commonwealth instead of a gain. Think for a moment not only of the personal suffering endured, but of the jeopardy in which the community stands, and the loss of service it sustains through the prevalence of the leprosy of impurity and drunkenness; of covetousness and gambling; of jealousy and falsehood; of hate and strife; of ostentation and laziness. The need of today then, as in Ben-hadads Syria, is to cure the Naamans. Let us briefly glance at the suggested solutions of the problem.
1. The kings idea was to send the leper to the King of Israel. So the letter was despatched whose contents put the King of Israel ha such alarm. Am I God, said the perturbed monarch, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? But consider now how he seeketh quarrel against me. This time, however, the shrewd suspicion of Jehoram was at fault. The request was in good faith. It proceeded from a genuine expectation that if the cure was to be performed at all it must be by the king. In whom else would the requisite authority be vested? Quaint as the notion seems, it expresses a distinctly modern creed. For king read State, and you are in the twentieth century at once. Nothing is more remarkable, and in some respects more pathetic, than the rapid growth of the widely held belief in the power of the State as an instrument of reform. And without a doubt the State can accomplish much--much that was formerly thought not merely beyond its power, but beyond even its cognizance. It can restrain evil-doers, and reward them that do well. It can remove sources of temptation, adjust inequalities, and secure to every man a fair chance. It can alter conditions, and so modify habits. But its methods are slow, and subject to great alternations. Its chief instrument of immediate reformation is restraint, separation, stamping out. It keeps society healthy by shutting up the infected. The result of which is that, lest they should be found out, men cover up their leprosy and drive it below the skin. But they are lepers still. A change in the direction of a more equitable distribution of the results of industry would not in itself be a cure for covetousness. Prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors will not be followed by an immediate cessation of the desire for strong drink. The State has large and undoubted powers, but the best and truest advocates for the wide extension of its scope of action and administration nevertheless recognise its limitations, and disclaim on its behalf any attempt at usurpation of the prerogative of God, or of authority to remove the leprosy of sin.
2. To do Naaman justice, he did not set much store by the letter to the king. It was, of course, courteous and expedient first to present himself at the court. But his hope lay in an interview, not with Israels king, but with Israels prophet. So, as soon as he could, he relieved the king of the embarrassment of his presence, and turned the heads of his magnificent thoroughbreds to the humbler quarter of the city where dwelt the prophet. He had, of course, indulged in speculation as to the method the prophet would follow. The sequel shows how thoroughly he was mistaken. But Naamans ideas still persist. The great feature in modern schemes of reformation is the attempt to preserve a mans self-respect, or, to use the expressive phrase we have, borrowed from the East, to save his face. If he is a leper, for pitys sake dont tell him so, or let him think that you think he is. Treat him as though he was not. Soon he will begin to think he isnt, and then he wont act as though he was. And then he wont be! So seems much current teaching. Further, it conduces much to a cure that a little ceremony and some symbolic act shall be introduced, with just a suggestion of magic or the occult! There is a growing trust in formalism.
3. There remains the suggestion of the unsophisticated and faithful servants of Naaman, and that was the way they had been taught to tread the way of humility and obedience, Consent to be, and to be treated as the leper you know yourself to be. Rid yourself of the idea that consideration is due to you on the ground of station, attainments, endowments, wealth, reputation. Consent to be just a leper, a vile leper. And then obey. Dont dispute the prescription, but follow it. Dont argue that, even if you agree to wash, it would surely be better to wash in the clear, limpid, and beautiful streams of Damascus than in the turbid waters of Jordan. Possibly Abana and Pharpar are all you think them to be. But Jordan is the stream chosen. It is a simple thing. Try it. Dip, dip seven times. (F. L. Wiseman.)
The pilgrimage
This artless child-utterance opens unexpectedly to the diseased and despairing hero a door of hope--puts a new guiding-star into his midnight of darkness. Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy Whosoever believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Yes; blessed be God, these and similar declarations are addressed to every spiritual leper in this sin-stricken world. As with the warrior of Damascus, so with them: they have a gracious missive, a letter of commendation to the King of kings. There is a Greater than the greatest prophet in Israel, who can recover them of their leprosy.
1. Naamans first impulse, before setting out on his journey, was to go and tell his lord. Before he can adopt the suggestion of the young Hebrew, be feels it his duty, though the most exalted of Ben-hadads subjects, to go to his sovereign, make him acquainted with his design, and receive the royal sanction. This reads us the preliminary lesson, regarding even the minor, ordinary everyday details of life, to be careful in observing its proprieties and courtesies. Be courteous, Let all things be done decently and in order, are alike moral and religious obligations. But is there not also a higher spiritual lesson here for the Christian in his hour of difficulty and peril? When environed with perplexing paths and providences, and at a loss which to follow, swaying between the opposing forces of inclination and duty, may he not--ought he not, like Naaman, to repair to the King of kings--to tell his Lord of what is burdening his spirit?
2. Observe Naamans departure and journey. And, we read, he departed (2Ki_5:5). His promptitude, in the true soldier-spirit of instant surrender to duty--Go, and he goeth, is noteworthy. How unlike the case of many in spiritual things; who stagger through unbelief; allowing solemn monition and conviction to pass unheeded; conjuring up to themselves some supposed necessity for postponement and delay; resolving to set out on the pilgrimage at some time, but not yet; imagining the chariots and horses of salvation to be at their call whenever they wish, and their malignant leprosy a thing that may be safely postponed for a death-bed cure. As Naaman felt, so well may they, that restoration may be with them now or never. The king said to the sufferer, Go to, go. It is thus our Lord speaks. This is the Great Physicians prescription to the seeking soul, Wait not a moment; linger not in all the plain; confer not with any earthly adviser. Let the chariots be ordered. Haste thee; flee for thy life! Go to! go! for a long eternity is suspended on the resolve.
3. Let us note Naamans reception. The journey is accomplished; the chief and his retainers have reached Samaria, the capital of Israel, situated on its steep hill; a city which combined in a union not elsewhere found in Palestine, strength and beauty. Naaman sends one of his troop to the palace of Jehoram with the royal letter of Ben-hadad. The monarch reads it. Commencing, doubtless, with the wonted Oriental complimentary salutations, the perusal leads to a burst of indignant anger. It seemed little else than an insult; an arrogant imposition on royal credulity; the studied, designed occasion of a fresh quarrel. He sees in the letter only a pretext for drawing swords again, for anew ravaging his territories and deluging his valleys with blood. Alas! will the monarch of Israel--the head and ruler of the theocratic tribes--refuse to give glory to whom, as it specially became him to testify, glory is due? (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v7 The Healing of Naaman
The Healing of Naaman
v. 8. And it was so, when Elisha, the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, being in despair on account of the apparently impossible feat which was expected of him, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? in his opinion an act of foolish fear. Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel, a servant of the true and almighty God.
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v. 9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, with his entire retinue, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha, too proud, as it seems, to enter the poor hut, but expecting the prophet to deal with him in a manner befitting his rank.
v. 10. And Elisha, utterly unimpressed by the show of wealth and power, sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, return to the former state of firmness and health, and thou shalt be clean. From this Naaman was to learn that his healing would not be a matter of magic nor dependent upon the person of Elisha, but that it was a free gift of the God of Israel.
v. 11. But Naaman was wroth, which shows in what state of mind he had come to Samaria, as the proud general demanding aid, not as a suppliant pleading for help, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord, his God, and strike his hand over the place, moving it back and forth over the infected spot with a gesture of conjuring, and recover the leper. He thought such religious ceremonies, together with some application of magic, were essential, especially in his case.
v. 12. Are not Abana (or Amana) and Pharpar, mountain streams with clear, fresh water, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? He thought the cure consisted in the removal of the filth in the flesh by the outward application of water. So he turned and went away in a rage.
v. 13. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, an address at the same time intimate and respectful, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, something particularly difficult to perform, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather, then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?
v. 14. Then went he down, from the hill on which Samaria was situated, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, the number seven being the signature of the works of God; and his flesh came again, it was restored to its full healthy condition,like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
v. 15. And he returned to the man of God, to Samaria, he and all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, in the conviction which had been forced upon him by his recent experiences, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel, faith in the true God had been wrought in his heart. Now, therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant, in the form of a rich present.
v. 16. But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, as His humble and devoted servant, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused, not wishing to have even the suspicion of selfishness and of seeking personal gain resting upon him.
v. 17. And Naaman said, in a humble tone, which contrasted strangely with his former overbearing behavior, Shall there not, then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? For thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord. He did not ascribe magical powers to the soil of Israel, but wanted his act of building an altar from this earth to he a confession of his faith in Jehovah.
v. 18. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon, the chief idol of Syria, to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, namely, while assisting the king in his act of worship: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, not in personal worship, but in serving his master, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. He freely confessed this scruple of a tender conscience, in order not to have it appear that he was denying the Lord whom he now had so openly accepted.
v. 19. a. And he, Elisha, said unto him, Go in peace. We see from this entire story, first, that the Lord demands simple and absolute obedience to His Word; secondly, that He had mercy. also upon the poor heathen; and finally, that He expects us to watch very carefully lest we become partakers of other men’s sins.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv3, 5, 7, 8 The girl said to her mistress
The girl said to her mistress
The girl from Israel, who had been captured by the Aramean soldiers, spoke to Naaman's wife.
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my master
Here "my master" refers to Naaman.
translationWords
prophet
Samaria
cure
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 vv5, 7, 8 5:5-6 The lavish gifts and the royal letter of…
5:5-6 The lavish gifts and the royal letter of introduction, common practices in the ancient Near East, underscored Naaman’s wealth, his value to the Aramean king, and Elisha’s reputation. Unlike Ahaziah, who sent his messengers directly to the temple of Baal-zebub in Philistia (1:2), the Aramean king followed diplomatic protocol by sending Naaman first to King Joram.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.