2 Kings 5:8-18

8 And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, that is, that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, and said, Why rentest thou thy clothes? come he to me, and know he, that there is a prophet in Israel. (And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, that is, that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, and said, Why tearest thou thy clothes? Let him come to me, and then know he, that there is a prophet in Israel.)
9 Then Naaman came with horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent to him a messenger (And Elisha sent a messenger to him), and said, Go, and be thou washed seven times in Jordan; and thy flesh shall receive health, and thou shalt be cleansed.
11 Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, I guessed, that he would have gone out to me, and that he would have stood, and inwardly have called (on) the name of the Lord his God, and that he should have touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and should have cured me so. (And Naaman was angry, and went away, and said, I guessed, that he would have come out to me, and that he would have stood there, and inwardly called on the name of the Lord his God, and then he would have touched the place of the leprosy with his hand, and thus he would have cured me.)
12 Whether Abana and Pharpar, the floods of Damascus, be not better than all the waters of Israel, that I be washed in them, and be cleansed? Therefore when he had turned himself, and went away, having indignation, (Be not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, and that I be washed in them, and be cleansed? And so when he had turned, and went away, having indignation,)
13 his servants nighed to him, and spake to him, Father, though the prophet had said to thee a great thing, certainly thou oughtest to do it; how much more for now he said to thee, Be thou washed, and thou shalt be cleansed. (his servants came to him, and spoke to him, and said, Father, if the prophet had said to thee to do a great thing, certainly thou wouldest have done it; how much more now for that he hath simply said to thee, Be thou washed, and thou shalt be cleansed, or healed.)
14 Then Naaman went down, and washed him(self) seven times in Jordan, by the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed (and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young child, and he was healed).
15 And he turned again with all his fellowship to the man of God, and came, and stood before him; and said, Verily I know (now), that none other God is in all [the] earth, no but only [the] God of Israel; therefore, I beseech, that thou take [a] blessing, that is, a gift, of thy servant (and so I beseech thee, that thou receive a gift from thy servant).
16 And Elisha answered, The Lord liveth before whom I stand, for I shall not take it of thee. And when he made great force thereto, (that is, had pressed him greatly,) Elisha assented not utterly. (And Elisha answered, As the Lord liveth, whom I stand before, I shall not take it from thee. And when Naaman greatly pressed him, and insisted, Elisha would still not agree.)
17 Then Naaman said, As thou wilt; but, I beseech, grant thou to me, thy servant, that I take of this earth the charge of two burdens; for thy servant shall no more make burnt sacrifice, either slain sacrifice, to alien gods (to foreign, or other, gods), no but (only) to the Lord.
18 Forsooth this thing is only (And this thing only), of which thou shalt pray (to) the Lord for thy servant, (that) when my lord shall enter into the temple of Rimmon, that he worship (there), and while he shall lean on mine hand, if I worship in the temple of Rimmon, while he worshippeth in the same place, that the Lord forgive to thy servant, for this thing.

2 Kings 5:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 5

This chapter gives an account of the leprosy of Naaman the Syrian, and of the cure of it by Elisha; how he came to hear of him, and the recommendation he had from the king of Syria to the king of Israel, 2Ki 5:1-8, who, coming to Elisha's house, was ordered to dip himself seven times in Jordan, which made him depart in wrath; but one of his servants persuaded him to do it, and he did, and was cured, 2Ki 5:9-14, upon which he returned to Elisha, and offered him a present, which he refused, 2Ki 5:15-19 but Gehazi, his servant, ran after him with a lie in his mouth, and obtained it, and returned to his master with another, for which he was smitten with the leprosy of Naaman, 2Ki 5:20-27.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.