About 2 Kings

2 Kings continues the history of the divided kingdom through the exile, showing how both nations fell due to covenant unfaithfulness.

Author: Jeremiah (traditionally)Written: c. 560-540 BCReading time: ~3 minVerses: 27
JudgmentExileProphetic MinistryReformCovenantDecline

King James Version

2 Kings 5

27 verses with commentary

Naaman Healed of Leprosy

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. with: Heb. before. honourable: or, gracious: Heb. lifted up, or, accepted in countenance. deliverance: or, victory

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh's covenant rela...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

V. ELISHA HEALS NAAMAN THE SYRIAN’S LEPROSY, AND PUNISHES GEHAZI THEREWITH. (1) **Now.**—The construction implies a break between this narrative and the preceding. Whether the events related belong to the time of Jehoram or of the dynasty of Jehu is not clear. Evidently it was a time of peace between Israel and Syria. **Naaman** (*beauty*).—A title of the sun-god. (See Note on Isaiah 17:10.) **A g...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. waited: Heb. was before

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfuln...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **The Syrians.**—Heb., *Aram*, the word rendered “Syria” in 2Kings 5:1. **By companies.**—Or, *in troops*, referring to a marauding incursion made at some time prior to the events here recorded. **Brought away captive . . . a little maid.**—Comp. the reference in Joel 3:6 to the Phœnician traffic in Jewish slaves.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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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. with: Heb. before recover: Heb. gather in

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh's covenant relationship with Israel and His sovereign control over historical events. The prophetic...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Would God.**—*O that! ’Ahalê* here; in Psalm 119:5, *’Ahalay*. The word seems to follow the analogy of *’ashrê*, “O the bliss of!” (Psalm 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. Numbers 12:14-15.) In Israel lepers were exclude...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulness. During this period, Israel and Judah s...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **And one went in.**—*And he* (*i.e.*, Naaman) *went in: scil*., into the palace. Some MSS.: “and she went in and told.” **Thus and thus.**—To avoid repetition of her actual words.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. with: Heb. in his hand

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The reference to kingship reminds readers that all human a...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **Go to, go.**—*Depart thou* (thither), *enter* (the land of Israel). **A letter.**—Written, probably, in that old Aramean script of which we have examples on Assyrian seals of the eighth century B.C. , and which closely resembled the old Phœnician and Hebrew characters, as well as that of the Moabite stone (2Kings 1:1, Note). **With him.**—*In his hand.* (Comp. the expression “to fill the han...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The reference to kingship reminds readers that all human authority ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **Now.**—Heb., *And now*, continuing an omitted passage. Only the principal sentence of the letter is given. The message pre-supposes a not altogether hostile relation between the two kings; and the words of the next verse, “He seeketh a quarrel against me,” point to the time of comparative lull which ensued after the luckless expedition to Ramoth-gilead (1. Kings 22), and the short reign of t...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judg...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **He rent his clothes.**—As if he had heard blasphemy. (Comp. Matthew 26:65.) **Am I God, to kill and to make alive?**—Deuteronomy 32:39, “I kill, and I make alive;” 1Samuel 2:6, “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.” Leprosy was a kind of living death. (Comp. Numbers 12:12, Heb., “Let her not become as the dead, who, when he cometh forth of his mother’s womb, hath half his flesh consumed.”) **...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8-16. the word of the Lord came to him--**Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emp...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **There is a prophet.**—With stress on *there is* (*yēsh*): *scil*., as his message pre-supposes. **When Elisha . . . had heard.**—He was in Samaria at the time (2Kings 5:3), and would hear of the coming of the great Syrian captain and of the king’s alarm. Why did not Jehoram think at once of Elisha? King and prophet were not on good terms with each other. (Comp. 2Kings 3:14.) Besides, Elisha ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Chapter 5 Chapter Outline Naaman's leprosy.(1-8) The cure of it.(9-14) Elisha refuses Naaman's gifts.(15-19) Gehazi's covetousness and falsehood.(20-27) **Verses 1-8** Though the Syrians were idolaters, and oppressed God's people, yet the deliverance of which Naaman had been the means, is here ascribed to the Lord. Such is the correct language of Scripture, while those wh...
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So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulness. During this period, Israel and Judah strug...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **With his horses and with his chariot.**—*Chariots*. (See on 2Kings 2:11-12; and comp. 2Kings 5:15, *infra*.) The proper term for a single chariot is used in 2Kings 5:21. The magnificence of his retinue is suggested. **Stood.**—*Stopped.* The text hardly conveys, as Bähr thinks, the idea that Elisha’s house in Samaria was “a poor hovel,” which the great man would not deign to enter, but waite...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 9-14** Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level. All God's commands make trial of men's spirits, especially those which direct a sinner how to apply for the blessings of salvation. See in Naaman the folly of pride; a cure will not content him, unless he be cured with pomp and parade. He scorns to be he...
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And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfuln...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **Elisha sent a messenger.**—Avoiding personal contact with a leper. (Comp. 2Kings 5:15, where Naaman, when restored, goes in and stands before the prophet.) Perhaps reverence held back those who consulted a great prophet from entering his presence (comp. 2Kings 4:12); and therefore, Naaman stopped with his followers outside the house. Keil suggests that Elisha did not come out to Naaman, bec...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 9-14** Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level. All God's commands make trial of men's spirits, especially those which direct a sinner how to apply for the blessings of salvation. See in Naaman the folly of pride; a cure will not content him, unless he be cured with pomp and parade. He scorns to be he...
Read full commentary →

But Naaman was wroth, 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, and recover the leper. I thought: Heb. I said. or, I said with my self, He will surely come out, etc. strike: Heb. move up and down

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But Naaman was wroth, 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, and recover the leper.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh's covenant relationship...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **But** (and) **Naaman was wroth**.—Because, as his words show, he thought he was mocked by the prophet. **I thought.—***I said to myself.* **Strike his hand.**—Rather, *wave his hand towards the place*. (Comp. Isaiah 10:15; Isaiah 11:15.) He would not *touch* the unclean place. **Recover the leper.**—Or, *take away the leprous* (*part*). So Thenius; but everywhere else *měçōrā*‘ means “lepro...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 9-14** Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level. All God's commands make trial of men's spirits, especially those which direct a sinner how to apply for the blessings of salvation. See in Naaman the folly of pride; a cure will not content him, unless he be cured with pomp and parade. He scorns to be he...
Read full commentary →

Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. Abana: or, Amana

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and peop...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **Abana.**—So Hebrew text; Hebrew margin, *Amana*; and so many MSS., Complut., LXX., Targum, Syriac. (Comp. Amana, Song of Solomon 4:8, as name of a peak of the Lebanon, which is common in the Assyrian inscriptions also.) The river is identified with the present *Burâda*, or *Barady* (“the cold”), which descends from the Anti-Lebanon, and flows through Damascus in seven streams. (The Arabic v...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 9-14** Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level. All God's commands make trial of men's spirits, especially those which direct a sinner how to apply for the blessings of salvation. See in Naaman the folly of pride; a cure will not content him, unless he be cured with pomp and parade. He scorns to be he...
Read full commentary →

And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary mean...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **Came near.**—Comp. Genesis 18:23. **My father.**—A title implying at once respect and affection. (Comp. 1Samuel 24:11; 2Kings 6:21.) Perhaps, however, the word is a corruption of *’im* (“if”), which is otherwise not expressed in the Hebrew. **Great thing.**—Emphatic in the Hebrew. **Wouldest thou not have done?**—Or,wouldest thou not do? **He saith.—***He hath said.* **Be clean?**—*i.e., th...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 9-14** Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level. All God's commands make trial of men's spirits, especially those which direct a sinner how to apply for the blessings of salvation. See in Naaman the folly of pride; a cure will not content him, unless he be cured with pomp and parade. He scorns to be he...
Read full commentary →

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh's covenant relationship with Israel and His so...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **Then went he down.**—*And he went down: scil*., from Samaria to the Jordan bed. The Syriac and Arabic, and some Hebrew MSS., read “and he departed;” probably an error of transcription. **Seven times.**—“Because *seven* was significant of the Divine covenant with Israel, and the cure depended on that covenant; or to stamp the cure as a Divine work, for *seven* is the signature of the works o...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
Read full commentary →

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 9-14** Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level. All God's commands make trial of men's spirits, especially those which direct a sinner how to apply for the blessings of salvation. See in Naaman the folly of pride; a cure will not content him, unless he be cured with pomp and parade. He scorns to be he...
Read full commentary →

And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Ya...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **Company.**—Heb., camp, host. Naaman’s following consisted of “horses and chariots” (2Kings 5:9). **Came.**—Went in: into Elisha’s house. Gratitude overcame awe and dread. **Behold, now.**—Behold, I pray thee. The “now” belongs to “behold,” not to “I know.” **I know that . . . in Israel.**—Naaman, like most of his contemporaries, Jewish as well as Syriau, believed in locally restricted deiti...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17-24. the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick--**A severe domestic calamity seems to have led her to think that, as God had shut up heaven upon a sinful land in consequence of the prophet, she was suffering on a similar account. Without answering her bitter upbraiding, the prophet takes the child, lays it on his bed, and after a very earnest prayer, had the happiness of seein...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-19** The mercy of the cure affected Naaman more than the miracle. Those are best able to speak of the power of Divine grace, who themselves experience it. He also shows himself grateful to Elisha the prophet. Elijah refused any recompence, not because he thought it unlawful, for he received presents from others, but to show this new convert that the servants of the God of Israel lo...
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But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh's covenant relationship with Israel and His sovereign control over historical events. The prophetic ministry ser...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **But**.—And (both times). **I will receive none**.—Theodoret compares our Lord’s “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). (Comp. Acts 8:20.) Such may have been Elisha’s feeling. His refusal, strongly contrasting with the conduct of ordinary prophets, Israelite and heathen (comp. 1Samuel 9:6-9), would make a deep impression upon Naaman and his retinue.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-19** The mercy of the cure affected Naaman more than the miracle. Those are best able to speak of the power of Divine grace, who themselves experience it. He also shows himself grateful to Elisha the prophet. Elijah refused any recompence, not because he thought it unlawful, for he received presents from others, but to show this new convert that the servants of the God of Israel lo...
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And Naaman said, 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Naaman said, 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.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh's covenant relati...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(17) **Shall there not then.**—Rather, *If not, let there be given, I pray thee*. LXX., Καὶ εἰ μή. **Two mules’ burden of earth?—**Literally, *a load of a yoke of mules’* (in) *earth.* It was natural for Naaman, with his local idea of divinity, to make this request. He wished to worship the God of Israel, so far as possible, on the soil of Israel, Jehovah’s own land. He would therefore build his a...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 18 1Ki 18:1-16. Elijah Meets Obadiah. **1. the third year--**In the New Testament, it is said there was no rain "for the space of three years and six months" [Jas 5:17]. The early rain fell in our March, the latter rain in our October. Though Ahab might have at first ridiculed Elijah's announcement, yet when neither of these rains fell in their season, he was incensed against the proph...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-19** The mercy of the cure affected Naaman more than the miracle. Those are best able to speak of the power of Divine grace, who themselves experience it. He also shows himself grateful to Elisha the prophet. Elijah refused any recompence, not because he thought it unlawful, for he received presents from others, but to show this new convert that the servants of the God of Israel lo...
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In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on gre...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18*)* **In this thing**.—*Touching this thing* (but in at the end of the verse). The LXX. and Syriac read, “and touching this thing,” an improvement in the connection. **To worship**.—To bow down (the same verb occurs thrice in the verse). **The house of Rimmon**.—The Assyrian Rammânu (from *ramāmu*, “to thunder”). One of his epithets in the cuneiform is *Râmimu*, “the thunderer;” and another is ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. Elijah went--**a marvellous proof of the natural intrepidity of this prophet, of his moral courage, and his unfaltering confidence in the protecting care of God, that he ventured to approach the presence of the raging lion. **there was a sore famine in Samaria--**Elijah found that the famine was pressing with intense severity in the capital. Corn must have been obtained for the people from ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-19** The mercy of the cure affected Naaman more than the miracle. Those are best able to speak of the power of Divine grace, who themselves experience it. He also shows himself grateful to Elisha the prophet. Elijah refused any recompence, not because he thought it unlawful, for he received presents from others, but to show this new convert that the servants of the God of Israel lo...
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Gehazi's Greed and Punishment

And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way. a little: Heb. a little piece of ground

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulness. During this period, Israel and Judah struggled with persistent idola...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(19) **A little way.**—Heb., a *kibrāh* of ground (Genesis 35:16). It seems to mean “a length of ground,” “a certain distance,” without defining exactly how far. Had it been a parasang, as the Syriac renders, Gehazi could not have overtaken the company so easily.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly--**Although he did not follow the course taken by the Levites and the majority of pious Israelites at that time of emigration into Judah (2Ch 11:13-16), he was a secret and sincere worshipper. He probably considered the violent character of the government, and his power of doing some good to the persecuted people of God as a sufficient excuse for his not going ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 15-19** The mercy of the cure affected Naaman more than the miracle. Those are best able to speak of the power of Divine grace, who themselves experience it. He also shows himself grateful to Elisha the prophet. Elijah refused any recompence, not because he thought it unlawful, for he received presents from others, but to show this new convert that the servants of the God of Israel lo...
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But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The divine name emphasizes Yahweh'...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **Said**—*i.e.,* thought. **This Syrian.**—He justifies his purpose on the principle of “spoiling the Egyptians.” **But, as the Lord liveth, I will run.**—Rather, *by the life of Jehovah, but I will run*. (Comp. Note on 2Kings 4:30.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. an hundred prophets--**not men endowed with the extraordinary gifts of the prophetic office, but who were devoted to the service of God, preaching, praying, praising, &amp;c. (1Sa 10:10-12). **fed them with bread and water--**These articles are often used to include sustenance of any kind. As this succor must have been given them at the hazard, not only of his place, but his life, it was a ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? Is: Heb. Is there peace?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulne...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **He lighted down from the chariot to meet him.**—An Oriental mark of respect. Literally, fell from off the chariot: an expression denoting haste (Genesis 24:64). The LXX. has “he turned,” which implies an ellipsis of “and descended.” **Is all well?**—Naaman feared something might have befallen the prophet. The LXX. omits this.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>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.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **Even now.**—Or, *this moment,* just. **Mount Ephraim.**—*The hill-country of Ephraim,or highlands of Ephraim, *where Gilgal and Bethel were situate. **Changes of garments.**—The same phrase as in 2Kings 5:5.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **Be content.**—Be willing, consent to take. The Vatican LXX. omits; the Alexandrian renders αὐτοῦ, owing to a transposition of the Hebrew letters (hălô’ for *hô’êl*). **Bound.**—Deuteronomy 14:25. **Bags.**—Only here and in Isaiah 3:22, where it means “purses.” **Laid them upon two.**—Gave them to two of his (i.e., Naaman’s) young men. The courtesy of the act is obvious. **Before him.**—Geha...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7-16. Obadiah was in the way ... Elijah met him--**Deeming it imprudent to rush without previous intimation into Ahab's presence, the prophet solicited Obadiah to announce his return to Ahab. The commission, with a delicate allusion to the perils he had already encountered in securing others of God's servants, was, in very touching terms, declined, as unkind and peculiarly hazardous. But Elijah ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. tower: or, secret place

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulness. During...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **The tower.**—Heb., the ’*ōphel*, the mound, on which the prophet’s house may have stood. There would be no window in the exterior wall from which Gehazi and his companions might have been observed approaching. Perhaps, however, a fortified hill, forming part of the system of defences surrounding Samaria, like the Ophel at Jerusalem, is to be understood. (Comp. 2Chronicles 27:3.) Elisha’s ho...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7-16. Obadiah was in the way ... Elijah met him--**Deeming it imprudent to rush without previous intimation into Ahab's presence, the prophet solicited Obadiah to announce his return to Ahab. The commission, with a delicate allusion to the perils he had already encountered in securing others of God's servants, was, in very touching terms, declined, as unkind and peculiarly hazardous. But Elijah ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. no whither: Heb. not hither or thither

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulness. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25) **But he.**—And he himself (after putting away his ill-gotten gains). **Went in.**—Into his master’s chamber. Gehazi was already in the house. **Stood before.**—Came forward to (2Chronicles 6:12). **Thy servant went no whither.—**Literally, Thy servant went not away hither nor thither.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7-16. Obadiah was in the way ... Elijah met him--**Deeming it imprudent to rush without previous intimation into Ahab's presence, the prophet solicited Obadiah to announce his return to Ahab. The commission, with a delicate allusion to the perils he had already encountered in securing others of God's servants, was, in very touching terms, declined, as unkind and peculiarly hazardous. But Elijah ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(26) **Went not mine heart . . . meet thee?**—Rather, Nor did my heart (i.e., consciousness) go away, when a man turned (and alighted) from his chariot to meet thee. The prophet, in severe irony, adopts Gehazi’s own phrase: Maurer, “Non abierat animus meus;” “I was there in spirit, and witnessed everything.” The sentence has given the commentators much trouble. (See the elaborate Note in Thenius. ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7-16. Obadiah was in the way ... Elijah met him--**Deeming it imprudent to rush without previous intimation into Ahab's presence, the prophet solicited Obadiah to announce his return to Ahab. The commission, with a delicate allusion to the perils he had already encountered in securing others of God's servants, was, in very touching terms, declined, as unkind and peculiarly hazardous. But Elijah ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.</strong><br><br>This verse contributes to the overall theme of chapter 5: God's grace extends to Gentiles; judgment on greed. The prophetic ministry served as God's primary means of covenant enforcement, calling both kings and people to faithfulnes...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(27) **Shall cleave.**—Or, cleave! i.e., let it cleave. The prophetic sentence is naturally expressed as an imperative. **A leper as white as snow.**—Comp. Exodus 4:6 Numbers 12:10. A sudden outbreak of leprosy may follow upon extreme fright or mortification (*Michaelis*). **Unto thy seed for ever.**—Like other skin diseases, leprosy is hereditary. If it be thought that the sentence is too strong,...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7-16. Obadiah was in the way ... Elijah met him--**Deeming it imprudent to rush without previous intimation into Ahab's presence, the prophet solicited Obadiah to announce his return to Ahab. The commission, with a delicate allusion to the perils he had already encountered in securing others of God's servants, was, in very touching terms, declined, as unkind and peculiarly hazardous. But Elijah ...
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Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

**Verses 20-27** Naaman, a Syrian, a courtier, a soldier, had many servants, and we read how wise and good they were. Elisha, a holy prophet, a man of God, has but one servant, and he proves a base liar. The love of money, that root of all evil, was at the bottom of Gehazi's sin. He thought to impose upon the prophet, but soon found that the Spirit of prophecy could not be deceived, and that i...
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