2 Kings 5:7
in 2 Kings 5When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
KJV
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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This verse in 2 Kings 5
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
He rent his clothes - The action indicated alarm and terror quite as much as sorrow 2Sa 13:19; Ezr 9:3; 2Ch 34:27; Jer 36:22. Consider, I pray you - Jehoram speaks to his chief officers, and bids them mark the animus of the Syrian monarch. Compare the conduct of Ahab 1Ki 20:7.
This site's exposition
Am I God, killing and giving life
The king of Israel tears his clothes. His question echoes Deut 32:39 and 1 Sam 2:6, where killing and making alive belong to the Lord alone. He rightly denies himself an office no king holds, even while missing that a prophet of that Lord is living inside his own kingdom.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
No, I pretend not to such a power;" thus this great man, this bad man, is made to own that he is but a man. Why did he not, with this consideration, correct himself for his idolatry, and reason thus:--Shall I worship those as gods that can neither kill nor make alive, can do neither good nor evil?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
This explains Jehoram's burst of emotion--not horror at supposed blasphemy, but alarm and suspicion that this was merely made an occasion for a quarrel. Such a prince as he was would not readily think of Elisha, or, perhaps, have heard of his miraculous deeds. ELISHA SENDS HIM TO JORDAN, AND HE IS HEALED.
Am I God, to kill and to make alive - He spoke thus under the conviction that God alone could cure the leprosy; which, indeed, was universally acknowledged: and must have been as much a maxim among the Syrians as among the Israelites, for the disorder was equally prevalent in both countries; and in both equally incurable. See the notes on Leviticus 13 (note) and Leviticus 14 (note). And it was this that led the king of Israel to infer that the Syrian king sought a quarrel with him, in desiring him to do a work which God only could do; and then declaring war upon him because he did not do it.
The words behind it
29 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֡י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כִּקְרֹא֩ | kikro' | when read aloud | H7121 → | 733 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַסֵּ֜פֶר | hasefer | the letter | H5612 → | 186 times |
| וַיִּקְרַ֣ע | vaiyikra' | and he tore | H7167 → | 63 times |
| בְּגָדָ֗יו | begadav | clothes his | H899 → | 217 times |
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הַאֱלֹהִ֥ים | haelohim | ¿ God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אָ֙נִי֙ | ʾani | [am] I | H589 → | 874 times |
| לְהָמִ֣ית | lehamit | to kill | H4191 → | 839 times |
| וּֽלְהַחֲי֔וֹת | ulehachayot | and to restore to life | H2421 → | 282 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| זֶה֙ | zeh | this [man] | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| שֹׁלֵ֣חַ | sholeach | [is] sending | H7971 → | 845 times |
| אֵלַ֔י | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| לֶאֱסֹ֥ף | leesof | to deliver | H622 → | 200 times |
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מִצָּֽרַעְתּ֑וֹ | mitzara'to | from skin disease his | H6883 → | 35 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אַךְ־ | ʾakh- | only | H389 → | 161 times |
| דְּעֽוּ־ | deu- | consider | H3045 → | 945 times |
| נָא֙ | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| וּרְא֔וּ | ureu | and see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מִתְאַנֶּ֥ה | mitaneh | [is] seeking an opportunity | H579 → | |
| ה֖וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| לִֽי׃ | li | to me |
וַיְהִ֡יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כִּקְרֹא֩when read aloud
kikro'H7121 →733 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֨לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַסֵּ֜פֶרthe letter
haseferH5612 →186 times
וַיִּקְרַ֣עand he tore
vaiyikra'H7167 →63 times
בְּגָדָ֗יוclothes his
begadavH899 →217 times
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הַאֱלֹהִ֥ים¿ God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
אָ֙נִי֙[am] I
ʾaniH589 →874 times
לְהָמִ֣יתto kill
lehamitH4191 →839 times
וּֽלְהַחֲי֔וֹתand to restore to life
ulehachayotH2421 →282 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
זֶה֙this [man]
zehH2088 →1180 times
שֹׁלֵ֣חַ[is] sending
sholeachH7971 →845 times
אֵלַ֔יto me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
לֶאֱסֹ֥ףto deliver
leesofH622 →200 times
אִ֖ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מִצָּֽרַעְתּ֑וֹfrom skin disease his
mitzara'toH6883 →35 times
כִּ֤יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
אַךְ־only
ʾakh-H389 →161 times
דְּעֽוּ־consider
deu-H3045 →945 times
נָא֙please
na'H4994 →404 times
וּרְא֔וּand see
ureuH7200 →1300 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מִתְאַנֶּ֥ה[is] seeking an opportunity
mitanehH579 →
ה֖וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
לִֽי׃to me
li
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 32:39See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My…
it leads to
- Job 5:18
For He wounds, but He also binds; He strikes, but His hands also heal.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Samuel 2:6
The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
- Hosea 6:1
Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.
- Isaiah 45:5
I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
- Isaiah 45:22
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
- Job 5:18
Through
1 Samuel 2:6The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:39
See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My…
- Isaiah 26:19
Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her…
- Jonah 2:2–6
saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
- Deuteronomy 32:39
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 2 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.