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2 Kings 5:18

in 2 Kings 5

Yet may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

In this thing Jehovah pardon thy servant: 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 myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant in this thing.

KJV

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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This verse in 2 Kings 5

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant - It is useless to enter into the controversy concerning this verse. By no rule of right reasoning, nor by any legitimate mode of interpretation, can it be stated that Naaman is asking pardon for offenses which he may commit, or that he could ask or the prophet grant indulgence to bow himself in the temple of Rimmon, thus performing a decided act of homage, the very essence of that worship which immediately before he solemnly assured the prophet he would never practice.

This site's exposition

the temple of Rimmon to worship there

on 2 Kings 5:18-19

Naaman asks pardon in advance for bowing “in the temple of Rimmon” when his master leans on his arm, and Elisha answers only, “Go in peace”, leaving the request unanswered. Readers have heard in the reply a prophet bearing with an old soldier's forced service, or a farewell that leaves the matter to his conscience, and the verse gives no verdict either way.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Rimmon - A Syrian idol, called here by the LXX, Remman, and Acts vii, 43, Remphan. My hand - Or, arm, upon which, the king leaned, either for state, or for support.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Perhaps, all things considered, this might admit of some apology, though it was not justifiable. But, as to us, I am sure, (1.) If, in covenanting with God, we make a reservation for any known sin, which we will continue to indulge ourselves in, that reservation is a defeasance of his covenant.
In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

goeth into the house of Rimmon--a Syrian deity; probably the sun, or the planetary system, of which a pomegranate (Hebrew, Rimmon) was the symbol. leaneth on my hand--that is, meaning the service which Naaman rendered as the attendant of his sovereign.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

Rimmon is known to us as a god only by this passage. The name is connected with a root “to be high.” Hadad-rimmon Zec 12:11, the name of a place near Megiddo, points to the identity of Rimmon with Hadad, who is known to have been the Sun, the chief object of worship to the Syrians. When he leaneth on mine hand - The practice of a monarch’s “leaning on the hand” of an attendant was not common in the East (compare the marginal reference). It probably implied age or infirmity. The Lord pardon thy servant in this thing - Naaman was not prepared to offend his master, either by refusing to enter with him into the temple of Rimmon, or by remaining erect when the king bowed down and worshipped the god. His conscience seems to have told him that such conduct was not right; but he trusted that it might be pardoned, and he appealed to the prophet in the hope of obtaining from him an assurance to this effect.

The words behind it

26 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • לַדָּבָ֣רto the matter

    ladavarH1697 →1440 times

  • הַזֶּ֔ה<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

  • יִסְלַ֥חmay he forgive

    yislachH5545 →46 times

  • יְהוָ֖הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • לְעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ<to> servant your

    leavdekhaH5650 →799 times

  • בְּב֣וֹאwhen goes

    bevo'H935 →2568 times

  • אֲדֹנִ֣יmaster my

    ʾadoniH113 →333 times

  • בֵית־[the] house of

    veit-H1004 →2046 times

  • רִמּוֹן֩Rimmon

    rimonH7417 →16 times

  • לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹ֨תto bow down

    lehishtachavotH7812 →172 times

  • שָׁ֜מָּהthere <towards>

    shamahH8033 →834 times

  • וְה֣וּא׀and he

    vehu'H1931 →1879 times

  • נִשְׁעָ֣ן[is] supporting himself

    nishanH8172 →22 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • יָדִ֗יhand my

    yadiH3027 →1618 times

  • וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֵ֙יתִי֙and I will bow down

    vehishtachaveitiH7812 →172 times

  • בֵּ֣ית[the] house of

    beitH1004 →2046 times

  • רִמֹּ֔ןRimmon

    rimonH7417 →16 times

  • בְּהִשְׁתַּחֲוָיָ֙תִי֙when bow down I

    behishtachavayatiH7812 →172 times

  • בֵּ֣ית[the] house of

    beitH1004 →2046 times

  • רִמֹּ֔ןRimmon

    rimonH7417 →16 times

  • יִסְלַח־may he forgive

    yislach-H5545 →46 times

  • יְהוָ֥הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • לְעַבְדְּךָ֖<to> servant your

    leavdekhaH5650 →799 times

  • בַּדָּבָ֥רin the matter

    badavarH1697 →1440 times

  • הַזֶּֽה׃<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

7 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Kings 7:2But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with your own eyes,” replied Elisha, “but you will not eat any of it.”6 works2 Kings 7:17Now the king had appointed the officer on whose arm he leaned to be in charge of the gate, but the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king had come to him.5 worksJeremiah 50:20In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.4 works2 Kings 17:35For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them.4 works1 Kings 19:18Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”3 worksExodus 20:5You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,3 works
The other 1 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Chronicles 30:18–19A large number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone3 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    1 Kings 19:18

    Nevertheless, I have reserved seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

    it leads to

    • Romans 11:4–5

      And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

  • Through

    Jeremiah 50:20

    In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 1:9

      Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Micah 7:19

      He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea.

    • Jeremiah 31:34

      No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I…

    • Isaiah 43:25

      I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.

  • Through

    2 Kings 7:2

    But the officer on whose arm the king leaned answered the man of God, “Look, even if the LORD were to make windows in heaven, could this really happen?” “You will see it with…

    it leads to

    • Genesis 7:11

      In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

    • Malachi 3:10

      Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of…

    • Genesis 18:12–14

      So she laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Where this verse is studied

About 2 Kings

Jews Mourning in Exile, Eduard Bendemann, 1832, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Public domain.
Jews Mourning in Exile, Eduard Bendemann, 1832, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. Public domain.
2 Kings: the study guide →Read 2 Kings 5 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); F. W. Farrar, The Second Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 2 Kings 5 →