2 Kings 5:3
in 2 Kings 5She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she said unto her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 2 Kings 5
Commentary
7 notes on this verseWould 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,” etc. 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.
This site's exposition
the commander of the army of the king of Aram
on 2 Kings 5:1-3
Naaman is given every mark of greatness, commander of Aram's army and honoured by his master, and the text credits his victories to the LORD, who “had given victory to Aram”. The report turns on one clause, “but he was a leper”. The cure begins with a captive girl in his wife's service, and Jesus names Naaman at Luke 4:27 as the one leper cleansed in Elisha's day.
This site's exposition
If only my master
The girl's If only renders a Hebrew wish, which Adam Clarke gives as achaley, and the Chaldee, Syriac and Arabic versions expand it into happy would it be for my master. Clarke saw providence at work in her captivity. Through her, one of the leading households of Aram came to know the true God.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
27 ), yet this little maid, from the other miracles he had wrought, inferred that he could cure her master, and from his common beneficence inferred that he would do it, though he was a Syrian. Servants may be blessings to the families where they are, by telling what they know of the glory of God and the honour of his prophets.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
And she said unto her mistress,....
Note, When diseased sinners come to this, that they are content to do any thing, to submit to any thing, to part with any thing, for a cure, then, and not till then, there begin to be some hopes of them. Then they will take Christ on his own terms when they are made willing to have Christ upon any terms.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
By this young Hebrew slave of his wife, Naaman's attention was directed to the prophet of Israel, as the person who would remove his leprosy. Naaman, on communicating the matter to his royal master, was immediately furnished with a letter to the king of Israel, and set out for Samaria, carrying with him, as an indispensable preliminary in the East, very costly presents.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| גְּבִרְתָּ֔הּ | gevirtah | mistress her | H1404 → | |
| אַחֲלֵ֣י | ʾachalei | would that! | H305 → | |
| אֲדֹנִ֔י | ʾadoni | master my | H113 → | 333 times |
| לִפְנֵ֥י | lifnei | [was] <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| הַנָּבִ֖יא | hanavi' | the prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּשֹׁמְר֑וֹן | beshomeron | [is] in Samaria | H8111 → | 109 times |
| אָ֛ז | ʾaz | then | H227 → | 141 times |
| יֶאֱסֹ֥ף | yeesof | he will deliver | H622 → | 200 times |
| אֹת֖וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ׃ | mitzara'to | from skin disease his | H6883 → | 35 times |
וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙and she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
גְּבִרְתָּ֔הּmistress her
gevirtahH1404 →
אַחֲלֵ֣יwould that!
ʾachaleiH305 →
אֲדֹנִ֔יmaster my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
לִפְנֵ֥י[was] <to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
הַנָּבִ֖יאthe prophet
hanavi'H5030 →314 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּשֹׁמְר֑וֹן[is] in Samaria
beshomeronH8111 →109 times
אָ֛זthen
ʾazH227 →141 times
יֶאֱסֹ֥ףhe will deliver
yeesofH622 →200 times
אֹת֖וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ׃from skin disease his
mitzara'toH6883 →35 times
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
Numbers 11:29But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!”
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 14:5
I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the…
- Luke 10:2
And He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest.
- Matthew 9:37–38
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
- James 4:5
Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
- James 5:9
Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
- 1 Corinthians 14:5
Through
1 Corinthians 4:8Already you have all you want. Already you have become rich. Without us, you have become kings. How I wish you really were kings, so that we might be kings with you!
it leads to
- Proverbs 13:7
One pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
- 1 Corinthians 1:5
For in Him you have been enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge,
- Luke 6:25
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
- Proverbs 13:7
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies3
On this verse
On this chapter
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.