2 Kings 5:6 kjv
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.
2 Kings 5:6 nkjv
Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.
2 Kings 5:6 niv
The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."
2 Kings 5:6 esv
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy."
2 Kings 5:6 nlt
The letter to the king of Israel said: "With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy."
2 Kings 5 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Kgs 5:1 | Now Naaman... was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. | Introduces Naaman's high status and affliction. |
| 2 Kgs 5:3 | "Would that my master were with the prophet... he would cure him..." | Reveals the source of hope for Naaman's healing. |
| 2 Kgs 5:7 | "Am I God... that this man sends to me to cure a man of his leprosy?" | King of Israel's despair and understanding of God's sole power. |
| Ex 15:26 | "I am the Lord who heals you." | God declares His divine role as healer. |
| Psa 146:3 | Put not your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. | Highlights futility of relying on human power. |
| Isa 2:22 | "Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils." | Reinforces reliance on God over humans. |
| Jer 17:5 | "Cursed is the man who trusts in man..." | Warnings against trusting human ability. |
| Job 33:24-26 | "...then God is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit...' Then his flesh is fresher..." | God as the ultimate source of healing and restoration. |
| Dan 2:27-28 | Daniel answered... "No wise men, enchanters... can show to the king the mystery... but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries." | Divine knowledge and power surpass human wisdom and ability. |
| Matt 8:2-4 | A leper came to him... "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." | Jesus' power to heal leprosy. |
| Lk 4:27 | "...and many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha... none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." | Jesus references Naaman, emphasizing divine choice in healing. |
| Acts 8:18-20 | When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money... Peter said, "May your silver perish with you..." | Healing/divine power is not something purchased or commanded by humans. |
| Jas 4:6 | "...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | Applies to Naaman's initial pride and later humility. |
| Phil 2:3 | Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. | Call for humility, a theme evident in Naaman's journey. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will. | God's sovereignty even over kings' decisions. |
| 1 Kgs 20:34 | "...Ben-hadad said to him, 'The cities... I will restore, and you may set up bazaars for yourself in Damascus...'" | Illustrates diplomatic negotiations between kings. |
| 2 Kgs 1:15-16 | Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah... he went down with him... "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub..." | Contrast between seeking God's prophet vs. foreign deities/human rulers for life-or-death matters. |
| Deut 7:15 | And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you knew, will he inflict on you. | God promises healing to His obedient people. |
| Ps 30:2 | O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. | David's testimony of God as healer. |
| Isa 53:4-5 | Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows... With his wounds we are healed. | Prophecy pointing to ultimate healing through Christ. |
| Mk 9:35 | And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." | Relates to the crucial role of the humble servant girl. |
2 Kings 5 verses
2 Kings 5 6 Meaning
The verse presents the content of the letter carried by Naaman from the King of Aram to the King of Israel. It states a direct command and expectation for the King of Israel to heal Naaman, a highly esteemed servant of the Aramean king, from his severe skin disease, tsara'at (often translated as leprosy). This reflects the Aramean king's assumption that the king of another powerful nation would possess, or at least be able to command, such miraculous healing abilities for his eminent official.
2 Kings 5 6 Context
This verse is pivotal within the narrative of Naaman's healing. Prior to this, Naaman, a high-ranking Syrian general, suffers from tsara'at. A young Israelite girl, captured during a raid, expresses her conviction that if Naaman were with the prophet Elisha in Samaria, he would be healed. Hearing this, Naaman’s master, the King of Aram (likely Ben-Hadad II), assumes that Elisha, as a powerful figure in Israel, must be subject to the King of Israel. Therefore, the Aramean king drafts this letter, formalizing a request directly to the King of Israel, expecting royal intervention for Naaman’s cure, an assumption that would greatly trouble the recipient king.
2 Kings 5 6 Word analysis
- וַיָּבֵא֙ (way·yā·ḇê) - And he brought/He carried: This simple verb indicates an action of conveying. In the context of Naaman, it signifies his direct involvement in delivering this crucial diplomatic message from his king, underscoring the urgency and importance of his plight.
- סֵ֔פֶר (sê·p̄er) - a letter/a document: Denotes an official written communication, lending authority and formality to the request. In the ancient Near East, such letters between monarchs carried significant weight, serving as binding agreements or declarations of intent.
- אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (’el-me·leḵ yiś·rā·’êl) - to the king of Israel: Explicitly identifies the recipient, highlighting the Aramean king's hierarchical assumption. He perceived Israel's king as the ultimate authority, rather than an independent prophet like Elisha, who actually wielded the power from God. This shows a misunderstanding of Yahweh's covenant with Israel and the nature of prophetic ministry.
- לֵאמֹ֑ר (lē·’mōr) - saying/to say: A common Hebrew introductory particle, indicating that the following words are the direct quotation or content of the letter.
- וְעַתָּ֗ה (wə·‘at·tāh) - Now/Therefore: Functions as a transitional conjunction, signaling a logical consequence or a strong introduction to the primary demand of the letter. It imparts a sense of urgency and directness.
- בְּבֹא֩ הַסֵּ֨פֶר הַזֶּ֤ה אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (bə·ḇō haṣ·ṣe·per haz·zeh ’ê·leḵā) - when this letter comes to you: A temporal clause setting the condition. It means "upon the arrival of this document at your hands." It acts as a clear and unambiguous instruction, leaving no room for misunderstanding about the intended action.
- הִנֵּ֗ה (hin·nêh) - Behold/Indeed: An emphatic particle often used to draw attention to what follows, emphasizing the weight and certainty of the subsequent declaration. It signals an important or immediate disclosure.
- שָׁלַ֤חְתִּי אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (šā·laḥ·tî ’ê·leḵā) - I have sent to you: The first-person singular verb indicates the Aramean king's direct action and personal responsibility for initiating this request, reinforcing his authority and concern for Naaman.
- אֶת־נַעֲמָ֣ן עַבְדִּ֔י (’eṯ-na‘·mān ‘ab·dî) - Naaman my servant: Identifies Naaman not just by name, but also by his important status and close relationship with the king. This phrasing suggests Naaman is a precious asset whose well-being is of royal concern, implying the expectation of cooperation.
- וַאֲסַפְתּ֥וֹ (wa·’ă·sap̄·tōw) - and you shall cure/gather him/remove it from him: Derived from the Hebrew root אסף (’asap̄), meaning "to gather, collect, take away, remove." In this context, in a causative form, it conveys the explicit demand for the King of Israel to "take away" or "remove" the leprosy from Naaman. This highly presumptuous demand highlights the Aramean king’s lack of understanding about Yahweh's unique power and implies he believes healing power is a transferable asset among earthly rulers. The King of Israel's panicked reaction (v.7) further clarifies that such power rests solely with God. This stands in stark contrast to divine healing through faith.
- מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ׃ (miṣ·ṣā·ra‘·tōw) - from his leprosy: Explicitly states the affliction from which healing is sought. Tsara'at (צרעת) was a feared condition in ancient Israel, causing ritual impurity and social ostracism (Lev 13-14), though it encompassed a broader range of skin diseases than modern Hansen's disease. Its removal was often viewed as a divine act, beyond human medical intervention.
2 Kings 5 6 Bonus section
The Naaman narrative, beginning with this specific royal decree, served as a potent testimony to the supremacy of Yahweh over all other gods, particularly those of Aram. The expectation of healing through a political alliance, rather than spiritual humility, highlights the distinct nature of the Israelite faith. Furthermore, the fact that Naaman, a Gentile, would be healed when many lepers in Israel were not (as later referenced by Jesus in Lk 4:27), underscores God's universal reach and sovereign choice, operating beyond national boundaries or specific religious affiliations, and challenging Israel's exclusive understanding of God's favor. The narrative thus presents a clear example of God's grace extended to a powerful foreigner.
2 Kings 5 6 Commentary
This short verse is profound in its demonstration of misplaced authority and limited human understanding concerning divine power. The King of Aram, operating within a pagan worldview where kings might command or intercede with gods for various blessings, expected his counterpart in Israel to perform a miraculous cure, believing that such power resided with worldly rulers. This fundamentally misunderstands the God of Israel, Yahweh, who works through His prophets according to His will, not at the behest of human potentates. The request implicitly sets up a polemic, contrasting the limited ability of human kings with the absolute sovereignty of God as the true Healer. It reveals Naaman's importance to his master and sets the stage for the dramatic unfolding of divine intervention and a pagan general's conversion through a humble prophet's instruction.