2 Kings 5:7

2Ki 5:7 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.

Ver. 7. He rent his clothes.] As apprehending it to be blasphemy, and deeply detesting such an impiety. Meanwhile he never thought of Elisha, who was better known and more regarded abroad than at home.

See how he seeketh a quarrel.] This troubled Jehoram more than the blasphemy, whatever he pretended. This Benhadad who wrote the letter, was he who slew Ahab at Ramothgilead, {1Ki 22:35; 1Ki 22:37} who besieging Samaria, brought it to that extreme famine, {2Ki 6:24-25} and afterwards at Ramothgilead wounded this Jehoram. {2Ki 8:28-29}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 5:7. The king of Israel rent his clothes — Either as one in great affliction and trouble, or because he looked upon it as blasphemy, to ascribe that power to him which belonged to God alone. Am I God, to kill and make alive? — He expresses himself thus, because the leprosy is a kind or degree of death, Num 12:12; and he thought it as impossible to cure it as to raise the dead. Every body can kill; but when a person is killed, to make him alive again is the work only of the Almighty. See how he seeketh a quarrel against me — For not doing what he requires, which he knows to be impossible for me to do. Though he had seen what miracles Elisha had done, yet he either had forgot them, or thought this to be beyond his power. Or, it may be, he was loath to see still further demonstration of his power with God, and therefore did not send to him on this occasion.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5:7 tore his clothes: This action was often a sign of intense agitation (11:4), grief (Gen 37:34; 2 Sam 13:31), or sorrow (2 Kgs 6:30; Job 1:20; 2:12). Due to the perennial distrust and hostilities between the Arameans and the Israelites, Joram assumed that the Aramean king was trying to pick a fight, as had occurred in the days of his father Ahab (1 Kgs 20:1-12).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes--According to an ancient practice among the Eastern people, the main object only was stated in the letter that was carried by the party concerned, while other circumstances were left to be explained at the interview. 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.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 7. 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 and 14. 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.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(7) He rent his clothes.—As if he had heard blasphemy. (Comp. Mat_26:65.)

Am I God, to kill and to make alive?—Deu_32:39, “I kill, and I make alive;” 1Sa_2:6, “The Lord killeth, and maketh alive.” Leprosy was a kind of living death. (Comp. Num_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.”)

Wherefore.—Heb., For only know (i.e., notice), and see. Plural verbs are used, because the king is addressing his grandees, in whose presence the letter would be delivered and read.

He seeketh a quarrel.—This form of the verb (hithpael) occurs here only. (Comp. the noun, Jdg_14:4.) Jehoram was hardly in a position to renew the war, after the severe defeat of his father (1Ki_22:30, seq.).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

7. that he rent his clothes] Sometimes the act was a sign of grief as in 2Ki_2:12 above and Gen_37:29; sometimes as here, of horror and alarm. Cf. also 2Ki_18:36; Ezr_9:3; Jer_36:24.

to kill and to make alive] The disease of leprosy was incurable, and so the request that it should be cured was such as the author of life alone could grant. Cf. for the language Deu_32:39, ‘I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me, I kill and I make alive’. So also in Hannah’s song (1Sa_2:6). This is a power that belongs to God only.

doth send unto me] The knowledge of Elisha’s mighty acts must have been less before the mind of the king than of his subjects, or he would not have failed to see that the request might be granted by God through his prophet. ‘Himself with the two other kings had been eyewitnesses of what Elisha could do, yet now the calves of Dan and Bethel have so often taken up his heart that there is no room for the memory of Elisha. Whom he sued to in his extremity, now his prosperity hath forgotten. Carnal hearts when need drives them can think of God and his prophet: when their turn is served, can as utterly forget them as if they were not’ (Bp Hall).

he seeketh a quarrel against me] The verb, in this form and sense, only occurs here, but the cognate noun in the sense of ‘an occasion of quarrel’ is found Jdg_14:4. Hence the R.V. has put ‘occasion’ on the margin. It is only the one who feels his superiority that ventures on seeking a quarrel, and from the timid words of Jehoram we may conclude that he thought the Syrians more than a match for him; as was only natural, since they had defeated his father at Ramoth-Gilead not long before. He dreaded a renewal of such a conflict.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes,.... As one in great distress, being thrown into perplexity of mind by it, not knowing what to do; or, as some think, at the blasphemy he supposed to be in it, requiring that of him which only God could do:

and said, am I God, to kill and to make alive; or have the power of life and death, which only belongs to the Supreme Being:

that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy; for a leper was reckoned as one dead, his disease incurable, his flesh upon him being mortified by it, see Num 12:12 and therefore not supposed to be in the power of man, only of God, to cure; and therefore, in Israel, none had anything to do with the leper but the priest, in the name of God:

wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me; to pick a quarrel with him, in order to go to war with him as he supposed. This seems to have been spoken to his lords and courtiers about him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

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.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Leprosy. The cure was deemed very difficult; as it generally kept gaining ground, and destroyed the constitution. See Numbers xii. 12., and Isaias liii 4. (Calmet) --- Me. The letter was, in effect, written in a haughty style, (Menochius) and the king might naturally infer that war would be the consequence. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

He rent his clothes; either in detestation of his blasphemy, in giving God’s perfections to him; or rather, for grief arising from a suspicion and fear that the Syrian made this only a pretence for the war which he designed against him.

I God, to kill and to make alive? he expresseth it thus, because leprosy is a kind or degree of death, Num 12:12, and he thought it as impossible to cure it as to raise the dead.

See how he seeketh a quarrel against me, for not doing what he requires, which he knows impossible for me to do.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

7. Am I God — As much as to say: Who but God can cure the leprosy? Who but He who has all power over human life? In his unbelief and carelessness Jehoram had forgotten that there was a man in his kingdom through whom God worked miracles.

Seeketh a quarrel — Jehoram fails to see the hand of God in all this; his worldly spirit discerns only a stratagem to break the peace between the two nations. He imagines Ben-hadad will ask an impossible thing of him, and then, because he cannot work a miracle for him, will war against him. His obtuseness is equal to Ben-hadad’s ignorance.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass, when the King of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes. In horror and alarm. (comp. 2Ch_34:27; Ezr_9:3; Jer_36:24) He concluded that once more (see 1Ki_20:7) the Syrian monarch was determined to find a ground of quarrel, and had therefore sent to him an impossible request. And said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive? To "kill" and to "make alive" were familiar expressions in the mouth of the Israelites to designate omnipotence (see Deu_32:39; 1Sa_2:6) Recovering from leprosy was equivalent to making alive, for a leprous person was "as one dead" (Num_12:12) according to Hebrew notions. That this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy. The king evidently does not bethink himself of Elisha, of whose great miracle of raising the dead to life (2Ki_4:35-36) he may not up to this time have heard. Elisha"s early miracles were mostly wrought with a certain amount of secrecy. Wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me. The king misjudged Benhadad, but not without some grounds of reason, if he was ignorant of Elisha"s miraculous gifts. Benhadad, when seeking a ground of quarrel with Ahab, had made extravagant requests. (see 1Ki_20:3-6)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Healing of Naaman

v. 8. And it was so, when Elisha, the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, being in despair on account of the apparently impossible feat which was expected of him, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? in his opinion an act of foolish fear. Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel, a servant of the true and almighty God.

v. 9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, with his entire retinue, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha, too proud, as it seems, to enter the poor hut, but expecting the prophet to deal with him in a manner befitting his rank.

v. 10. And Elisha, utterly unimpressed by the show of wealth and power, sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, return to the former state of firmness and health, and thou shalt be clean. From this Naaman was to learn that his healing would not be a matter of magic nor dependent upon the person of Elisha, but that it was a free gift of the God of Israel.

v. 11. But Naaman was wroth, which shows in what state of mind he had come to Samaria, as the proud general demanding aid, not as a suppliant pleading for help, 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, moving it back and forth over the infected spot with a gesture of conjuring, and recover the leper. He thought such religious ceremonies, together with some application of magic, were essential, especially in his case.

v. 12. Are not Abana (or Amana) and Pharpar, mountain streams with clear, fresh water, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? He thought the cure consisted in the removal of the filth in the flesh by the outward application of water. So he turned and went away in a rage.

v. 13. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, an address at the same time intimate and respectful, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, something particularly difficult to perform, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather, then, when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean?

v. 14. Then went he down, from the hill on which Samaria was situated, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, the number seven being the signature of the works of God; and his flesh came again, it was restored to its full healthy condition,like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

v. 15. And he returned to the man of God, to Samaria, he and all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, in the conviction which had been forced upon him by his recent experiences, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel, faith in the true God had been wrought in his heart. Now, therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant, in the form of a rich present.

v. 16. But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, as His humble and devoted servant, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused, not wishing to have even the suspicion of selfishness and of seeking personal gain resting upon him.

v. 17. And Naaman said, in a humble tone, which contrasted strangely with his former overbearing behavior, 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. He did not ascribe magical powers to the soil of Israel, but wanted his act of building an altar from this earth to he a confession of his faith in Jehovah.

v. 18. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon, the chief idol of Syria, to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, namely, while assisting the king in his act of worship: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, not in personal worship, but in serving his master, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. He freely confessed this scruple of a tender conscience, in order not to have it appear that he was denying the Lord whom he now had so openly accepted.

v. 19. a. And he, Elisha, said unto him, Go in peace. We see from this entire story, first, that the Lord demands simple and absolute obedience to His Word; secondly, that He had mercy. also upon the poor heathen; and finally, that He expects us to watch very carefully lest we become partakers of other men’s sins.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

he tore his clothes

Often people would rip their clothes if they were in great distress. AT: "he ripped his clothes to show his distress" (See: Symbolic Action)

Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man wants me to cure a man of his leprosy?

The king uses this rhetorical question to emphasize that the request of the king of Aram is outrageous and something he cannot do. This can be written as a statement. AT: "The king of Aram must think I am some sort of God, with the power over death and life! He wants me to cure this man of his leprosy, but I cannot do that." (See: Rhetorical Question)

It seems he is seeking to start an argument with me

The king of Israel did not believe the request to heal Naamam was the real reason for the letter. He thought the real reason was to start a fight. AT: "It seems he is looking for an excuse to start a fight with me" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

God

life

leper

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

“Am I God?” The [first] ‘ה’ is voweled with a ‘פתח’ to indicate that it is a question.

He is looking for an excuse. He is looking for a pretext to attack me. He is looking for an excuse.

[מִתְאַנֶּה is] an expression of “false accusation [=עֲלִילוֹת דְּבָרִים].”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.