And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
What does 2 Kings 5:13 mean?
Elisha knew Naaman to be a proud man, and he would let him know, that before the great God all men stand upon the same level.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside 2 Kings 5:12-14 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on 2 Kings 5:13
And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it ? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
Context in 2 Kings 5
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2 Kings 5 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as Elijah’s departure and Elisha’s ministry. Second Kings follows the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, recounts the decline of both kingdoms, and ends with Jerusalem’s fall and a faint glimmer of Davidic continuity. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prophetic witness, judgment, and exile in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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