Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 5:3
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.
3. Would God ] This interjection is found only here and in Psa 119:5. There it is rendered ‘ O that my ways were directed’.
the prophet that is in Samaria ] Elisha had a house in the city of Samaria, as we see from verse 9, and also from 2Ki 6:32. The fame of the prophet, and the mighty cures which God wrought through him, must have been matter of much note ere they reached this little servant.
he would recover him ] The verb, which commonly means ‘to assemble’ or ‘gather together’, is very expressive in the mouth of the Israelitish maiden, for the leper in Israel must keep himself apart, and never be gathered with the rest of the people. The passive is used (Num 11:14-15) when Miriam was cured of her leprosy, ‘she was received in again ’, i.e. joined in the company of the rest of the people.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 3. Would God my lord] achaley, I wish; or, as the Chaldee, Syrian, and Arabic have, “Happy would it be for my master if he were with the prophet,” &c.
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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In Samaria; either, first, In the kingdom of Samaria. Or, secondly, In the city of Samaria; where he was when she was taken; or where he commonly resided, though he went to other places, as need required.
He would recover him of his leprosy; or, take him away (as this Hebrew verb is used, Gen 30:23; Zep 1:2) from his leprosy, i.e. take away his leprosy from him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And she said unto her mistress,…. As she was waiting upon her at a certain time, and perhaps her mistress was lamenting the case of her husband as desperate and incurable:
would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria; meaning Elisha, who, though sometimes in one place, and sometimes in another, yet often at Samaria, and it seems was there when this girl was taken captive:
for he would recover him of his leprosy; the maid had heard of the miracles wrought by Elisha, and doubted not that at the request of her lord he would be willing, as she believed he was able, to cure him of this disease.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) Would God.O that! Ahal here; in Psa. 119:5, Ahalay. The word seems to follow the analogy of ashr, O the bliss of! (Psa. 1:1). It perhaps means O the delight of! the root ahal being assumed equivalent to the Arabic hal, Syriac hal, dulcis fuit.
For he would recover him.Then he would receive him back. (Comp. Num. 12:14-15.) In Israel lepers were excluded from society. Restoration to society implied restoration to health. Hence the same verb came to be used in the sense of healing as well as of receiving back the leper. Thenius, however, argues that as the phrase from leprosy is wanting in Numbers 12, the real meaning is, to take a person away from leprosy, to which he had been, as it were, delivered up.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Recover him of his leprosy Literally, he would gather him from his leprosy. The expression is an allusion to the Israelitish custom of shutting lepers out of the camp, and gathering them in again after their leprosy was healed. The same expression is used of Miriam’s reception into the camp after her exclusion of seven days. Num 12:14.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
I cannot but request the Reader’s attention with me, to the story of this case of Naaman altogether, because I conceive that it is intended, in a spiritual sense, to set forth both the grace, and the freeness of that grace, as a type of Jesus’s cleansing poor leprous sinners. And I think it the more remarkable, because we only meet with the instance of this Gentile in the Old Testament to this point; and the instance of another Gentile in the New, the woman of Canaan; though her child’s disease was not of the leprosy, yet Jesus can be alone the healer of both. Mat 15:22 etc.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 5:3 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.
Ver. 3. For he would recover him of his leprosy. ] Few in Israel believed thus much. Luk 4:27 This poor girl was confident that the prophet, famous in her country for so many miracles, both could and would cure her master, if duly sought unto; and her words found credit, to the great honour of the true God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Would God, &c. Figure of speech Ejaculatio. App-6.
in Samaria. This is the girl’s expression. Samaria was where she had heard of him.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Would God: Num 11:29, Act 26:29, 1Co 4:8
with: Heb. before
he would: 2Ki 5:8, Mat 8:2, Mat 8:3, Mat 11:5, Luk 17:12-14
recover him of: Heb. gather in
Reciprocal: Lev 14:3 – be healed 2Ki 5:13 – his servants 2Ki 6:12 – Elisha 2Ki 10:1 – in Samaria 2Ch 6:32 – is come Pro 27:18 – so Luk 7:2 – who Luk 23:8 – and he 2Co 11:1 – Would Eph 6:7 – good 1Ti 6:1 – count
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 5:3. Would God my Lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria In the kingdom of Samaria; or, rather, in the city of Samaria; where Elisha was when she was taken, and where he commonly resided, though he went to other places as need required. For he would recover him of his leprosy She had heard of the wonderful things which he had done, and therefore was confident he could work this cure. Children should betimes acquaint themselves with the wondrous works of God, that wherever they go they may speak of them, to the profit of others. Yea, and servants, like this little maid, may be blessings to the families in which Providence casts their lot, by telling what they know of the glory of God, and the honour of his ministers.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5:3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord [were] with the {b} prophet that [is] in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.
(b) Meaning Elisha.