The Meaning of 2 Kings 5:13 Explained

2 Kings 5:13

KJV: 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?

YLT: And his servants come nigh, and speak unto him, and say, 'My father, a great thing had the prophet spoken unto thee -- dost thou not do it? and surely, when he hath said unto thee, Wash, and be clean.'

Darby: And his servants drew near, and spoke to him and said, My father, if the prophet had bidden thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he says to thee, Wash and be clean?

ASV: 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?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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?

Context Summary

2 Kings 5:1-14 - The Cure For Leprosy
From Assyrian monuments we learn that at this period Syria regained her independence from under the yoke of Assyria, and probably it was during this struggle that Naaman gained his great victories. Note the suggestiveness of the phrase, "The Lord had given," which teaches that the hand of God was guiding heathen as well as Hebrew history. The realm of God's providence is as long as time, and as broad as the earth.
The destruction of this poor child's home and her captivity must, at the time, have seemed to be an unexplainable disaster from which there could be no relief; and yet it enabled her to bring about a great deliverance, which has shone on the page of Scripture, giving inspiration to tens of thousands. She rose above her sorrows, and by faith wrought victory out of defeat. By preferring his own way to God's, Naaman came dangerously near returning home unhealed. We must adopt God's method of salvation, however humbling to our pride. "I thought," will wreck us; "To thee, O Lamb of God, I come," will save us. Note the combination of warrior's strength with the flesh of a little child-strength married to purity and simplicity. [source]

Chapter Summary: 2 Kings 5

1  Naaman, by the report of a captive maid, is sent to Samaria to be cured of leprosy
8  Elisha, sending him to Jordan cures him
15  He refusing Naaman's gifts grants him some of the earth
20  Gehazi, abusing his master's name unto Naaman, is smitten with leprosy

What do the individual words in 2 Kings 5:13 mean?

And came near his servants and spoke to him and said My father something great the prophet [if] had told [to do] you would not you have done [it] then how much more when he says to you Wash and be clean
וַיִּגְּשׁ֣וּ עֲבָדָיו֮ וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ אֵלָיו֒ וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ אָבִי֙ דָּבָ֣ר גָּד֗וֹל הַנָּבִ֛יא דִּבֶּ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ הֲל֣וֹא תַעֲשֶׂ֑ה וְאַ֛ף כִּֽי־ אָמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֖יךָ רְחַ֥ץ ؟ וּטְהָֽר

וַיִּגְּשׁ֣וּ  And  came  near 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָגַשׁ  
Sense: to draw near, approach.
עֲבָדָיו֮  his  servants 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
וַיְדַבְּר֣וּ  and  spoke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אֵלָיו֒  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אָבִי֙  My  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
דָּבָ֣ר  something 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
גָּד֗וֹל  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
הַנָּבִ֛יא  the  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
דִּבֶּ֥ר  [if]  had  told  [to  do] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
הֲל֣וֹא  would  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תַעֲשֶׂ֑ה  you  have  done  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
וְאַ֛ף  then  how  much  more 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אַף  
Sense: also, yea, though, so much the more adv.
אָמַ֥ר  he  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלֶ֖יךָ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
רְחַ֥ץ  Wash 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָחַץ  
Sense: to wash, wash off, wash away, bathe.
؟ וּטְהָֽר  and  be  clean 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: טָהֵר  
Sense: to be clean, be pure.