The Meaning of 2 Kings 5:3 Explained

2 Kings 5:3

KJV: 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.

YLT: and she saith unto her mistress, 'O that my lord were before the prophet who is in Samaria; then he doth recover him from his leprosy.'

Darby: And she said to her mistress, Oh, would that my lord were before the prophet that is in Samaria! then he would cure him of his leprosy.

ASV: And she said unto her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 2 Kings 5:3 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 5:3 mean?

And she said to her mistress if only my master [were] with the prophet who [is] in Samaria then he would heal him of his leprosy
וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־ גְּבִרְתָּ֔הּ אַחֲלֵ֣י אֲדֹנִ֔י לִפְנֵ֥י הַנָּבִ֖יא אֲשֶׁ֣ר ! בְּשֹׁמְר֑וֹן אָ֛ז יֶאֱסֹ֥ף אֹת֖וֹ מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ

וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  she  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
גְּבִרְתָּ֔הּ  her  mistress 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: גְּבֶרֶת  
Sense: lady, queen.
אַחֲלֵ֣י  if  only 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אַחֲלַי  
Sense: Oh that …!; oh would that!; ah that!.
אֲדֹנִ֔י  my  master  [were] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָדֹון  
Sense: firm, strong, lord, master.
הַנָּבִ֖יא  the  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  who  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
! בְּשֹׁמְר֑וֹן  in  Samaria 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: שֹׁמְרֹון  
Sense: the region of northern Palestine associated with the northern kingdom of the 0 tribes of Israel which split from the kingdom after the death of Solomon during the reign of his son Rehoboam and were ruled by Jeroboam.
יֶאֱסֹ֥ף  he  would  heal 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָסַף 
Sense: to gather, receive, remove, gather in.
מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ  of  his  leprosy 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: צָרַעַת  
Sense: leprosy.