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2 Kings 5:17
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- CondensedParallel Translations
Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.
Na`aman said, If not, yet, please let there be given to your servant two mules' burden of eretz; for your servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.
And Naaman said, 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 .
Then Naaman said, "If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord .
Then Naaman said, "If you won't take the gift, then please give me some soil—as much as two of my mules can carry. From now on I'll not offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods but the Lord .
Naaman said, "If not, then please, let your servant be given a load of earth for a team of mules; for [from this day on] your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but only to the LORD, [the God of Israel].
Then Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant be given two mules' load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.
Moreouer Naaman sayde, Shall there not be giuen to thy seruant two mules loade of this earth? for thy seruant will henceforth offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offring vnto any other god, saue vnto the Lord.
So Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules' load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh.
Finally Naaman said, "If you won't accept a gift, then please let me take home as much soil as two mules can pull in a wagon. Sir, from now on I will offer sacrifices only to the Lord .
So Na‘aman said, "If you won't take it, then please let your servant be given as much earth as two mules can carry; because from now on, your servant will offer neither burnt offerings nor sacrifices to other gods, but only to Adonai .
And Naaman said, If not, then let there, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of [this] earth; for thy servant will no more offer burnt-offering and sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah.
Then Naaman said, "If you will not accept this gift, at least do this for me. Let me have enough dirt from Israel to fill the baskets on two of my mules. I ask this because I will never again offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods. I will offer sacrifices only to the Lord !
And Naaman said, Shall there not then be given to your servant two mules burden of earth? For your servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offerings nor sacrifices to any other god but to the LORD.
So Naaman said, "If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me, because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the Lord .
Then Naaman said, "If not, then please let a load of soil on a pair of mules be given to your servants, for your servant will never again bring a burnt offering and sacrifice to other gods, but only to Yahweh.
And Naaman said, If not, please let a couple of mules' burden of earth be given to your servant. For your servant shall not make any more burnt offering and sacrifice to other gods, only to Jehovah.
Then sayde Naaman: Mighte there not a burthe of this earth be geue vnto yi seruaunt, as moch as two Mules maye beare? For thy seruaunt wyll nomore do sacrifice and offer burntofferynges vnto other goddes, but vnto the LORDE,
And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray thee, let there 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 Jehovah.
Then Naaman said, If you will not, then let there be given to your servant as much earth as two beasts are able to take on their backs; because from now on, your servant will make no offering or burned offering to other gods, but only to the Lord.
And Naaman saide: Shall there not be geue to thy seruaunt as much of this earth as two mules may beare? For thy seruaunt wyll hencefoorth offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offering vnto any other God, saue vnto the Lorde.
And Naaman said: 'If not, yet I pray thee let there 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.
And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be giuen to thy seruant two mules burden of earth? for thy seruant wil henceforth offer neither burnt offering, nor sacrifice vnto other gods, but vnto the Lord.
And Naiman said, Well then, if not, let there be given to thy servant, I pray thee, the load of a yoke of mules; and thou shalt give me of the red earth: for henceforth thy servant will not offer whole-burnt-offering or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord by reason of this thing.
And Naaman said, If not, yet I pray thee let there 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.
"If you will not," said Naaman, "please let me, your servant, be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry. For your servant will never again make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD.
Therfor Naaman seide, As thou wolt; but, I biseche, graunte thou to me, thi seruaunt, that Y take of `the lond the birthun of twei burdones; for thi seruaunt schal no more make brent sacrifice, ether slayn sacrifice, to alien goddis, no but to the Lord.
And Naaman saith, `If not -- let be given, I pray thee, to thy servant, a couple of mules' burden of earth, for thy servant doth make no more burnt-offering and sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah.
And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray you, let there be given to your slave two mules' burden of earth; for your slave will from now on offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh.
And Naaman said, 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 to other gods, but to the LORD.
Naaman said, If not, yet, please let there be given to your servant two mules' burden of earth; for your servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh.
So Naaman said, "Then, if not, please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth; for your servant will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.
Then Naaman said, "All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord .
Naaman said, "If not, I ask you, let your servant be given as much dirt as two horses can carry. For your servant will not give burnt gifts or kill animals on the altar in worship to other gods any more. I will only give gifts to the Lord.
Then Naaman said, "If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord .
Then said Naaman, Shall there not, then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant, two mules' burden of earth? For thy servant will henceforth offer neither ascending-offering nor sacrifice to other gods, save only to Yahweh.
And Naaman said: As thou wilt: but I beseech thee, grant to me, thy servant, to take from hence two mules’ burden of earth: for thy servant will not henceforth offer holocaust, or victim, to other gods, but to the Lord.
Then Na'aman said, "If not, I pray you, let there be given to your servant two mules' burden of earth; for henceforth your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD.
"If you won't take anything," said Naaman, "let me ask you for something: Give me a load of dirt, as much as a team of donkeys can carry, because I'm never again going to worship any god other than God . But there's one thing for which I need God 's pardon: When my master, leaning on my arm, enters the shrine of Rimmon and worships there, and I'm with him there, worshiping Rimmon, may you see to it that God forgive me for this."
Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules' load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
of earth: 2 Kings 5:12, Romans 14:1
will henceforth: Acts 26:18, 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 1 Peter 4:3
Reciprocal: Genesis 28:21 - then 1 Kings 8:41 - cometh out Jonah 1:16 - offered Romans 6:6 - that henceforth 2 Corinthians 5:15 - henceforth
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And Naaman said, shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth..... Not that he desired of Elisha that he would suffer his servant Gehazi to receive a present as much as two mules could carry; but inasmuch as the prophet refused a present from him, his servant, he asks a favour of him, that he would permit him to take with him, out of the land of Israel, as much earth two mules could carry, that is, to make an altar of earth, as the next words indicate: but as he might have this any where without the prophet's leave, some Jewish writers o think he requested it from his own house, and from the place his feet trod on, as conceiving in a superstitious way that there was a sort of holiness in it; or however, that wheresoever he had it, if with the prophet's leave, a blessing would go with it, or that would be a sort of a consecration of it; and having an altar made of the earth of this land, would show that he was in the faith of the same God, and performed the same worship to him Israel did:
for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord: hence the Jews say, he became a proselyte of righteousness p, embraced the true religion, and the worship of the true God, according to the laws given to Israel; and the following words, rightly understood, confirm the same.
o Ben Gersom & Abarbinel in loc. p Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 11. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Two mulesâ burden of earth - This earth, Naaman thought, spread over a portion of Syrian ground, would hallow and render it suitable for the worship of Yahweh.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 2 Kings 5:17. Shall there not then, I pray thee — This verse is understood two different ways. I will give them both in a paraphrase: -
1. Shall there not then be given unto thy servant [viz., Naaman] two mules' burden of this Israelitish earth, that I may build an altar with it, on which I may offer sacrifices to the God of Israel? For thy servant, c.
2. Shall there not be given to thy [Elisha's] servant [Gehazi] two mules' burden of this earth? i.e., the gold and silver which he brought with him and which he esteemed as earth, or dust, in comparison of the cure he received. For thy servant [Naaman] will henceforth, c.
Each of these interpretations has its difficulties. Why Naaman should ask for two mules' burden of earth, which he might have taken up any where on the confines of the land, without any such liberty, is not easy to see. As to the prophet's permission, though the boon was ever so small, it was not his to give only the king of Israel could give such a permission: and what sort of an altar could he build with two mules' burden of earth, carried from Samaria to Damascus? If this be really the meaning of the place, the request was exceedingly foolish, and never could have come from a person enjoying the right use of his reason. The second opinion, not without its difficulties, seems less embarrassed than the former. It was natural for Naaman to wish to give something to the prophet's servant, as the master had refused his present. Again, impressed with the vast importance of the cure he had received, to take away all feeling of obligation, he might call two or ten talents of silver by the name of earth, as well as Habakkuk, Habakkuk 2:6, calls silver and gold thick clay; and by terms of this kind it has been frequently denominated, both by prophets and heathen writers: "Tyrus heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets;" Zechariah 9:3. And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as stones; 2 Chronicles 1:15. Which is agreeable to the sentiments of the heathen: ΧÏÏ ÏÎ¿Ï ÏÎ¹Ï ÎºÎ¿Î½Î¹Ï ÎµÏÏι, και αÏÎ³Ï ÏοÏ, Gold and silver are only a certain kind of earth. - ARIST. Eth. Nicomach.
Should it be said, The gold and silver could not be two mules' burden; I answer, Let the quantity that Naaman brought with him be only considered, and it will be found to be as much, when put into two bags, as could be well lifted upon the backs of two mules, or as those beasts could conveniently carry. The silver itself would weigh 233lbs. 9oz. 15 1/2dwts., and the gold 1,140lbs. 7oz. 10dwts.; in the whole 1,3741bs. 5oz. 5 1/2dwts. Troy weight. Should it be objected that, taken in this sense, there is no visible connection between the former and latter clauses of the verse, I answer that there is as much connection between the words taken in this sense as in the other, for something must be brought in to supply both; besides, this makes a more complete sense than the other: "Shall there not, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of this silver and gold, [to apply it as he may think proper; I regard it not,] for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, [for the cure he has now received; or by way of worship at any time;] but unto Jehovah." The reader may choose which of these interpretations he pleases.
