And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB Someone went in, and told his lord, saying, “The maiden who is from the land of Israel said this.”
- BSB And Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
- NKJV And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”
- NASB And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.”
- NLT So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Word of the girl's testimony reaches the king of Syria. The humble witness now moves the highest powers toward Israel's God.
Overview
The report of the Israelite girl's words travels up to the king himself. What began as a quiet testimony now sets a nation's leader in motion. God uses ordinary speech to accomplish His purposes. The verse shows how a faithful word can ripple outward far beyond its speaker.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Cor 1:26–27For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
- Mark 5:19Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
- John 4:28–29The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
- Mark 16:9–10Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
- John 1:42–46And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
- 2 Kgs 7:9–11Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 5:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.