4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent 5 woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. 6 So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 7
5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, 8 for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. 9
1 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
2 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
3 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
4 sn Apparently Baal Zebub refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal corruption of Baal Zebul, “Baal, the Prince,” a title known from the Ugaritic texts. For further discussion and bibliography, see HALOT 261 s.v. זְבוּב בַּעַל and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 25.
5 tn Heb “great,” perhaps “wealthy.”
6 tn Or “she urged him to eat some food.”
7 tn Or “he would turn aside there to eat some food.”
8 tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”
9 tn For a discussion of מְצֹרָע (mÿtsora’), traditionally translated “leprous,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 63. Naaman probably had a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy/Hansen’s disease.
10 tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”
11 tn Heb “went out from.”
12 tn Heb “It is the word of the
13 tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the
14 tn Heb “all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassehites, from Aroer which is near the Arnon Valley, and Gilead, and Bashan.”
15 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
16 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
17 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
18 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 16:3.
19 tn Heb “they sold themselves to doing what was evil in the eyes of the
20 tn Heb “until.”
21 tn Heb “the
22 tn Heb “just as he said.”
23 tn In the Hebrew text this verse begins with “they said to him.”
24 tn Or “rebuke,” “correction.”
25 tn Or “contempt.”
26 tn Heb “when sons come to the cervical opening and there is no strength to give birth.”
27 tn Heb “he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the