2 Kings 5:2

At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The narrator reports that Aramean raiding parties captured a young Israelite girl and placed her in Naaman’s wife’s household. This event follows the introduction of Naaman’s military prominence and leprosy, positioning the girl as the catalyst for the next narrative turn.

The words — גְדוּדִים (ge.du.Dim) identifies the marauding bands conducting the raid, while נַעֲרָ֣ה קְטַנָּ֑ה (na.'a.Rah ke.ta.Nah) specifies the captive as a young girl taken from the land of Israel.

The thread — The pattern of enemy bands moving into Israelite territory recurs in 1 Samuel 13:17 and 2 Kings 13:20, where raiding parties routinely penetrate the land.

Why it lands — The text establishes that a captive status, rather than military power, will become the channel for Naaman’s healing. The reader must note how the narrative uses a displaced servant to redirect a foreign commander toward the God of Israel.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַאֲרָם֙va./'a.Ramand/ Aram יָצְא֣וּya.tze.'Uthey had gone out גְדוּדִ֔יםge.du.Dimmarauding bands וַיִּשְׁבּ֛וּva/i.yish.Buand/ they had taken captive מֵאֶ֥רֶץme./'E.retzfrom/ [the] land of יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לYis.ra.'ElIsrael נַעֲרָ֣הna.'a.Raha girl קְטַנָּ֑הke.ta.Nahyoung וַתְּהִ֕יva./te.Hiand/ she was לִפְנֵ֖יli/f.Nei<to>/ before אֵ֥שֶׁת'E.shet[the] wife of נַעֲמָֽן׃na.'a.ManNaaman

King James Version

And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.

Cross-references

2 Kings 6:23 So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.
2 Kings 13:20 And Elisha died and was buried. Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring.
1 Samuel 13:17 And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
Psalms 123:2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
Judges 9:34 So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

People named

Naaman