2 Kings 5:14 (DRB)

Passage

Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child: and he was made clean.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 5:12 Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation,

2 Kings 5:13 His servants came to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt be clean?

2 Kings 5:14 Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child: and he was made clean.

2 Kings 5:15 And returning to the man of God, with all his train, he came, and stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God, in all the earth, but only in Israel: I beseech thee, therefore, take a blessing of thy servant.

2 Kings 5:16 But he answered: As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And when he pressed him, he still refused.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "went", "down", "washed", "jordan", "seven", "times", "word", and "flesh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "went" and "down", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "His servants came to him and said..." into verse 15's "And returning to the man of God...", so "went" and "down" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "went" and "down" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.