2 Kings 5:8 (DRB)

Passage

And when Eliseus, the man of God, had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 5:6 And brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: When thou shalt receive this letter, know that I have sent to thee Naaman, my servant, that thou mayst heal him of his leprosy.

2 Kings 5:7 And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his garments, and said: Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man hath sent to me to heal a man of his leprosy? mark, and see how he seeketh occasions against me.

2 Kings 5:8 And when Eliseus, the man of God, had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.

2 Kings 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus:

2 Kings 5:10 And Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying: Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thou shalt be clean.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "eliseus", "heard", "king", "israel", "rent", "garments", "sent", and "saying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "eliseus" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And when the king of Israel had..." into verse 9's "So Naaman came with his horses and...", so "eliseus" and "heard" 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 "eliseus" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.