2 Kings 3:14

3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all ¹  lives (whom I serve), ²  if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, ³  I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. ⁴ 

2 Kings 4:13

4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, ⁵  “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. ⁶  What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” ⁷ 

2 Kings 5:1

Elisha Heals a Syrian General

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 

2 Kings 17:16

17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God; they made two metal calves and an Asherah pole, bowed down to all the stars in the sky, ¹⁰  and worshiped ¹¹  Baal.

2 Kings 21:3

21:3 He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he set up altars for Baal and made an Asherah pole just like King Ahab of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the stars in the sky ¹²  and worshiped ¹³  them.

2 Kings 23:5

23:5 He eliminated ¹⁴  the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to offer sacrifices ¹⁵  on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the area right around Jerusalem. (They offered sacrifices ¹⁶  to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the constellations, and all the stars in the sky.)

[3:14]  ¹ tn Traditionally “the Lord of hosts.”

[3:14]  ² tn Heb “before whom I stand.”

[3:14]  ³ tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”

[4:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “he said to him.”

[4:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “you have turned trembling to us with all this trembling.” The exaggerated language is probably idiomatic. The point seems to be that she has taken great pains or gone out of her way to be kind to them. Her concern was a sign of her respect for the prophetic office.

[4:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “Among my people I am living.” This answer suggests that she has security within the context of her family.

[5:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”

[5:1]  ¹⁰ 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.

[17:16]  ¹³ tn The phrase כָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם (khol tsÿva’ hashamayim), traditionally translated “all the host of heaven,” refers to the heavenly lights, including stars and planets. In 1 Kgs 22:19 these heavenly bodies are pictured as members of the Lord’s royal court or assembly, but many other texts view them as the illegitimate objects of pagan and Israelite worship.

[17:16]  ¹⁴ tn Or “served.”

[21:3]  ¹⁷ sn See the note at 2 Kgs 17:16.

[21:3]  ¹⁸ tn Or “served.”

[23:5]  ²¹ tn Perhaps, “destroyed.”

[23:5]  ²² tn Or “burn incense.”

[23:5]  ²³ tn Or “burned incense.”