A Young Captive
Samuel Gregory. 2 Kings 5:2-4 And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid… In the story of this Syrian girl there are some things which may suggest thoughts of sympathy with girls nearer home. I. The first suggestion is that of A CHILD'S HELPLESSNESS. We often say, "as helpless as a child." The child of our story was a girl — an orphan girl, so far at least as she was bereft of the parental care — and she was a slave-girl. Thus the child of the Syrian household stands before us in a situation so pathetic, and seems to plead for her little sisters of our own time. II. The second suggestion of the text is of another kind, namely, A CHILD'S HELPFULNESS. Helpless as she was, the little maid of the story helped her master to the recovery of health, and the knowledge of God. Now the basis of her helpfulness was her religious training. She could help man, because she knew God. When they carried her away captive she could sing them the Lord's song in a strange land. This child knew the Psalms better than some of us know them, and some of Naaman's servants got the girl now and then to chant them. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." It was as if they had brought an angel in their train when they carried that godly child to Syria. (Samuel Gregory.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. WEB: The Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Naaman's wife.