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The Histories · Old Testament

2 Kings 5

2 Kings 5: Naaman's leprosy and Gehazi's greed

General context

Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, is a great and honourable man, the one through whom the Lord gave Syria deliverance, and a leper. A little maid taken captive from Israel tells his wife that the prophet in Samaria could heal him. The king of Syria sends Naaman with a letter, silver, gold and clothing; the king of Israel tears his clothes and says he is not God to kill and make alive. Elisha hears and asks that Naaman be sent to him. Naaman arrives at Elisha's door with horses and chariot, and a messenger tells him to wash seven times in Jordan. Naaman leaves in a rage, having expected the prophet to come out, call on the Lord and strike his hand over the place, and preferring the rivers of Damascus. His servants argue that he would have done a great thing if asked, so he dips seven times and his flesh becomes like a child's. He returns, confesses that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel, and offers a gift, which Elisha refuses on oath. Naaman asks for two mules' load of earth, pledges to sacrifice to the Lord alone, and asks pardon for bowing in the house of Rimmon with his master. Elisha says, "Go in peace." Gehazi runs after Naaman, lies that Elisha wants a talent of silver and two garments for two young prophets, and receives two talents. He hides the goods and tells Elisha he went nowhere. Elisha says his heart went with him, and Naaman's leprosy passes to Gehazi and his descendants; he leaves a leper as white as snow.

Cited passages: 2 Kings 5:1, 2 Kings 5:2, 2 Kings 5:3, 2 Kings 5:5, 2 Kings 5:7, 2 Kings 5:8, 2 Kings 5:9, 2 Kings 5:10, 2 Kings 5:11, 2 Kings 5:12, 2 Kings 5:13, 2 Kings 5:14, 2 Kings 5:15, 2 Kings 5:16, 2 Kings 5:17, 2 Kings 5:18, 2 Kings 5:19, 2 Kings 5:20, 2 Kings 5:22, 2 Kings 5:23, 2 Kings 5:24, 2 Kings 5:25, 2 Kings 5:26, 2 Kings 5:27

2 Kings 5 (KJV)

1Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

2And 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.

3And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.

4And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

5And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

7And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

8And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

9So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

11But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

12Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

13And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?

14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

16But he said, As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.

17And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord.

18In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing.

19And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

20But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

21So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?

22And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

23And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.

24And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.

25But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

26And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?

27The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

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Historical context

The narrator credits Naaman's success to the Lord before anything else is said of him: "by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria". Neither the king of Syria nor the king of Israel is named in this chapter, and the captive maid is unnamed. Naaman's condition is stated only as "a leper", and the healing is described by comparison, flesh "like unto the flesh of a little child"; the text gives no medical detail. The maid places the prophet in Samaria, and Naaman later stands "at the door of the house of Elisha"; the chapter does not say where that house is. Rimmon appears only as the god of a house where Naaman's master worships; nothing more is said of it. Elisha's "Go in peace" neither grants nor refuses Naaman's request, and the narrator adds no ruling. Gehazi's sentence is that the leprosy will cling to him "and unto thy seed for ever"; when Gehazi later talks with the king in 2 Kings 8:4, the narrator does not mention it. Luke 4:27 recalls this story, saying that in the days of "Eliseus the prophet" none of Israel's lepers was cleansed "saving Naaman the Syrian".

Cited passages: 2 Kings 5:1, 2 Kings 5:5, 2 Kings 5:2, 2 Kings 5:14, 2 Kings 5:3, 2 Kings 5:9, 2 Kings 5:18, 2 Kings 5:19, 2 Kings 5:27, 2 Kings 8:4, Luke 4:27

Literary context

The chapter turns on reversals of rank and expectation. A great man learns of his cure from a little captive maid; the king of Israel asks "Am I God", and the healed foreigner answers that there is no God but in Israel. Naaman expects the prophet to come out, stand and strike his hand over the place, and receives a messenger and a plain instruction; his servants' "some great thing" against "Wash, and be clean" names the reversal aloud. His boast about Abana and Pharpar gives way to a request for two loads of Israel's earth. The second half mirrors the first through Gehazi. Elisha refuses the gift with an oath, and Gehazi swears by the same Lord that he will run after Naaman and take something. Naaman, who arrived in a chariot at the prophet's door, gets down from his chariot to meet the servant. Two question-and-lie exchanges follow, "Is all well?" answered "All is well", and "Whence comest thou" answered "went no whither". Leprosy opens the chapter on Naaman and closes it on Gehazi.

Cited passages: 2 Kings 5:1, 2 Kings 5:3, 2 Kings 5:7, 2 Kings 5:15, 2 Kings 5:11, 2 Kings 5:10, 2 Kings 5:13, 2 Kings 5:12, 2 Kings 5:17, 2 Kings 5:16, 2 Kings 5:20, 2 Kings 5:21, 2 Kings 5:22, 2 Kings 5:25, 2 Kings 5:27

Key moments

  1. A captive maid names the prophet (2 Kings 5:3). The little maid from Israel tells Naaman's wife that the prophet in Samaria could heal him.
  2. The king of Israel tears his clothes (2 Kings 5:7). Reading the letter, the king asks whether he is God to kill and make alive.
  3. Wash in Jordan seven times (2 Kings 5:10). Elisha sends a messenger with the instruction instead of coming out himself.
  4. Naaman's rage (2 Kings 5:12). Naaman prefers the rivers of Damascus and turns away angry.
  5. Flesh like a child's (2 Kings 5:14). Naaman dips seven times in Jordan and is clean.
  6. Gehazi's lie to Naaman (2 Kings 5:22). Gehazi claims Elisha wants silver and garments for two young prophets.
  7. Leprosy passes to Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27). Elisha declares Naaman's leprosy will cling to Gehazi, who leaves white as snow.

For reflection

Naaman asks pardon in advance for bowing in the house of Rimmon beside his master, and Elisha answers only "Go in peace." What is a reader to make of an answer that neither grants nor refuses the request?

People in this chapter

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