2 Kings 5

KJV · Chapter 5/25

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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Naaman, a leprous Syrian general, is healed after dipping seven times in the Jordan on Elisha's instruction, despite his initial resistance. Gehazi, Elisha's servant, lies to secretly obtain gifts from Naaman and is struck with the leprosy that Naaman had had.

Explanation

The healing of Naaman is one of the richest accounts about humility and grace: a powerful foreign general must humble himself to the point of following a simple instruction (bathing in an ordinary river) instead of the grand ritual he expected. Jesus cites this episode in Luke 4:27 as an example that God's grace reaches even foreigners when Israelites do not respond with faith. In contrast, Gehazi's disguised greed shows how proximity to sacred things does not protect against personal corruption — he witnessed the miracle up close, but still chose deceit out of greed.

Fun facts

  • The 'load of earth' that Naaman asks to take back to Syria (v.17) reflects an ancient religious belief that a god was tied to its geographic territory, and he wanted Israelite soil so he could properly worship the God of Israel even while physically in Syria.
  • Biblical leprosy ('tsara'at' in Hebrew) likely included several skin conditions, not just the disease known today as Hansen's disease (leprosy), but the social effect of isolation and ritual impurity was the same regardless of the exact medical cause.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 2 Kings 5:1Leprosy in the Hebrew Bible covered a much wider range of skin diseases than modern Hansen's disease. The point of the text is the contrast between Naaman's military prestige and the condition that, even so, isolated him socially.
  2. 2 Kings 5:2A young Israelite girl is captured in a Syrian raid and becomes a servant to the wife of Naaman, the leprous general — she is the one who will point the way to his healing.
  3. 2 Kings 5:3Even as a captive in enemy territory, the girl wishes her master well and suggests that the prophet in Samaria could cure his leprosy.
  4. 2 Kings 5:4Naaman takes to the king of Syria exactly what the Israelite slave girl had said about the prophet in Samaria.
  5. 2 Kings 5:5The king of Syria sends Naaman to Israel with an official letter and a fortune in silver, gold, and clothing — treating the healing as a matter of state between kings.
  6. 2 Kings 5:6The letter asks the king of Israel directly to cure Naaman of his leprosy, as if it were a normal political request between rulers.
  7. 2 Kings 5:7The king of Israel (north) tears his clothes in panic, thinking it's a trap — he knows curing leprosy is beyond his power and fears it's a pretext for war.
  8. 2 Kings 5:8Hearing of the king's panic, Elisha sends for Naaman just to prove one simple thing: that there is a true prophet in Israel.
  9. 2 Kings 5:9Naaman arrives with horses and chariot, stopping with great pomp at the door of Elisha's simple house.
  10. 2 Kings 5:10Naaman expects a dramatic ritual, with the prophet calling on the name of God over him; instead he gets a simple instruction that sounds almost insulting, and he nearly gives up out of pride. Only his own servants convince him to try something so ordinary.
  11. 2 Kings 5:11Naaman is offended because he expected a dramatic ritual, with the prophet calling on the name of God and waving his hand over the spot of leprosy.
  12. 2 Kings 5:12Still irritated, Naaman argues that the rivers of Damascus are better than those of Israel, and he storms off without even trying.
  13. 2 Kings 5:13Naaman's own servants convince him: if the prophet had asked for something difficult he would have done it, so why not try something as simple as washing himself?
  14. 2 Kings 5:14Naaman finally dips himself seven times in the Jordan as Elisha instructed, and his skin becomes like that of a child again, completely healed.
  15. 2 Kings 5:15Taking Israelite soil home reflected the ancient idea that a god was tied to its own territory; Naaman wants to build altars to the Lord on soil from Israel even while living in Syria. He already apologizes in advance for having to accompany his king into a pagan temple as part of his duties, a very concrete crisis of conscience.
  16. 2 Kings 5:16Elisha refuses any payment from Naaman, swearing he will not accept anything, even with his insistence.
  17. 2 Kings 5:17Naaman asks to take Israelite soil home, because from now on he will only offer sacrifices to the Lord, and no longer to other gods.
  18. 2 Kings 5:18Naaman already apologizes in advance for having to bow in the temple of the god Rimmon when accompanying his king on official duty — a very concrete crisis of conscience for someone who has just converted.
  19. 2 Kings 5:19Elisha tells Naaman to go in peace, and he sets off, getting only a little way off before the next scene with Gehazi.
  20. 2 Kings 5:20Elisha had refused any payment from Naaman to make it clear the healing came from God, not a service sold for money. Gehazi runs after the Syrian behind his master's back, and the leprosy that leaves Naaman clings to him instead, as punishment for greed and lying.
  21. 2 Kings 5:21Naaman, seeing Gehazi running after him, gets down from his chariot to meet him, asking if all is well.
  22. 2 Kings 5:22Gehazi makes up an excuse: he says two young sons of the prophets have just arrived and need silver and clothing.
  23. 2 Kings 5:23Naaman insists on giving even more than Gehazi asked for, wrapping it all up and sending two servants to carry the gifts.
  24. 2 Kings 5:24Arriving near home, Gehazi takes the gifts, hides everything, and sends Naaman's servants away, as if nothing had happened.
  25. 2 Kings 5:25Back home, Elisha asks where Gehazi has been, and he lies straight to the prophet's face, saying he hadn't gone anywhere.
  26. 2 Kings 5:26Elisha reveals that he knew in spirit everything that happened, rebuking Gehazi for accepting silver and goods at a moment that called for no such thing.
  27. 2 Kings 5:27As punishment for the lie and the greed, Naaman's leprosy passes to Gehazi and his descendants forever, and he goes out white as snow.

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