2 Kings 5 is the fifth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Old Testament of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by a Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records an astonishing healing of

Naaman Naaman ( he, נַעֲמָן ''Naʿămān'', "pleasantness") the Aramean was a commander of the armies of Ben-Hadad II, the king of Aram-Damascus, in the time of Joram, king of Israel. According to the Bible, Naaman was a commander of the army ...

, an Aramean general, by the prophet Elisha.

Text

This chapter was originally written in the

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. It is divided into 27 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

are of the

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and

Codex Leningradensis The Leningrad Codex ( la, Codex Leningradensis [Leningrad Book]; he, כתב יד לנינגרד) is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew, using the Masoretic Text and Tiberian vocalization. According to its colopho ...

(1008). A fragment containing a part of this chapter in Hebrew was found among the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...

, that is, 6Q4 (6QpapKgs; 150–75 BCE) with the extant verse 26.Dead sea scrolls - 2 Chronicles
/ref> There is also a translation into

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

known as the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(B;

\mathfrak

^B; 4th century) and

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(A;

\mathfrak

^A; 5th century).

New Testament references

*: ; 2 Kings 5
Berean Study Bible

The healing of Naaman (5:1–19)

This story of Elisha healing neighboring Aram's highest-ranking military officer, Naaman, of an uncurable illness happened in a period of significant Aramean control over Israel (verse 2; Aram could give Israel orders, verses 6–7), perhaps during the time of Ben-Hadad II and

Jehoram Jehoram (meaning " Jehovah is exalted" in Biblical Hebrew) was the name of several individuals in the Tanakh. The female version of this name is Athaliah. *The son of Toi, King of Hamath who was sent by his father to congratulate David on the oc ...

, Ellicott, C. J. (Ed.) (1905)
''Ellicott's Bible Commentary for English Readers''. 2 Kings 5.
London : Cassell and Company, Limited, 905-1906Online version: (OCoLC) 929526708. Accessed 28 April 2019. or during the time of

Hazael Hazael (; he, חֲזָאֵל, translit=Ḥazaʾēl, or , romanized as: ; oar, 𐡇𐡆𐡀𐡋, translit= , from the triliteral Semitic root ''h-z-y'', "to see"; his full name meaning, " El/God has seen"; akk, 𒄩𒍝𒀪𒀭, Ḫa-za-’- il ...

Aram Aram may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Aram'' (film), 2002 French action drama * Aram, a fictional character in Japanese manga series '' MeruPuri'' * Aram Quartet, an Italian music group * ''Aram'' (Kural book), the first of the three ...

(reigned 842–796 BCE)

Jehu ) as depicted on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III , succession = King of Northern Israel , reign = c. 841–814 BCE , coronation = Ramoth-Gilead, Israel , birth_date = c. 882 BCE , death_date = c. 814 BCE , burial_place ...

(reigned 841–814 BCE), Jehoahaz (reigned 814–798 BCE) or Joash of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(reigned 798–782 BCE; cf. 2 Kings 8:11–12; 10:32–33; 13:22). Elisha's reputation as a miracle-worker spread to Aram through a young female Israelite prisoner-of-war (verse 3), whose information not only helped her master, but also her people in the service of her God. In helping the Aramean general, Elisha simultaneously helped the Israelite king. The Aramean king sent a lot of money and ordered his vassal in Samaria to do impossible task: to immediately produce the necessary miracle to heal Naaman (verse 6–7), but Elisha somehow knew about the letter (''seper''; literally "scroll") from Aram and sent his own letter to the Israelite king asking Naaman to be directed to the prophet for treatment. Naaman who expected respectful conventional behavior of miracle-healing was understandably unhappy that Elisha did not meet him personally and only prescribed instructions to ritually bathe in the Jordan (verses 9–12), yet after advised by his more sensible soldiers (verse 13), Naaman complied and immediately experienced complete healing (verse 14). Naaman quickly returned to his benefactor, wishing to ensure the future proximity of YHWH whose power had convinced him. Since this God resides only in Israel, he took two mule-loads of Israelite earth to Damascus in order to be able to sacrifice to YHWH there (verses 15a, 17; a sincere 'earthbound understanding of God') with the blessing of Elisha who parted from Naaman in peace (verse 19).

Verse 1

:''Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper.'' *"Leper": from he, צָרַע, ', "to be leprous"; does not necessarily refer to

Hansen's disease Monster Beverage Corporation is an American beverage company that manufactures energy drinks including Monster Energy, Relentless and Burn. The company was originally founded as Hansen's in 1935 in Southern California, originally selling juice ...

in modern terms, but because it can affect clothing and house (; ); it could be caused by mold, mildew or some other growth, which nonetheless renders a person ritually unclean ().

Verses 2–3

: ''And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife.'' : ''Then she said to her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy."'' *"On raids": or "in bands" *"Waited on": or "served"; literally, "was before". The young girl had much reason to doubt the power of YHWH because of her abduction, but nonetheless showed her confidence in YHWH when informing her mistress about Elisha, in contrast to Naaman who was responsible to subjugate Israel and take away slaves but powerless about his disease.

Verse 12

:''"Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.'' *"Abanah" () from written (''ketiv'') Hebrew, Greek

and Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

; "Amanah" () in Hebrew reading (''qere''), Syriac versions and

Targum A targum ( arc, תרגום 'interpretation, translation, version') was an originally spoken translation of the Hebrew Bible (also called the ''Tanakh'') that a professional translator ( ''mǝturgǝmān'') would give in the common language of the ...

. It is identified with the Barada river, especially one of its canals or “rivers,” which bears the name "Nahr Banias" retaining a trace of "Abana." It is called "the Chrysorrhoas" by the Greek authors ( Strabo, xvi. p. 755;

Pliny Pliny may refer to: People * Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'') * Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...

h. n. 18 or 16).Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz
''Commentary on the Old Testament'' (1857-1878). 2 Kings 5
Accessed 24 Juni 2018. *"

Pharpar Pharpar (or Pharphar in the Douay–Rheims Bible) is a biblical river in Syria. It is the less important of the two rivers of Damascus mentioned in the Book of Kings (2 Kings 5:12), now generally identified with the A‘waj (literally, 'crooked'), ...

" (): is generally identified with the ''el-Awaj'' or ''Nahr al-A‘waj'' (i.e. ''crooked''), especially a glen flowing to one of its tributaries on the east side of Hermon, which bears the Arabic name "''Barbar''", a possible relic of the ancient "Pharpar".

Gehazi's greed and punishment (5:20–27)

This passage is an appendix to the main story, the healing of Naaman, with the same purpose of hailing the glory of God and Elisha, but here in the teaching of disciples: what can a prophet accept as recompense for services to God and at what point is it considered selling one's soul? In verses 15b,16, Elisha showed a good example: in a case like this, a prophet accepts nothing, clarifying that great power and wealth cannot force or buy the support of prophets and God, nor must prophets allowed themselves be used as tools for any interest groups (cf. Micah 3:5).

Gehazi Gehazi, Geichazi, or Giezi ( Douay-Rheims) (Hebrew: ; ''Gēḥăzī''; "valley of vision"), is a figure found in the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. A servant of the prophet Elisha, Gehazi enjoyed a position of power but was ultimately corrupt ...

, Elisha's servant (also mentioned in 2 Kings 4:27–37; 8:4–5) became the complementary negative example: cunningly accepting the presents brought by Naaman for himself, but then receiving condemnation by his master for the act ands afflicted by Naaman's former sickness.

Verses 26–27

: ''Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?'' : ''Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.'' NKJV *"With you": is not in the Hebrew Masoretic text, but from

() for clarification. Elisha has been directing Naaman's thoughts to

YHWH The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', '' waw'', and ...

alone as the healer of the disease, so the prophet was out of sight until Naaman was fully cured and steadfastly refused any present to remove any indication that he was in any way instrumental in the healing. Naaman must have been very impressed with the act and pledged to worship YHWH. However, Gehazi's actions possibly obliterated the impression. In listing of all the Gehazi's plan to purchase using the ill-gotten talents Elisha showed Gehazi that he has been reading all his thoughts.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges is a biblical commentary set published in parts by Cambridge University Press from 1882 onwards. Anglican bishop John Perowne was the general editor. The first section published was written by theologi ...

2 Kings 5
Accessed 28 April 2019.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

translations: *
Melachim II - II Kings - Chapter 5 (Judaica Press)
Hebrew text and English translation ith_Rashi's_commentary.html"_;"title="Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary">Rashi.html"_;"title="ith_Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentaryat_Chabad.org *__Christian_translations: *
''Online_Bible''_at_GospelHall.org
(ESV,_KJV,_Darby,_American_Standard_Version,_Bible_in_Basic_English) *
2_Kings_chapter_5._Bible_Gateway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings_2_05 Second_Book_of_Kings_chapters.html" ;"title="2_Kings_5.html" ;"title="Rashi">ith_Rashi's_commentary.html" ;"title="Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org * Christian translations: *
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English) *
2 Kings chapter 5. Bible Gateway
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