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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 5
Naaman, the Syrian, comes to Elisha to be healed of leprosy—He
rejects the prophet's instruction, but relents and dips himself in Jordan
seven times; he is healed—Elisha refuses to accept a reward—Gehazi
accepts a gift from Naaman and is cursed with leprosy.
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1 Now 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 aleper.
2 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.
3 And 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.
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4 And one went in, and told his lord,
saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will
send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and atook with him
ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten
changes of raiment.
6 And 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.
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7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel
had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I
aGod, 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
bseeketh a
quarrel against me.
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8 ¶ And 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.
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his
chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
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10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him,
saying, Go and awash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again
to thee, and thou shalt be bclean.
11 But 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.
12 Are 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.
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13 And 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?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself
seven times in Jordan, aaccording to the saying of the man
of God: and his bflesh came again like unto the
cflesh of a little child, and he was
dclean.
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15 ¶ And he returned to the man of God, he
and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold,
now I aknow that there is no
bGod in all the earth, but in
Israela: now therefore, I pray thee, take a
cblessing of thy servant.
16 But he said, As the LORD liveth,
before whom I stand, I will areceive bnone.
And he urged him to take
it; but he refused.
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15a now I know that there is no
God in all the earth, but in Israel Naaman is here convienced
and converted unto the Lord God of Israel. And in the following verses,
though because of his position next to the King of Syria, Naaman will have
to stand next to the King in the house of Rimmon, Naaman seeks 'pardon' from
the LORD in that thing (see verse 18). And it seems that Elisha sanctions
such by his response in verse 19.
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17 And 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.
18 In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant,
that when my master goeth into the house of aRimmon
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 thinga.
19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he
departed from him a little way.
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18a when I bow down myself in the house
of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing Now in
the humility of conversion (see verse 15), Naaman calls himself 'thy servant'
meaning he is but a servant
before the LORD. And though he must, according to his position in the
Syrian army stand in the house of Rimmon and swear his alligence to the
king of Syria, he seeks the LORD's pardon for so doing in the house of
Rimmon. In verse 19 Elisha seems to so grant this pardon by asscribing to
Naaman to 'Go in peace.'
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20 ¶ But 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.
21 So 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?
22 And 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.
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23 And 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.
24 And 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.
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25 But 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.
26 And 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?
27 The aleprosy 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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