2Kings 5:1 ¶ 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 leper.
This chapter focuses on a miracle of healing of leprosy—not of an Israeli, but of a military leader of Syria.
Naaman was captain of the host of the king of Syria, a courageous and mighty warrior. He was a man in great favor with his king and his people because the LORD had used him to give deliverance to Syria.
Though the scripture is primarily a record of the LORD’s works on behalf of the people of Israel/Judah, there is much in scripture that reminds us that the LORD is at work accomplishing His will in and through Gentile people and nations.
Key to the point of this chapter—Naaman was a leper. The IVP Commentary offers some insight: “Those studying the language have concluded that the term often translated ‘leprosy’ is more accurately rendered ‘lesion,’ or, less technically, ‘scaly skin.’…. The condition discussed in the text is not presented as contagious. Descriptions would suggest that modern diagnoses would include psoriasis, eczema, favus and seborrheic dermatitis, as well as a number of fungal-type infections.”
2Kings 5:2 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.
2Kings 5:3 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.
2Kings 5:4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
It seems that a group of soldiers had invaded a town of Israel and taken as captive a young girl. She ended up as a personal servant of Naaman’s wife. One day she told her mistress that there was a prophet of the LORD in Samaria that could heal her husband of his leprosy.
The wording is confusing in the King James; but other translations clarify that when Naaman was told what the girl had said, he went and told the king.
2Kings 5:5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
2Kings 5:6 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.
The king told Naaman to go and take a letter from him to the king of Israel. So Naaman left, taking ten talents of silver, 6000 pieces of gold and ten changes of clothing. The letter he presented to the king asked that the king of Israel heal Naaman of his leprosy.
Again, the IVP Commentary offers insight: “The gift accompanying Naaman is exorbitant—a king’s ransom. Ten talents equals thirty thousand shekels, about seven hundred fifty pounds of silver. The six thousand shekels of gold equals about one hundred fifty pounds (one gold shekel equaled fifteen silver shekels). Converted to today’s buying power, it would be in the vicinity of three-quarters of a billion dollars.”
2Kings 5:7 And 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.
2Kings 5:8 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.
The letter greatly distressed the king of Israel, causing him to tear his clothes in distress, because he certainly could not heal the man; only God could do that. He reasoned that the king of Syria must be seeking a reason to attack him.
Isn’t it interesting that he didn’t even think about consulting Elisha.
It seems that Elisha was well connected at the palace and soon heard of the king’s distress. He told the king to send the man to him, and he would soon learn that there was a prophet of the LORD, the one true God, in Israel.
2Kings 5:9 ¶ So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
2Kings 5:10 And 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.
2Kings 5:11 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.
2Kings 5:12 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.
The king sent Naaman to Elisha’s house. When he arrived, Elisha didn’t even go out to meet him; he sent a messenger out to give him a message. He was to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times and his flesh would become clean.
Naaman was insulted and went away angry. He had expected the prophet to come out to meet him and call on the name of the LORD “his God” and heal him by his touch. After all, he was a highly respected officer of the king of Syria. He wanted no part of immersing himself in the dirty Jordan River; there were certainly rivers with cleaner waters in Damascus. Why couldn’t he wash in them for healing?
2Kings 5:13 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?
2Kings 5:14 Then 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.
Naaman’s servants evidently cared about their master and proceeded to urge him to calm down and think. They reasoned that if the prophet had told him to do some great thing, he would certainly have done it. What he had told him to do was something quite simple, so why not do it?
Naaman was proud, but he was also evidently a reasonable man and recognized the wisdom of what his servants said. He went and dipped seven times in the Jordan and was healed of his leprosy.
2Kings 5:15 ¶ 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 know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
2Kings 5:16 But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
Naaman quickly headed back to Elisha’s house to reward him. He and his entourage stood before Elisha and declared that he now knew that there was no God in all the earth that compared to the God of Israel. He then urged Elisha to accept his gift. Elisha adamantly refused.
I think Elisha was emphasizing to Naaman that he did nothing; it was the LORD that had healed him.
2Kings 5:17 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.
2Kings 5:18 In 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.
2Kings 5:19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
Naaman then asked permission to take as much dirt as two of his mules could carry because he would never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to any other god but the LORD. The indication to me is that he wanted to establish a place made of the ground of Israel upon which he could offer sacrifices and offerings to the God of Israel, YHWH. In other words, he recognized YHWH as the God above all gods.
Naaman had one special request—that the LORD forgive the actions he had to perform as a servant of the king of Syria in the house of Rimmon.
Elisha basically implied that the LORD had granted his request when he told him to go in peace. So Naaman and his entourage headed back home.
This seems to give Naaman permission to compromise in his faith. I think we have to consider the time and the circumstances. Naaman is a high-placed servant to the king of Syria. He was returning home to a pagan culture with the intent to worship the LORD God of Israel to the best of his ability. I think the fact that he even thought to seek permission to continue to carry out his duties without them being construed as worship of the false god testifies to a desire to honor the LORD. At this time, God’s people were living under the law, not under grace. They did not have the benefit of the permanent presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I think if Elisha were ministering today, his answer would have been different. The New Testament is very clear that we should avoid even the appearance of evil; however, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen and provide for our every need—especially the empowerment to overcome temptation.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
2Kings 5:20 ¶ 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.
2Kings 5:21 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?
2Kings 5:22 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.
2Kings 5:23 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.
2Kings 5:24 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.
Gehazi evidently thought that Elisha had acted foolishly, and he determined to benefit from Naaman’s gratitude.
I liked this insight from the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: "As the Lord liveth!" It had been a favorite appeal of Elijah and Elisha, and the use of it by Gehazi shows how utterly meaningless and how very dangerous such solemn words become when they are degraded into formulae. It is thus that the habit of swearing begins. The light use of holy words very soon leads to their utter degradation.”
Gehazi waited a bit before following after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward them, he got down from the chariot and asked him if everything was ok. I liked the comments from the NIV Commentary: “What a contrast can be seen in the meeting between Naaman and Gehazi! Naaman’s descent from his chariot to meet Elisha’s servant was a mark of his being a changed man. No longer a proud, arrogant person, the grateful, reverent, and humble Aramean came down from his honored place to meet a prophet’s servant. He who had been a fallen, hopeless sinner displayed the true believer’s grace.”
Gehazi answered that all was well, but his master had need of provisions for two of the sons of the prophets that had showed up unexpectedly from mount Ephraim. He then asked Naaman for a talent of silver and two changes of clothing. Naaman responded by giving him two talents of silver in two bags and two changes of clothing. He then sent two of his servants to carry the provision for Gehazi.
When they arrived at the hill near home, he took the provisions from the men and hid them in the house, sending the men back to Naaman.
2Kings 5:25 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.
2Kings 5:26 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?
2Kings 5:27 The 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.
When Gehazi went in to serve Elisha, the prophet asked him where he had been. Gehazi declared he had been nowhere. Elisha told him that he knew that he had gone after Naaman. He knew that he had accepted money and clothing from him. He reminded him that this had not been a proper circumstance for accepting such gifts.
Clark draws an interesting conclusion from verse 26: “He gave him farther proof of this all-discerning prophetic spirit in telling him what he designed to do with the money; he intended to set up a splendid establishment, to have men-servants and maid-servants, to have oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen….”
All of Gehazi’s actions testify to the fact that he knew what he was doing was wrong—especially the lying and the fact that he tried to hide what he had taken.
Elisha then told Gehazi that he and his seed would suffer from leprosy from that day forth. And Gehazi went out of his presence with a very obvious case of leprosy.
The hardest part to understand is why Gehazi’s descendants were to suffer for his sin. Ellicott states that this is a reference to the fact that leprosy is hereditary.
2Kings 6:1 ¶ And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us.
2Kings 6:2 Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye.
2Kings 6:3 And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go.
2Kings 6:4 So he went with them. And when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood.
2Kings 6:5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.
2Kings 6:6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim.
2Kings 6:7 Therefore said he, Take it up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.
At some point the sons of the prophets came to Elisha declaring that their housing was not sufficient to accommodate them all. They asked permission to go to the Jordan River and gather timber to build a new place to live. Elisha granted that permission. One of the prophets asked him to go with them, and he did.
As they were cutting down wood at the Jordan, the head of one of the men’s axes fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha in despair because the tool was borrowed. Elisha asked where it had fallen. When they showed him where, he cut down a stick and threw it in at the designated place. The iron axe head floated and was retrieved.
This miracle is another testimony to the fact of God’s authority over the laws of nature. Wood naturally floats. Iron in its natural state cannot float.
2Kings 6:8 ¶ Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.
2Kings 6:9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.
2Kings 6:10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.
We encounter yet another time when the king of Syria goes to war against Israel. When he had established his plan of attack, Elisha sent word to the king of Israel warning him to avoid the designated place because the Syrians were waiting to attack there. The king of Israel heeded the word of Elisha and avoided danger several times.
2Kings 6:11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?
2Kings 6:12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.
2Kings 6:13 ¶ And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.
2Kings 6:14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.
The king of Syria was frustrated that his plans fell through time and again. He was convinced that there was a traitor among his troops. One of his servants told the king that there was no traitor; it was the prophet Elisha that told the king of Israel his secret plans. The king sent the servant to find out where Elisha was so that he could capture him. When he was informed that the prophet was at Dothan, he sent a large number of horses and chariots to surround the city by night.
There is a verse in the Psalms that applies here: Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
2Kings 6:15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
2Kings 6:16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2Kings 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
When Elisha’s servant got up early the next morning, he immediately saw their situation. He ran to Elisha to find out what they should do. Elisha told the young man that they had nothing to fear because the host that protected them was greater than the host positioned against them.
Elisha proceeded to pray and asked the LORD to open the eyes of his servant so that he could see. So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man so that he could see that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire surrounding Elisha.
I liked Guzik’s comment: “When a person is blind to spiritual reality, only God can open their eyes. God may do it through the words someone speaks, but the work of spiritually opening eyes is spiritual work and belongs to God alone.”
This is a comforting and often forgotten truth by the followers of the LORD today. We are so focused on the physical world around us that we often lose sight of the truth that there is a spiritual world surrounding us that is full of activity both for and against us. What we see with our eyes is limited to physical vision. The invisible world that is part of our reality can only be seen as revealed by the LORD through spiritual eyes. That spiritual world is full of forces both good and evil. BUT, Praise God, the angels that work on behalf of Almighty God will always overcome the forces of evil in accordance with God’s will.
Ephesians 6:12 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Hebrews 1:13–14 “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
Psalms 34:7 “The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
Psalms 91:1–2 & 11 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust….For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”
“keep” = protect
2Kings 6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.
2Kings 6:19 And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.
2Kings 6:20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.
As the Syrian troops began to approach Elisha, he prayed and asked the LORD to strike them with blindness—and He did! Elisha then talked to them and informed them that they were not in the right place. He offered to take them to the man they were seeking, and he led them to Samaria.
This seems to indicate that their blindness was not of physical vision but of their understanding. Elisha was able to convince them that they were not where they were supposed to be.
Once they got to Samaria, Elisha asked the LORD to open the eyes of the Syrian troops once again. When the LORD opened their eyes, they realized that they were in Samaria, the stronghold of the king of Israel.
2Kings 6:21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
2Kings 6:22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.
2Kings 6:23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.
Amazingly, the king of Israel asked Elisha if they should kill the enemy troops. Elisha told him no; they didn’t usually kill prisoners of war. He told the king to feed them and send them back to their master, and he heeded Elisha’s advice.
After that, there were no more raiding parties from Syria into Israel.
This reminded me of a verse in scripture.
Proverbs 25:21–22 “If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”
The IVP Commentary had an interesting note re verse 21: “The title ‘father’ is used to designate the leader of a group in both Hebrew and Akkadian. Likewise a ‘son’ is therefore a member of that group. The king’s use of the title indicates his recognition of Elisha’s status and reflects his respect for the man of God.”
2Kings 6:24 ¶ And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.
2Kings 6:25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
Sometime later (after several months? Years?), however, Benhadad king of Syria gathered his troops together to lay siege to Samaria. It ended up causing a great famine in the city. Things got so bad that a donkey’s head sold for 80 pieces of silver and a cup of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver.
Note from IVP Commentary regarding a siege: “The whole idea of siege is to drive the population to the extremities of hunger and thirst so that they capitulate without a fight. Famine in this case is not an environmental condition, but the results of the siege when food supplies have been exhausted.”
A note from the IVP Commentary regarding dove’s dung: “...may really be pigeon manure, which has been known to be used for food in dire times, or it could refer to pods from a thorny variety of acacia, as it does occasionally in Akkadian. Whether it was being used for food or fuel, even a few ounces of it cost many months pay.”
2Kings 6:26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
2Kings 6:27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
2Kings 6:28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.
2Kings 6:29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
2Kings 6:30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.
One day as the king of Israel was walking on the wall of the city, a woman called out for him to help her. The king basically said, “If the LORD doesn’t help you, what do you think I can do? I have nothing to give you.” Then the king asked her what her problem was.
The woman answered that she and another woman in the city had made an agreement to eat their sons. She agreed with the woman to boil her son first for them to eat. The next day, the woman refused to cook her son as they had agreed.
Adam Clarke reasons that the children must have already died for the mothers to even consider such action.
The LORD had actually declared through Moses that this type of thing would happen as a consequence of the people of Israel rejecting the LORD.
Deuteronomy 28:52-53 “And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustest, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:”
After hearing the woman’s complaint, the king tore his clothes in distress. The people who saw what he did noticed that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.
2Kings 6:31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.
2Kings 6:32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?
2Kings 6:33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?
As people today so often do, the king blamed the LORD for what was happening. He decided to take out his anger at the LORD on Elisha, and called for God to kill him if he did not see to it that Elisha was killed that very day.
Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders of the city. The LORD had revealed to him what the king had determined. Before the king’s servant could arrive to kill him, he told the elders what the king had decided to do. He then told them to make sure the door stayed shut so that the servant could not get into the house. He knew that the king would show up shortly thereafter.
As he was talking to the elders, the servant arrived with his message from the king. It basically said, “All this evil we are experiencing is the LORD’s fault. I am not going to wait for him to help us any longer.”
Things haven’t changed. It’s always interesting to me how quickly people are to blame the LORD for the bad things that happen to them, while refusing to credit or thank Him for the good things. They are also seemingly blind to their own responsibility or that such things could be a result of man’s sin—of their own or of others. God granted man the ability to make his own choices. Man chose to rebel against God and cede his authority to Satan. All the evil that occurs in this world is a consequence of that choice. The comfort to the one who has placed his/her faith in the LORD is that the LORD has promised that everything He allows to happen to those that love Him, He will use for good—even though we may not be able to understand at the time how that is possible.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
This is a terrible chapter break, because the narrative continues in the next chapter.