2 Kings 5
The Story of Naaman
A Syrian commander finds healing through a servant girl's witness and Elisha's simple command to wash in the Jordan.
Setting and Context
2 Kings 5 shows God's mercy reaching a foreign military leader. Pride nearly blocks the gift; humble obedience receives it. A nameless servant girl becomes the hinge of the story.
The Story
Naaman is captain of the host of Syria, honorable but a leper. A little maid from Israel tells his wife of the prophet in Samaria. Naaman goes with letters and gifts, expecting royal ceremony.
Elisha sends a messenger: Go and wash in Jordan seven times. Naaman is wroth, expecting a dramatic gesture. His servants urge him to try the simple thing. He dips seven times, and his flesh comes again like a little child's.
Naaman returns to Elisha confessing the Lord as the only God. He offers a gift; Elisha refuses. Gehazi's greed brings leprosy on himself, a sobering contrast to Naaman's new faith.
Meaning and Importance
Naaman, a mighty man with leprosy, hears from an Israelite maid that the prophet in Samaria can heal him. Angry at Elisha's simple word, he finally washes seven times in Jordan and his flesh is restored. He confesses that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.
Naaman teaches that God heals on His terms, often through humble means. Gentile faith can shame Israelite greed. Grace reaches unexpected people who obey a word they first resisted.
Biblical Art Connected to This Story
Key KJV Verses
2 Kings 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.”
Read 2 Kings 52 Kings 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.”
Read 2 Kings 52 Kings 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.”
Read 2 Kings 52 Kings 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.”
Read 2 Kings 5What This Story Teaches
- God can use small witnesses to great effect.
- Pride resists simple obedience.
- Healing leads to confession of the true God.
Questions about Naaman
Where is Naaman in the Bible?
Naaman's healing is found in 2 Kings 5.
How was Naaman healed?
He washed seven times in the Jordan as Elisha commanded, and his flesh was restored.
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