2 Kings 5
Not many biblical stories travel from the war rooms of Damascus to the muddy banks of the Jordan River, weaving together a house slave, two kings, a prophet who will not come to the door, and a servant who lies for personal gain. 2 Kings 5 is a small masterpiece of irony, grace, and warning.
• Time & Place. About 850 BC. Aram (modern Syria) is the rising northern power. Assyria is a threat on the horizon; Israel under Jehoram is weak. In 1993 the Tel Dan Stele—an Aramaic victory stone—was discovered, confirming the names of Aram’s kings Hazael and Ben-Hadad who appear in this larger section of Kings.
• Key People.
Naaman (Hebrew נַעֲמָן, “pleasant”), commander of Aram’s army.
A nameless Israelite girl, carried off in a border raid.
The prophet Elisha, already known for miracles of mercy and
judgment.
Gehazi, Elisha’s attendant.
• Key Word. Ṣāraʿat (צָרַעַת) usually translated “leprosy.” In biblical usage the word covers a range of skin diseases and sometimes mold on walls or cloth (Leviticus 13–14). Whatever Naaman had, it brought social shame and the fear of divine displeasure.
Naaman’s victories “through him the LORD had given victory to Aram” (New International Version) hint that God is already at work outside Israel’s borders. Yet the general cannot save himself. The solution comes through the voice least likely to be heard—a child, a female, a foreign slave.
Western readers may miss the vulnerability of this girl. In the ancient Near East a conquered slave had no legal standing; her words could have cost her life if Naaman viewed them as insult. Her courage anticipates the gospel truth that “God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Cross-reference: 2 Kings 5 is the Old-Testament twin of Luke 4:27, where Jesus reminds his hometown that “there were many lepers in Israel… yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” The captive girl becomes an early whisper of mission to the nations.
Naaman assumes that healing must be purchased: ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, ten sets of garments—today’s equivalent of millions of dollars. Political diplomacy is his native language, so he carries a letter from his king.
King Jehoram of Israel panics, thinking the request is a pretext for war. The scene exposes a theology problem: Israel’s king has forgotten that his nation exists to point the world to God. Contrast Isaiah 55:1, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
Application. We sometimes trust titles, networks, or budgets when God seeks humble hearts.
Elisha does not even step outside; he sends a messenger with simple instructions: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan.” Naaman rages. He expected drama—hand-waving, incantations, at least an honored welcome.
Hebrew Narrative Irony. The story pivots on the verb yārāʾ (“was angry”) and the repeated phrase “I thought…” Naaman’s assumptions are his true disease.
Cultural Note. In Aramean eyes, the Jordan was a small, silt-laden stream compared to the crystal waters of the Abana and the Pharpar near Damascus (both archaeologically identified with the Barada and Awaj rivers). To bathe in Israel’s lowland river felt humiliating.
The number seven in Semitic cultures symbolized completeness. Elisha’s command therefore invites Naaman into a full, not partial, surrender.
Servants again serve as truth-bearers: “Father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it?” Their gentle question dismantles Naaman’s ego. He finally “went down”—literally and figuratively—to the Jordan (Hebrew yardēn means “the descender”) and submerged seven times.
“His flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” The Hebrew purposely echoes the “little girl” (v 2). The proud soldier now shares the child’s skin and, more importantly, her faith.
Historical Interpretation. Church fathers—Origen, Athanasius, Augustine—heard baptism in these waters: the old self washed away, the new person rising. At the Reformation, Calvin kept the moral thrust (obedience to the Word) while also noting the sacramental hint (promise joined to sign).
Suggested Hymn: “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” Though written by African-American believers centuries later, its refrain captures the chapter’s heartbeat: “to heal the sin-sick soul.”
Elisha will not accept silver or gold. Grace is free or it is not grace. Naaman then asks for two mule-loads of soil so he can bow on Israelite ground when he worships the LORD back home. Ancient practice held that gods were tied to their land (cf. 1 Samuel 26:19). While Yahweh is not a territorial deity, Elisha meets Naaman where he is.
Naaman also pleads for pardon when his royal duty requires him to lean on the arm of his aged king in the temple of Rimmon. The prophet answers, “Go in peace.” Some scholars, including Iain Provan, read these words as pastoral patience—a lesson in living faithfully in a pluralistic culture until fuller light is given.
Cross-reference: 2 Kings 17:24–28 (foreigners in Samaria learning to fear the LORD) and Romans 14:5–9 (liberty and conscience).
The chapter closes with a mirror image. Gehazi, who should know better, chases after the gift Elisha refused. He lies, pockets the wealth, and receives Naaman’s leprosy.
Theology of Reversal. The outsider becomes clean; the insider becomes unclean. This anticipates Jesus’ woes against religious greed (Luke 11:39–42) and James’ warning against favoritism (James 2:1–7).
Wordplay. The Hebrew root lāqaḥ (“take”) weaves through the paragraphs: Naaman tries to “take” healing by payment, Elisha will not “take” a gift, Gehazi “takes” silver and garments and thus “takes” leprosy. The narrative asks: What do we truly take home from an encounter with God?
• Honor-Shame Culture. Naaman’s anger is tied to public face. Washing in the Jordan meant losing status. Modern individualism may miss how deeply shame can block repentance.
• Prophetic Distance. Elisha’s refusal to meet Naaman is not rudeness; it is prophetic theater, common in the ancient world, designed to convey that the power is God’s alone.
• Archaeology and Disease. Excavations at first-century “leper” colonies near Jerusalem suggest a mix of ailments. The biblical point is ritual impurity, not medical diagnosis.
• Psalm 51:7 “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
• John 9:1-11 Another washing, another witness.
• Titus 3:4-7 “He saved us through the washing of rebirth.”
Holy and merciful God,
You stoop to meet the mighty and the lowly alike.
Wash us again in Your grace—
strip away the pride that keeps us at a distance,
cleanse the greed that clings to our hearts,
and fill us with the quiet courage of that unnamed girl
who spoke hope to her captor.
Send us out, carrying the soil of Your kingdom in our souls,
that every place we stand may become holy ground.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.