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, or during the time of
Hazael of
Aram (reigned 842–796 BCE)
Jehu (reigned 841–814 BCE),
Jehoahaz (reigned 814–798 BCE) or
Joash of
Israel (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 , '''', "to be leprous"; does not necessarily refer to
Hansen's disease 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
Septuagint and Latin
Vulgate; "Amanah" () in Hebrew
reading (qere), Syriac versions and
Targum. 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 h. n. 18 or 16). • "
Pharpar" (): is generally identified with the
el-Awaj or Nahr al-A‘waj (i.e.
crooked), ==Gehazi's greed and punishment (5:20–27)==