2 Kings Chapter 5
Naaman the Leper
A. Naaman Comes to Elisha
1. Naaman’s Problem (2 Kings 5:1)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.”
a. “Naaman… was a great man… and honourable.”
Naaman served as the military commander of the Syrian army, a nation frequently hostile toward Israel and Judah. His military success, political influence, and personal bravery made him highly esteemed in the eyes of his king. Syria’s victories, including those in the days of Ahab and Jehoshaphat, had elevated Naaman’s reputation to the highest level. Remarkably, Scripture states that the Lord had given deliverance to Syria through him, demonstrating that God rules sovereignly over all nations and raises up whom He wills for His purposes, even in Gentile lands. His title, “a mighty man of valour,” places him in rare company with figures such as Gideon, Jephthah, David, Jeroboam, and Eliada. Among Gentiles, he is the only individual specifically described with this title, showing how exceptional a figure he was in the ancient world. Jewish tradition even speculated that Naaman was the archer whose arrow struck King Ahab.
b. “But he was a leper.”
This final phrase overturns all the honor that precedes it. Despite rank, valor, and fame, Naaman bore a condition that was incurable, humiliating, and ultimately fatal. Leprosy overshadowed every achievement and reduced even the most powerful men to isolation, defilement, and despair. In the ancient world, leprosy typically began with small red patches that gradually spread, turning white, shiny, and scaly. Hair would fall out, starting with the head and eyebrows. Over time, nails loosened and fell off, fingers and toes deteriorated and detached, and gums receded until teeth dropped out. The disease consumed the flesh, destroying the face and even the eyes, until the sufferer wasted away. Regardless of Naaman’s greatness, he bore a sentence of slow death with no human cure. His condition sets the stage for the power of God to intervene where human ability fails completely.
2. The Testimony From the Servant Girl (2 Kings 5:2–3)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
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.”
a. “Had brought away captive… a little maid from the land of Israel.”
During one of Syria’s raids, a young girl from Israel was taken captive and placed as a servant in the household of Naaman. She was an unwilling missionary, removed from her family, her land, and all familiarity. God in His providence allowed her painful captivity because He intended to accomplish a greater purpose through her simple words. Her situation reflects the mysterious workings of God, who often uses suffering and displacement to position His people where their witness can have the greatest impact. Though her parents likely grieved her loss every day, this little maid became the very instrument through which Naaman would hear of the God who heals.
b. “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria!”
Despite her own hardship, this young girl showed compassion toward Naaman and faith in the power of the Lord working through Elisha. She did not harbor resentment toward her captors but instead sought their good. Her confidence was not in Elisha as a man but in the God who worked through him. She believed that if Naaman could reach the prophet, he would indeed recover from leprosy. Her simple testimony demonstrates the lasting influence of a godly upbringing. Knowledge of the true God in childhood equipped her to speak faithfully even in captivity, and her words carried enough conviction that Naaman acted upon them.
3. Naaman Comes to the King of Israel Looking for Healing (2 Kings 5:4–7)
Full Passage (KJV)
“And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
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.
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.
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.”
a. “Go to, go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.”
Naaman immediately relayed the girl’s words to the king of Syria, who responded by sending a diplomatic letter to the king of Israel along with an enormous collection of wealth. Though Israel and Syria had warred repeatedly, this episode likely occurred during a period of reduced hostility, since a hostile king would never have sent his greatest general into enemy territory with treasure and a formal request. The magnitude of the wealth Naaman carried—silver, gold, and expensive garments—reveals the desperation of both Naaman and his king. Humanly speaking, Naaman was prepared to pay any price for healing. Spiritually speaking, he had to learn that God’s grace is not for sale.
b. “I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.”
The king of Israel, Jehoram, reacted in panic. He tore his garments because the royal request demanded something far beyond his ability. Only God could heal leprosy, and Jehoram knew that he had neither relationship with God nor authority from Him. He interpreted the letter as a provocation, assuming the Syrians were looking for an excuse to renew conflict. His reaction exposes his own spiritual emptiness. The king of Syria assumed the king of Israel was closely connected to Elisha and to Israel’s God, but he was not. People often assume others walk closely with God simply because of their position or heritage. Jehoram’s fear revealed how little he actually knew of the power and presence of God in his own kingdom.
4. Naaman Comes to Elisha’s House (2 Kings 5:8–9)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.”
a. “Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes?”
Elisha sent word to the king of Israel with a gentle yet direct rebuke. The king had reacted with panic and despair because he had no personal relationship with the God who heals and no awareness of the prophet God had placed within the land. Elisha’s question exposed the king’s spiritual emptiness. The crisis that overwhelmed the king was no crisis at all to the man of God. The prophet subtly reminded him that divine help was readily available, not through the throne, not through political alliances, but through the God of Israel—whom the king had neglected. The king’s fear revealed how far he had drifted from the God of his fathers.
b. “Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
Elisha made clear that Naaman needed to come to the prophet, not to the palace. The palace was spiritually barren, but the true presence of God was with His prophet. Naaman would never discover the living God by remaining with the politicians or the king. He needed to stand before the man through whom God spoke. This encounter would reveal not merely that a prophet existed in Israel, but that the God of Israel was alive, powerful, and sovereign over all nations, including Syria. Naaman arrived with horses and chariot, the full display of his rank and glory, yet he stood at the humble door of Elisha’s house. The contrast between Naaman’s grandeur and the simplicity of the prophet’s dwelling sets the stage for the lesson he must soon learn: God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.
B. Naaman Is Healed
1. Naaman’s Anger at Elisha’s Instructions (2 Kings 5:10–12)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
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.
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.”
a. “Elisha sent a messenger unto him.”
Naaman arrived with military pomp and expected to be honored with a personal audience. Instead, Elisha sent a mere messenger with instructions. This deliberate act humbled Naaman. He was a man used to deference, ceremony, and grand displays of respect, but God refused to meet him on the level of human pride. The Lord often strikes at the very point where pride is strongest, because healing begins with humility. Elisha’s refusal to come out personally made it clear that the healing would be God’s work alone, not a result of human flattery or prestige.
b. “Go and wash in Jordan seven times… and thou shalt be clean.”
The instruction was simple, direct, and humbling. God required nothing complicated, nothing heroic, nothing that would inflate Naaman’s sense of accomplishment. Washing in the Jordan River seven times symbolized completeness and obedience, not merit. The remedy was beneath the dignity of a proud commander, yet it was precisely tailored to break his pride and expose his spiritual need. God was not merely curing his leprosy; He was confronting his heart.
c. “Behold, I thought…”
Naaman’s anger erupted because God did not work according to his preconceived expectations. He imagined a dramatic ceremony, with Elisha calling on the Lord, waving his hand, or performing some visible ritual. Instead, God offered a humble, quiet command that did not fit Naaman’s script. His rage reveals a timeless truth: people often reject God’s way because it is not the way they expected. Many want salvation or help on their own terms, not God’s. Naaman wanted God to bow to his expectations, not the other way around.
d. “Are not Abana and Pharpar… better than all the waters of Israel?”
Naaman believed that if washing was the key, then the rivers of Damascus were far superior to the Jordan. His pride revolted at the idea that healing could come through something so ordinary, unimpressive, and foreign to his homeland. The gospel often offends for the same reason. God requires humility, not heroic achievement. Naaman turned away in a rage because embracing God’s method required the death of self-importance.
2. The Good Advice of Naaman’s Servants (2 Kings 5:13)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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?”
a. “His servants came near and spake unto him.”
Naaman’s servants displayed remarkable courage and loyalty. They approached their furious master respectfully yet boldly, offering the counsel he needed in his prideful state. Their words show that even those beneath him in rank possessed greater spiritual discernment at that moment. God often uses humble voices to speak wisdom to those blinded by anger or pride.
b. “If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing…”
Their advice was sound and logical. If Elisha had commanded some heroic or costly act—an immense sacrifice, a long pilgrimage, or a dangerous quest—Naaman would have embraced it gladly. His pride would have welcomed a challenge worthy of his status. But because the command was simple and humbling, he resisted. The servants’ reasoning exposed his heart: he was willing to do anything except submit. Their counsel reminded him that obedience, not grandeur, was the pathway to healing.
3. Naaman Is Healed (2 Kings 5:14)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.”
a. “According to the saying of the man of God.”
Naaman at last obeyed the command of Elisha. Each descent beneath the waters of the Jordan was an act of faith, a surrender of pride, and an acknowledgment that God—not Naaman’s status, not his wealth, not his expectations—held the power to heal. His immersion was not a ritual of magic but an expression of trust in the word God had spoken through His prophet. The Hebrew term describing his dipping indicates a plunging, a complete submersion, symbolizing full obedience rather than half-hearted compliance. Naaman had battled two internal enemies: proud self, which demanded honor and ceremonial display, and skeptical reasoning, which questioned why the muddy Jordan should be superior to the clear rivers of Damascus. Faith triumphed when Naaman laid aside both objections and submitted to God’s command.
b. “His flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”
The healing was total, immediate, and unmistakably miraculous. Naaman’s skin—once ravaged by death and decay—was restored with the freshness and softness of a young child. God rewarded his obedience generously, demonstrating that cleansing comes not through human merit but through humble submission to divine instruction. The simplicity of the miracle made it clear that the power belonged to the Lord alone. No incantation, no ritual performance, and no human intervention could have produced such results. The transformation testified to the living God who works through faith in His revealed word.
4. Naaman Offers to Reward Elisha, but the Prophet Refuses (2 Kings 5:15–16)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
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.”
a. “And he returned to the man of God.”
Naaman’s first act after being healed was to return to Elisha and express gratitude. This mirrors the single thankful leper in Luke 17, who returned to give thanks to Christ while the others did not. Naaman was now humble enough to stand before the prophet whom he had previously expected to come out and honor him. Physical healing had been accompanied by spiritual awakening. The proud commander who once arrived in grandeur now returned as a grateful servant.
b. “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.”
Naaman’s confession reveals that his healing was more than physical; it brought him to a true understanding of the one living God. The miracle, joined to the word of God through Elisha, convinced him that the God of Israel alone reigns over all nations. The restoration of his flesh pointed him to the restoration of truth in his soul. Naaman had entered Israel a pagan general; he now stood as a worshiper of the one true God.
c. “Take a blessing of thy servant.”
Naaman offered a gift out of gratitude, not as payment. He recognized that God had used Elisha in a mighty way and wished to support his ministry. Yet Elisha refused the gift, insisting that he would take nothing. His refusal protected God’s honor, ensuring that Naaman understood salvation and healing as unpurchasable. To accept the gift might imply that God’s power could be bought or bargained with. Elisha’s stance preserved the truth that divine grace is freely given, not earned or purchased.
5. Naaman’s New Faith (2 Kings 5:17–19)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
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.
And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.”
a. “Two mules’ burden of earth.”
Naaman’s request for two mule-loads of Israelite soil reveals both his sincerity and the immaturity of his new faith. In the ancient world, people believed that gods exercised authority over specific lands and territories. Naaman, now a worshiper of the Lord, desired to take earth from Israel back to Syria as a physical reminder of the God who had healed him. Though imperfect in theology, his motive was genuine. He wanted to worship the Lord exclusively and felt that possessing soil from the land of Israel would anchor his devotion. His request also underscores how radically his heart had changed—he now rejected every pagan deity and pledged exclusive allegiance to the God of Israel.
b. “When my master… leaneth on my hand… and I bow… the Lord pardon thy servant.”
As a high-ranking government official, Naaman was required to accompany the king of Syria into the temple of Rimmon. When the king bowed, Naaman was compelled by duty to bow with him. His conscience already felt the tension between his new allegiance to the Lord and the expectations of his position. Naaman asked that God would pardon him in this matter, indicating his desire to remain faithful internally while navigating political demands externally. The phrase “leaneth on my hand” does not imply physical weakness but that Naaman stood as the king’s senior aide, his right-hand man. This heightened the difficulty of his situation. Naaman was not making excuses; he was expressing the early struggles of a new believer learning to walk faithfully in a pagan environment.
c. “Go in peace.”
Elisha neither explicitly approved nor condemned Naaman’s request. Instead, he entrusted the matter to God’s ongoing work in Naaman’s heart. “Go in peace” served as a pastoral benediction, indicating confidence that the Lord Himself would guide, convict, and sanctify this new convert. Elisha did not bind Naaman with a rigid rule at this early stage of faith, but neither did he give license for idolatry. He left Naaman to grow under God’s instruction. Some interpreters believe Naaman was asking forgiveness for past idolatry rather than permission for future participation, and the Hebrew allows for this possibility. Regardless, the clear takeaway is that true worship requires both an upright heart and upright conduct. As Trapp noted well, no one should plead a pure heart while bodily participating in idolatry. God desires integrity in both inward conviction and outward obedience.
C. The Greed of Gehazi
1. Gehazi Follows After Naaman (2 Kings 5:20–24)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
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?
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.
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.
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.”
a. “I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.”
Gehazi was stunned that Elisha refused Naaman’s lavish gift. Instead of rejoicing in Elisha’s integrity, he saw a missed opportunity for personal gain. The phrase “my master hath spared Naaman” reveals his twisted reasoning. He believed Elisha should have been rewarded, and he felt justified in securing a reward himself. In doing so, Gehazi became everything Elisha refused to be. The prophet of God would not be a taker; Gehazi eagerly chose to be one. His greed was dressed in religious rationalization. Covetousness always finds a way to disguise itself as wisdom, fairness, or even spirituality. Gehazi’s decision to “run after” Naaman demonstrates the consuming nature of covetous desire. When greed takes hold, a man will chase what he should flee.
b. “Be content, take two talents.”
When Gehazi presented his fabricated story about two young prophets needing assistance, Naaman responded with generosity far beyond what Gehazi requested. Instead of one talent, Naaman insisted on giving two talents—an enormous weight of silver requiring two servants to carry. Gehazi likely interpreted this as divine approval, imagining that God was blessing his plan. The devil frequently deceives covetous hearts by using apparent success as false confirmation. Yet outward success never validates inward sin. Gehazi’s lie exploited Naaman’s gratitude and used Elisha’s name as a tool for manipulation. The gifts Naaman offered so freely became a snare to Gehazi’s soul.
c. “He… bestowed them in the house.”
Gehazi hid the silver and garments inside the house, attempting to conceal them from Elisha. His secrecy proved his guilt; a man who must hide his actions already knows they are wrong. Though Gehazi served closely beside a prophet who walked in the power of the living God, he convinced himself he could sin undetected. This is the deception of covetousness—it blinds a man both to the holiness of God and to the consequences of hidden sin. Gehazi’s attempt to bury the evidence only exposed the deeper corruption already hiding in his heart.
2. Gehazi’s Reward (2 Kings 5:25–27)
Full Passage (KJV)
“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.
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?
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.”
a. “Went not mine heart with thee?”
Gehazi returned to Elisha as if nothing had happened, attempting to stand before his master with the confidence of innocence. When Elisha asked where he had been, Gehazi lied without hesitation, believing he could conceal both his actions and his motives. Elisha’s reply revealed that Gehazi’s deception had failed. Whether by prophetic revelation or simply by discerning Gehazi’s character and circumstances, Elisha knew the truth. All attempts to hide sin proved futile, demonstrating that the God who sees everything exposes the secret actions of the heart. Gehazi stood physically before a prophet but spiritually before the all-seeing God.
b. “Is it a time to receive money… garments… oliveyards… vineyards…”
Elisha confronted not only Gehazi’s lie but also the covetousness that fueled it. He listed the very things Gehazi longed for—money, clothing, land, livestock, and servants—revealing the full scope of Gehazi’s greed. Though Gehazi had only taken silver and garments, his heart desired far more. Elisha’s question makes clear that there are moments when receiving gifts in ministry is appropriate, but this situation was not one of them. Naaman needed to learn that God’s grace could not be bought. Gehazi’s behavior threatened to corrupt that witness. His greed undermined the testimony that salvation is free and that God receives the humble, not those who attempt to pay their way into divine favor.
The greatest wrong Gehazi committed was not merely covetousness—it was distorting the message of God’s grace to Naaman. Elisha and the little servant girl had both shown Naaman that God acts without payment, without manipulation, without ulterior motives. Gehazi’s greed contradicted that testimony and risked teaching Naaman that God is like the pagan deities of Syria, who demand payment.
c. “The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee… for ever.”
God’s judgment on Gehazi was severe. As a servant of the prophet and a man involved in spiritual ministry, Gehazi was held to a stricter standard. He wanted the wealth that Naaman possessed, and God allowed him to keep, in a sense, the other thing Naaman had: leprosy. His punishment fit his sin. Gehazi’s pursuit of material gain brought him permanent physical affliction. His descendants would also bear the mark, showing how far-reaching the consequences of sin can be, especially when it comes from a heart that should have been dedicated to serving God.
The contrast is striking: a pagan Syrian who exercised faith was cleansed, while an Israelite who acted deceitfully and dishonorably was cursed. Gehazi gained wealth but forfeited purity, health, and honor. His greed brought the very judgment that Naaman had been delivered from.
