2 Kings 5:1

Naaman Healed of Leprosy

1 ¹Naaman, ²commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.^[a]

2 Kings 5:1 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 5:1

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria
The general of Benhadad's army; for he was now king of Syria, though some think Hazael his successor was:

was a great man with his master;
high in his favour and esteem:

and honourable;
not only acceptable to the king, and loaded with honours by him, but greatly respected by all ranks and degrees among the people:

because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria;
out of the hands of their enemies, and victory over them, and particularly in the last battle with Israel, in which Ahab was slain, and, as the Jews suppose, by the hands of Naaman, (See Gill on 1 Kings 22:34) however, when any salvation was wrought, or victory obtained, even by Heathens, and by them over Israel, the people of God, it was of the Lord:

he was also a mighty man in valour;
a very courageous valiant man:

but he was a leper;
was stricken with the leprosy, which had deformed and disgraced his person, and weakened his strength, and dispirited him; all his grandeur and honour could not protect him from this loathsome disease.

2 Kings 5:1 In-Context

1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife.

3 She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, "Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel."

5 And the king of Syria said, "Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel."So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

Cross References

• 1. Luke 4:27
• 2. [2 Kings 4:13]

Footnotes

• [a]. Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13