2 Kings 5:1-7

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man before his master, and honorable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

2 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.

3 And she said unto her mistress, "Would to God my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy."

4 And one went in and told his lord, saying, "Thus and thus said the maid who is from the land of Israel."

5 And the king of Syria said, "Go now, 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.

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "Now when this letter has come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest cure him of his leprosy."

7 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 cure a man of his leprosy? Therefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."

2 Kings 5:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 5

This chapter gives an account of the leprosy of Naaman the Syrian, and of the cure of it by Elisha; how he came to hear of him, and the recommendation he had from the king of Syria to the king of Israel, 2Ki 5:1-8, who, coming to Elisha's house, was ordered to dip himself seven times in Jordan, which made him depart in wrath; but one of his servants persuaded him to do it, and he did, and was cured, 2Ki 5:9-14, upon which he returned to Elisha, and offered him a present, which he refused, 2Ki 5:15-19 but Gehazi, his servant, ran after him with a lie in his mouth, and obtained it, and returned to his master with another, for which he was smitten with the leprosy of Naaman, 2Ki 5:20-27.