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;

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.

2 KINGS CHAPTER 5 Naaman, by his captive maid’ s report, goeth to Elisha to be cured of his leprosy, . Elisha sends to him a command to wash in Jordan: he is angry, and disdaineth it: his servants’ advice: he doth it, and is healed, . He returneth with gifts to Elisha, who refuseth them: he departs, . Gehazi, Elisha’ s servant, abusing his master’ s name unto Naaman, taketh gifts from him: is smitten with leprosy, . A great man with his master; in great power and favour with the king of Syria. Honourable; highly esteemed, both for his quality and success. By him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria; which expression he useth, partly to mind the Israelites that all the hurt they had from the Tyrians was from the Lord, who used them as his rod, and gave them the successes against Israel, which are recorded; and partly to check that proud conceit which then was working, and afterwards more fully discovered itself, in the Israelitish nation, as if the care, and providence, and goodness of God were wholly confined to themselves, and not imparted to any other people.

2 Kings 5:1 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.Ver. 1. Because by him the Lord had given deliverance.] At that time, probably, when Ahab and Jehoshaphat came against Ramothgilead, Naaman was commander-in-chief of the Syrian’ s army; and the Rabbis tell us that it was he who shot the arrow wherewith Ahab was slain. Hence he is said to have saved Syria, like as afterwards Marius saved Italy, Flaminius Greece, Fabius Rome, Hunniades Hungary, &c. But he was a leper.] Not from his birth, nor yet to his death. Hence a learned writer of ours fitly compareth the whole Church of Christ in all her ages to this Naaman the Syrian. He was first pure and sound, and did many honourable acts, and thereby represented the primitive Church, pure and clean, without spot or disease appearing; howbeit, there might be some secret seeds of diseases unperceived, which in continuance of time grew to a visible leprosy. In his middle time he became leprous, diseased, and deformed, foully infected in himself, and infecting others; and thereby represented the latter Church of Rome. Afterwards, by the prophet’ s direction, he was washed and cleansed from his leprosy, and his flesh restored to become pure and perfect, like the flesh of a young child; and thereby represented our Reformed Churches. And as Naaman in all these three estates was the same person, and not a new, diverse, or several man; so our Church is not a new Church, but the old Church reformed from errors and corruptions, and restored to her ancient purity and soundness. Cade, Of the Church.

V. ELISHA HEALS NAAMAN THE SYRIAN’S LEPROSY, AND GEHAZI .(1) Now.—The construction implies a break between this narrative and the preceding. Whether the events related belong to the time of Jehoram or of the dynasty of Jehu is not clear. Evidently it was a time of peace between Israel and Syria. Naaman (beauty).—A title of the sun-god. (See Note on Isaiah 17:10.) A great man with his master.—Literally, before his lord. (Comp. Genesis 10:9.) Honourable.—In special favour. Literally, lifted up of face. (Comp. 2 Kings 3:14, Note; Isaiah 3:3.) By him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria.—Notice the high prophetic view that it is Jehovah, not Hadad or Rimmon, who gives victory to Syria as well as Israel. (Comp. Amos 9:7.) It is natural to think of the battle in which Ahab received his mortal wound (1 Kings 22:30, seq.). The Midrash makes Naaman the man who “drew the bow at a venture” on that occasion. The “deliverance” was victory over Israel. He was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.—Literally, and the man was a brave warrior, stricken with leprosy. His leprosy need not have been so severe as to incapacitate him for military duties. The victor over Israel is represented as a leper who has to seek, and finds, his only help in Israel (Thenius).

CHAPTER V The history of Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, a leper; who was informed by a little Israelitish captive maid that a prophet of the Lord, in Samaria, could cure him, 1-4. The king of Syria sends him, with a letter and rich presents, to the king of Israel, that he should recover him of his leprosy, 5, 6. On receiving the letter, the king of Israel is greatly distressed, supposing that the Syrian king designed to seek a quarrel with him; in desiring him to cleanse a leper, when it was well known that none could cure that disorder but God, 7. Elisha, hearing this, orders Naaman to be sent to him, 8. He comes to Elisha's house in great state, 9. And the prophet sends a messenger to him, ordering him to wash in Jordan seven times, and he should be made clean, 10. Naaman is displeased that he is received with so little ceremony, and departs in a rage, 11, 12. His servants reason with him; he is persuaded, goes to Jordan, washes, and is made clean, 13, 14. He returns to Elisha; acknowledges the true God; and offers him a present, which the prophet refuses, 15, 16. He asks directions, promises never to sacrifice to any other god, and is dismissed, 17-19. Gehazi runs after him, pretends he is sent by his master for a talent of silver and two changes of raiment; which he receives, brings home, and hides, 20-24. Elisha questions him; convicts him of his wickedness; pronounces a curse of leprosy upon him, with which he is immediately afflicted; and departs from his master a leper, as white as snow, 25-27. NOTES ON CHAP. V Verse 1. Naaman, captain of the host] Of Naaman we know nothing more than is related here. Jarchi and some others say that he was the man who drew the bow at a venture, as we term it, and slew Ahab: see 1Kg 22:34, and the notes there. He is not mentioned by Josephus, nor has he any reference to this history; which is very strange, as it exists in the Chaldee, Septuagint, and Syriac. King of Syria] The Hebrew is מלך ארם melech Aram, king of Aram; which is followed by the Chaldee and Arabic. The Syriac has [Syriac] Adom; but as the Syriac [Syriac] dolath is the same element as the Syriac [Syriac] rish, differing only in the position of the diacritic point, it may have been originally Aram. The Septuagint and Vulgate have Syria, and this is a common meaning of the term in Scripture. If the king of Syria be meant, it must be Ben-hadad; and the contemporary king of Israel was Jehoram. A great man] He was held in the highest esteem. And honourable] Had the peculiar favour and confidence of his master; and was promoted to the highest trusts. Had given deliverance unto Syria] That is, as the rabbins state, by his slaying Ahab, king of Israel; in consequence of which the Syrians got the victory.

Ch. 2 Kings 5:1-14. The cure of Naaman’s leprosy (Not in Chronicles) 1. honourable] An attempt is made by the LXX. to translate literally the Hebrew expression which is the same as in Isaiah 3:3. τεθαυμασμένοςπροσώπῳ, ‘admired in the eyes of’. The idea is the passive of ‘an acceptor of persons’. Hence ‘one accepted and acceptable’. because by him the Lord had given deliverance] R.V. victory. That the Lord was the deliverer is the thought of the Jewish writer. The Syrians would have put the case differently. It is however a matter of interest to note that Jehovah was not regarded by the compiler of this narrative as exclusively the God of the Jews, nor the Gentiles thought to be beyond, or deprived of, His care. He helps them though they know Him not. deliverance unto Syria] That Naaman was the man ‘who drew a bow at a venture’ and smote Ahab at Ramoth Gilead, and thus gained victory for Syria, is a conjecture of Jewish commentators for which there is not the smallest foundation. About this time the Assyrians invaded Syria and the countries round about, and it is not improbable that this was the war in which Naaman had gained his fame. a mighty man in [R.V. of] valour] The phrase occurs many times, and nowhere but here is the preposition ‘in’ used, but always ‘of’. The disease with which Naaman was afflicted must have been of a less malignant character than leprosy mostly is, otherwise he would have been physically incapable of soldierly duties. a leper] The laws of the Jews concerning the separation of lepers from the rest of the people are given in Leviticus 13, 14, and are extremely stringent. Clearly in Syria there were no such regulations, for Naaman goes with the host to war, returns and lives at home with his wife and the household, and attends on the king when he goes to worship in the house of Rimmon.

By him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria - An Assyrian monarch had pushed his conquests as far as Syria exactly at this period, bringing into subjection all the kings of these parts.

1. Naaman — According to some of the rabbies, he was the man who drew the bow and unintentionally killed Ahab, king of Israel. 1 Kings 22:34.