There are several of this name in the Bible. Benjamin had a son of this name, Gen. xlvi. 41; and a grandson, 1 Chron. 8. 4. And Naaman, the Syrian, well known from the history of his leprosy, and the cure of it by Elisha the prophet, 2 Kings v. 1, &c. The name is the same in meaning as Naam or Naamah, amd from the same root; and signifies beautiful or pretty. The subject of Naaman’s leprosy, and the wonderful cure by the prophet Elisha, in the name of the Lord, hath afforded large scope for the most improving meditation.I refer the reader to the article Leper, for farther remarks on the nature of the disease itself, and shall only add on that subject, that if such was the power of the servant of the prophet in his Master’s name, instantly to cure this Syrian, what may we suppose, is the sovereign power and grace of the Lord God of the prophets, to heal all the leprosies of the souls of his people! Would to God (I would say in the words of the poor captive to her mistress) every poor sinner convinced by the Holy Ghost of his leprous stateofsin, were with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Almighty prophet of his church and people, for He would recover him of his leprosy! (See 2 Kings 5:throughout.)
There is one circumstance more, well worthy of being noticed in this history of the cure of this Syrian. It appears from this man’s narrative, that he was smitten with conviction, that the God of Israel was the true God; and therefore, he resolved from henceforth, he would serve no other. But recollecting the idolatry of his master, and knowing that on his return he should, as before, be called to go with the king to this idol worship, he thought now to compromise the matter, and therefore begged the prophet to indulge him in thiswith his pardon. "The Lord pardon thy servant (said he) in this thing. And it should seem the two mules’ burden of earth, he begged permission to take home with him to Syria, were intended after each renewed instance of bowing in the house of Rimmon, to be used by way of cleansing from their sin. I do not decide upon the subject, but as we know from historians that the sprinkling of earth where no water was immediately at hand, was occasionally used in the Eastern countries, in their religious services in the stead of water, it is probable, this might be the object Naaman had in view, in craving the indulgence of carrying home two mules’ burden with him. The Syrian had found the efficacy of Israel’s sacred stream of Jordan, and he concluded that the earth of Canaan was as sacred also. As therefore, he could not take the river with him, he desired a portion of the earth, which he supposed would prove equally salutary to the cleansing from sin.
But whether such were the views or not, with which Naaman’s mind was influenced, when he desired the earth of Israel; it may, at least, serve to teach us a lesson from this Syrian’s faith, how to appreciate all our mercies in the Lord God of Israel. How doth the faith of this man, and so immediately wrought as it was in the mind of this poor idolater, reproach the supposed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, after all the miracles, and evidences, and testimonies, with which the truth, as it is in Jesus, is brought home andconfirmed to the heart, can hardly keep alive, from day to day, a suitable dependence upon Him! May we not take up the words of the Lord Jesus upon this occasion, and say, as he did: Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luk 18:8.)
general of the army of Benhadad, king of Syria, mentioned 2 Kings 5. He appears to have been a Gentile idolater; but being miraculously cured of his leprosy by the power of the God of Israel, and the direction of his Prophet Elisha, he renounced his idolatry, and acknowledged this God to be the only true God: “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel,” 2Ki 5:15, and promised, for the time to come, that he would worship none other but Jehovah, 2Ki 5:17. He also requested the prophet, that he might have two mules’ load of earth to carry home with him from the land of Israel, most probably intending to build an altar with it in his own country; which seems, indeed, to be implied in the reason with which he enforces his request: “Shall there not, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules’ burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice to other gods but unto Jehovah.” He farther says, “In this the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goes into the house of Rimmon, to worship there, and he leaneth upon my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon; when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing,” 2Ki 5:18; which some understand to be a reserve, denoting that he would renounce idolatry no farther than was consistent with his worldly interest, with his prince’s favour, and his place at court. But, if so, the prophet would hardly have dismissed him with a blessing, saying, “Go in peace,” 2Ki 5:19. Others, therefore, suppose, that in these words he begs pardon for what he had done in times past, not for what he should continue to do. They observe, that
After this we have no farther mention of Naaman. But in the following account of the wars between Syria and Israel, Benhadad seems to have commanded his army in person; from whence Mr. Bedford infers, that Naaman was dismissed from the command for refusing to worship Rimmon. But the premises are not sufficient to support the conclusion; for it appears that Benhadad had commanded his army in person twice before; once in the siege of Samaria, 1Ki 20:1, and once at Aphek, 1Ki 20:26. Yet, from the total silence concerning Naaman, it is probably enough conjectured, that he either died, or resigned, or was dismissed, soon after his return.
Na´aman (pleasantness), commander of the armies of Damascene Syria, in the time of Joram, king of Israel. Through his valor and abilities Naaman held a high place in the esteem of his king Benhadad; and although he was afflicted with leprosy, it would seem that this did not, as among the Hebrews, operate as a disqualification for public employment. Nevertheless, the condition of a leper could not but have been in his high place both afflicting and painful: and when it was heard that a little Hebrew slave-girl, who waited upon Naaman’s wife, had spoken of a prophet in Samaria who could cure her master of his leprosy, the faint and uncertain hope thus offered was eagerly seized; and the general obtained permission to visit the place where this relief was to be sought. Benhadad even furnished him with a letter to his old enemy King Joram; but as this letter merely stated that Naaman had been sent for him to cure, the king of Israel rent his clothes in astonishment and anger, suspecting that a request so impossible to grant, involved a studied insult or an intention to fix a quarrel upon him with a view to future aggressions. When tidings of this affair reached the prophet Elisha, he desired that the stranger might be sent to him. Naaman accordingly went, and his splendid train of chariots, horses, and laden camels filled the street before the prophet’s house. As a leper, Naaman could not be admitted into the house; and Elisha did not come out to him as he expected, and as he thought civility required; but he sent out his servant to tell him to go and dip himself seven times in the Jordan, and that his leprosy would then pass from him. He was, however, by this time so much chafed and disgusted by the apparent neglect and incivility with which he had been treated, that if his attendants had not prevailed upon him to obey the directions of the prophet, he would have returned home still a leper. But he went to the Jordan, and having bent himself seven times beneath its waters, rose from them clear from all leprous stain. His gratitude was now proportioned to his previous wrath, and he drove back to vent the feelings of his full heart to the prophet of Israel. He avowed to him his conviction that the God of Israel, through whom this marvelous deed had been wrought, was great beyond all gods; and he declared that henceforth he would worship Him only, and to that end he proposed to take with him two mules’ load of the soil of Israel wherewith to set up in Damascus an altar to Jehovah. This shows he had heard that an altar of earth was necessary (Exo 20:24); and the imperfect notions which he entertained of the duties which his desire to serve Jehovah involved, were natural in an uninstructed foreigner. He had also heard that Jehovah was a very jealous God, and had forbidden any of his servants to bow themselves down before idols; and therefore he expressed to Elisha a hope that he should be forgiven if, when his public duty required him to attend his king to the temple of Rimmon, he bowed with his master. The grateful Syrian would gladly have pressed upon Elisha gifts of high value, but the holy man resolutely refused to take anything, lest the glory redounding to God from this great act should in any degree be obscured. His servant, Gehazi, was less scrupulous, and hastened with a lie in his mouth to ask in his master’s name for a portion of that which Elisha had refused. The illustrious Syrian no sooner saw the man running after his chariot, than he alighted to meet him, and happy to relieve himself in some degree under the sense of overwhelming obligation, he sent him back with more than he had ventured to ask (2 Kings 5). Nothing more is known of Naaman; and what befell Gehazi is related under another head [GEHAZI].
The highly esteemed general of Ben-hadad, king of Damascene Syria in the time of Joram king of Israel. He was afflicted with the leprosy; but was miraculously cured, on washing seven times in the Jordam, Lev 14:7, according to the direction of Elisha, 2Ki 5:1- 27; Luk 4:27 . He had found all his honor and power valueless, and all physicians of no avail for his cure; was led to renounce his pride, and avail himself of the simple remedy prescribed; and being cured, was grateful not only to the prophet, but to the prophet’s God. He frankly yielded other evidence which probed that Jehovah was the living and true God; and took home with him two mule-loads of earth, for an altar to the Lord, Exo 20:24 . With respect to his attending Ben-hadad while in the temple of Rimmon, the prophet gave him no precise rule; discerning, we may suppose, a growing fear and love of God which would preserve him from all even outward homage to the idol.\par
Na’aman. (pleasantness).
1. "Naaman, the Syrian." Luk 4:27. Naaman was commander-in-chief of the army of Syria, and was nearest to the person of the king, Ben-hadad II, whom he accompanied officially, and supported, when he went to worship in the temple of Rimmon, 2Ki 5:18, at Damascus, the capital. (B.C. 885).
A Jewish tradition, at least as old as the time of Josephus, and which may very well be a genuine one, identifies him with the archer, whose arrow, whether at random or not, struck Ahab with his mortal wound, and thus "gave deliverance to Syria." The expression in 2Ki 5:1, is remarkable -- "because that by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria."
The most natural explanation, perhaps, is that Naaman, in delivering his country, had killed one who was the enemy of Jehovah, not less than he was of Syria. Whatever the particular exploit referred to was, it had given Naaman, a great position at the court of Ben-hadad.
Naaman was afflicted with a leprosy of the white kind which had, hitherto, defied cure. A little Israelitish captive maiden tells him of the fame and skill of Elisha, and he is cured by him, by following his simple directions, to bathe in the Jordan seven times. See 2Ki 5:14.
His first business, after his cure, is to thank his benefactor, and gratefully acknowledge, the power of the God of Israel, and promise "henceforth, to offer neither Burnt Offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord." How long Naaman lived to continue a worshipper of Jehovah, while assisting officially at the worship of Rimmon, we are not told; ("but his memory is perpetuated by a leper hospital which occupies the traditional site of his house in Damascus, on the banks of the Abana." -- Schaff).
2. One of the family of Benjamin, who came down to Egypt, with Jacob as read in Gen 46:21. He was the son of Bela, and head of the family, of the Naamites. Num 26:40; 1Ch 8:3-4. (B.C. 1706).
1. A son, i.e. grandson, of Benjamin (Gen 46:21; Num 26:40; 1Ch 8:4); reckoned in the Genesis genealogy as a "son" because he became head of a distinct family, the Naamites. Came down to Egypt with Jacob.
2. Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5). Identified by Jewish tradition (Josephus, Ant. 8:15, section 5) with the archer (1Ki 22:34) who drew his bow at a venture, and wounding Ahab mortally was Jehovah’s instrument in "giving deliverance to Syria." Benhadad therefore promoted him to be captain of the Syrian host and the lord in waiting nearest his person, on whose arm the king leant in entering Rimmon’s temple (compare 2Ki 7:2; 2Ki 7:17). "But (for all earthly greatness has its drawbacks) he was a leper," afflicted with white leprosy (2Ki 5:27). (For the rest, see ELISHA.) The case of Naaman was designed by God to shame Israel out of their half-heartedness toward Jehovah by a witness for Him the most unlikely. God’s sovereign grace, going beyond Israel and its many lepers to heal the Gentile Naaman, Jesus makes to be His justification for His not doing as many miracles in His own country as He had done in Capernaum, an earnest of the kingdom of God passing from Israel to the Gentiles; Luke the physician (Luk 4:23-27) appropriately is the evangelist who alone records it.
Naaman (nâ’a-măn), pleasantness. 1. "Naaman the Syrian," to whose cure our Lord referred. Luk 4:27. Naaman was commander-in-chief of the army of Syria, and was nearest to the person of the king, Ben-hadad II., whom he accompanied officially when he went to worship in the temple of Rimmon, 2Ki 5:18, at Damascus, the capital. Naaman was afflicted with a leprosy of the white kind, which had hitherto defied cure. A little Israelitish captive maiden tells him of the fame and skill of Elisha, and he is cured by him by following his simple directions to bathe in the Jordan seven times. See 2Ki 5:14. After his cure he gratefully acknowledged the power of the God of Israel, and promised "henceforth to offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the Lord." How long Naaman lived to continue a worshipper of Jehovah while assisting officially at the worship of Rimmon we are not told; "but his memory is perpetuated by a leper hospital which occupies the traditional site of his house in Damascus, on the banks of the Abana." 2. One of the family of Benjamin who came down to Egypt with Jacob, as read in Gen 46:21. He was the son of Bela, and head of the family of the Naamites. Num 26:40; 1Ch 8:3-4.
[Na’aman]
1. Son of Benjamin. Gen 46:21.
2. Son of Bela, a son of Benjamin. Num 26:40; 1Ch 8:4; 1Ch 8:7.
3. A Syrian captain, who, in the days of Joram king of Israel, was cured of his leprosy through Elisha the prophet. The inherent pride of the human heart, which always rejects God’s sovereign right and hence His way of blessing nearly prevented Naaman being cured. He had his own thoughts about how the prophet should have cured him, and asked if the rivers of Damascus were not better than the Jordan. But when his servants reasoned with him he went to the river (typical of death), dipped himself seven times, and was cured.
This is an illustration of the truth that there is no blessing for sinful man but through death: all is in resurrection and in Christ Jesus. When Naaman was cleansed he could stand before the man of God, and gladly confess that there was no God in all the earth but in Israel. He would offer no sacrifice to other gods, but only unto Jehovah. He now had an exercised conscience, and, fearing the consequences of making a stand against the world, he asked that Jehovah might pardon him when as a servant he went into the idol’s temple with his master. Elisha simply answered, "Go in peace." This was not the acceptance of a compromise, but setting Naaman in the path of liberty and peace, the sense of grace was not to be enfeebled in his soul. Sin has no dominion over those under grace. He asked for two mules’ burden of Canaan’s earth, no doubt with the thought of making an altar therewith. The whole story is a beautiful instance of the grace of God going out to a heathen; the faith of the little maid who, though in captivity, did not forget the prophet of Jehovah, and who sought the welfare of those among whom her lot was cast, is also an interesting feature. 2Ki 5:1-27; Luk 4:27.
NAAMAN (Luk 4:27
Whether our Lord’s visit to Nazareth took place early in His ministry as here related by St. Luke, or later on as some think (cf. Mat 13:54-58, Mar 6:1-6), or whether there were two distinct visits, does not concern this article, since the purpose of our Lord’s reference to Naaman is the same at whatever period of His ministry He may have made it. He suggested to His audience that they were ready to quote the proverb ‘Physician, heal thyself,’ and to say, ‘Whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.’ ‘And (better ‘But’) he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.’ His hearers apparently inferred from these words that He had determined to work no miracle among them, and were irritated accordingly, although perhaps our Lord intended to imply no more than that He had little hope of being able to do so (cf. Mat 13:58, Mar 6:5). Then, to justify and to illustrate His action in Working miracles outside the limits of His own city, He referred to the cases of the widow of Sarepta and of Naaman, which were instances of blessings bestowed through the instrumentality of two of Israel’s greatest prophets on persons who were not of the house of Israel at all. This afforded a complete justification of His own action, and was, further, a very pointed rebuke to them if, as seems the case, they were annoyed that He had neglected them for Capernaum, which, situated in that region known as ‘Galilee of the Gentiles,’ might be considered as less a Jewish town than their own. And, further, our Lord in these words rebuked Jewish exclusiveness in general, and quite clearly indicated the great truth that the benefits of His gospel, whether bodily or spiritual, were not only for the Jew, but also for the Gentile. It is probable that it was this underlying suggestion, coupled with His application to Himself of the great passage from Isaiah 61, which caused the final outbreak of His hearers’ wrath (cf. Act 22:22; Act 28:28-29).
Albert Bonus.
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By: Emil G. Hirsch, M. Seligsohn, Wilhelm Bacher
—1. Biblical Data:
Syrian general whose miraculous recovery from leprosy is told in II Kings v. The name, meaning "pleasantness," is held by Lagarde to represent Adonis, on the assumption that 
(Isa. xvii. 10) means "the plantings of Adonis." Naaman was a distinguished general who had often led the Syrians to victory. Stricken with leprosy, he was advised by a captive Israelitish maiden that the prophet Elisha could cure him. Naaman accordingly asked the Syrian king's permission to go to him, but the king, misunderstanding the words of the captive maiden, gave Naaman a letter to the King of Israel requesting him to cure Naaman of his leprosy. The latterwas troubled by the Syrian king's message, and Elisha advised him to send Naaman to him. Arrived at Elisha's door, Naaman received word from Elisha that if he would bathe seven times in the Jordan he would be cured. Naaman was greatly disappointed, as he had expected that the prophet would meet him in person and implore Yhwh to cure him, but his servants persuaded him to follow Elisha's behest, with the result that he was completely restored to health. He then returned with his retinue to Elisha, before whom he acknowledged Yhwh as his God and asked for two mules' burden of Israelitish earth that he might build an altar to Yhwh. Naaman also sought forgiveness of Yhwh for his involuntary adoration of the Syrian divinity Rimmon through the act of his master in leaning upon him during his devotions. See also Gehazi.
E. G. H. M. Sel.—In Rabbinical Literature:
According to the Rabbis, Naaman was the archer who drew his bow at a venture and mortally wounded Ahab, King of Israel (I Kings xxii. 34). This event is alluded to in the words "because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria" (II Kings v. 1), and therefore the Syrian king, Naaman's master, was Benhadad (Midrash Shoḥer Ṭob to. Ps. lx.; Arama, "'Aḳedat Yiẓḥaḳ," ch. lxi.). Naaman is represented as vain and haughty, on account of which he was stricken with leprosy (Num. R. vii. 5; comp. Arama, l.c.). Tanḥuma, Tazria' (end), however, says that Naaman was stricken with leprosy for taking an Israelitish maiden and making her his wife's servant (comp. II Kings v. 2). Naaman is understood as Moab in the expression "Moab is my washpot" (Ps. lx. 8), which the Rabbis regard as an allusion to Naaman's bathing in the Jordan; the appellation "Moab" is a play on the word "abi" (= "my father"), by which Naaman was addressed by his servants in II Kings v. 13 (Num. R. xiv. 4). Naaman was a "ger toshab," that is, he was not a perfect proselyte, having accepted only some of the commandments (Giṭ. 57b; Deut. R. ii.). The Mekilta (Yitro, 'Amaleḳ, 1), however, places Naaman's conversion above Jethro's.
W. B. M. Sel.—Critical View:
As the object of the narrative of Naaman's sickness and restoration to health is, apparently, to form a link in the long series of miracles performed by Elisha, the redactor of II Kings did not concern himself to indicate the time when this event occurred. The rabbinical tradition that Naaman was the archer (I Kings xxii. 34) who mortally wounded Ahab seems to have been adopted by Josephus ("Ant." viii. 15, § 5). If the tradition is correct, the Syrian king whom Naaman served must have been Ben-hadad II.; but as the interval between the death of Ahab and the curing of Naaman's leprosy is not known, it is impossible to identify the King of Israel to whom Naaman was sent with a letter. Ewald ("Gesch." iii. 552 et seq.) thinks the king referred to was Jehoahaz, while Schenkel ("Biblical Lexicon") suggests Jehu, but the general view is that it was Jehoram. The passage ("because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria," II Kings v. 1) upon which the identification of Naaman with Ahab's slayer is based by the Rabbis is referred by G. Rawlinson, however (in the "Speaker's Commentary"), to the Syrian triumph over Shalmaneser II. (comp. Rawlinson, "Ancient Monarchies," ii. 344, 361).
The request of Naaman to be permitted to carry away two mules' burden of Israelitish earth for the purpose of erecting upon it an altar on which to offer sacrifices to Yhwh, reflects the belief of those days that the god of each land could be worshiped only on his own soil. The expression "So he departed from him a little way" (
; II Kings v. 19) seems to contradict the assertion of Naaman's intention to return to Syria with the two loads of earth. The word 
is transliterated in the Septuagint (Vatican) 
. Klostermann ("Die Bücher Samuelis und der Könige"), while supplying, with the Alexandrian codex, the word 
, connects this passage with Naaman's departure with the loads of earth, and renders the passage 
as "and he carried away from him about a cor of the earth of Israel."
2. Sixth son of Benjamin; he accompanied Jacob into Egypt (Gen. xlvi. 21, 26); or, according to Num. xxvi. 40 and I Chron. viii. 3-4, a son of Bela and consequently grandson of Benjamin and founder of the family of the Naamites.
NAAMAN (the word means ‘pleasantness,’ or, as an epithet, as is probable, of Adonis or Tammuz, ‘darling’; cf. the Adonis plantations referred to in Isa 17:10 [Heb.]. The Arabs of the present day still call the red anemone, which blooms in the spring, at the time at which one of the Adonis festivals used to be held, the ‘wounds of the darling, or Naaman’; the name of the flower probably comes from ‘Naaman’; see W. R. Smith in the English Historical Review, April 1887).—1. One of the sons of Benjamin (Gen 46:21), though in Num 26:40 and 1Ch 8:4 he is referred to as Benjamin’s grandson; in Num 26:40 the ‘family of the Naamites’ is spoken of, they therefore probably formed a clan belonging to the tribe of Benjamin.
2. A Syrian general who came to Elisha to be healed of leprosy. The story is told in 2Ki 5:1-27, where it appears in entire independence of the context. Through an Israelite slave-girl Naaman hears of the man of God who works miracles, and in the hope of being cured of his leprosy he comes to Elisha; it is, however, noteworthy that he comes at Elisha’s request (2Ki 2:8) in order that he may learn that ‘there is a prophet in Israel.’ On his arrival Naaman receives a message to the effect that he is to wash in the river Jordan seven times; his objection that the prophet ought to work the miracle ‘in the name of the Lord his God’ seems very justifiable; upon the advice, however, of his servants he dips himself seven times in the Jordan, and is healed. His first words to the prophet, thereupon, are, ‘Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.’ On Elisha’s refusing the gift offered to him, Naaman asks for two mules’ burden of Israelitish soil upon which to worship the God of Israel; this is in entire accordance with the ideas of the time that a god of a country cannot be worshipped properly excepting upon his own soil (cf. 1Sa 26:19-20). Quite natural, too, according to the beliefs of the time, is his wish to bow down in the house of Rimmon; for apart from the necessity of this on account of his attendance on the king, there is the fact that religious syncretism was considered not only permissible, but, under various circumstances, commendable. [For the unworthy conduct of the prophet’s servant Gehazi, and the punishment inflicted on him, see Gehazi.]
W. O. E. Oesterley.
(1) A successful Syrian general, high in the confidence and esteem of the king of Syria, and honored by his fellow-countrymen as their deliverer 2 Kin 5:1-27. Afflicted with leprosy, he heard from a Hebrew slave-maid in his household of the wonder-working powers of an Israelitish prophet. Sent by his master with a letter couched in somewhat peremptory terms to the king of Israel, he came to Samaria for healing. The king of Israel was filled with suspicion and alarm by the demands of the letter, and rent his clothes; but Elisha the prophet intervened, and sent word to Naaman that he must bathe himself seven times in the Jordan. He at first haughtily resented the humiliation and declined the cure; but on the remonstrance of his attendants he yielded and obtained cleansing. At once he returned to Samaria, testified his gratitude by the offer of large gifts to the prophet, confessed his faith in Elisha’s God, and sought leave to take home with him enough of the soil of Canaan for the erection of an altar to Yahweh.
The narrative is throughout consistent and natural, admirably and accurately depicting the condition of the two kingdoms at the time. The character of Naaman is at once attractive and manly. His impulsive patriotic preference for the streams of his own land does not lessen the reader’s esteem for him, and the favorable impression is deepened by his hearty gratitude and kindness.
The Israelitish king is most probably Jehoram, son of Ahab, and the Syrian monarch Ben-hadad II. Josephus (Ant., VIII, xv, 5) identifies Naaman with the man who drew his bow at a venture, and gave Ahab his death wound 1Ki 22:34. There is one reference to Naaman in the New Testament. In Luk 4:27, Jesus, rebuking Jewish exclusiveness, mentions “Naaman the Syrian.”
(2) A son of Benjamin Gen 46:21, Gen 46:6. Fuller and more precise is the description of Num 26:38, Num 26:40, where he is said to be a son of Bela and grandson of Benjamin (see also 1Ch 8:3).
2Ki 5:1 (c) He may be taken as a type of a lost sinner who realizes his need but goes to the wrong place and the wrong person for the remedy. This man did not listen well to his instructions. He went to the king instead of to the prophet. After learning his mistake, he then went to GOD’s man, the prophet, who gave him GOD’s remedy. At first, he rejected GOD’s remedy because it did not agree with his own ideas. Through the persuasion of his servant, he decided to obey the man of GOD, and when he followed those instructions he received the cleansing he desired.