Naaman

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

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,"  2 Kings 5:15 , and promised, for the time to come, that he would worship none other but Jehovah,  2 Kings 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,"  2 Kings 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,"  2 Kings 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 השתחויתי , though rendered in the future tense by the Targum, and by all the ancient versions, is really the preterperfect; and they, therefore, understand it,—"when I have bowed myself," or, "because I have bowed myself" in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant. With this sense Dr. Lightfoot agrees, and it is defended by the learned Bochart in a large dissertation on the case of Naaman. Yet it does not seem very probable, that, if he meant this for a penitential acknowledgment of his former idolatry, he should only mention what he had done as the king's servant, and omit his own voluntary worship of the idol. The more probable opinion, therefore, is, that he consulted the prophet, whether it was lawful for him, having renounced idolatry, and publicly professed the worship of the true God, still, in virtue of his office, to attend his master in the temple of Rimmon, in order that he might lean upon him, either out of state, or perhaps out of bodily weakness; because, if he attended him, as he had formerly done, he could not avoid bowing down when he did. To this the prophet returns no direct answer; making no other reply than, "Go in peace;" putting it, probably, upon his conscience to act as that should dictate, and not being willing to relieve him from this trial of his recent faith.

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,  1 Kings 20:1 , and once at Aphek,  1 Kings 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.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

There are several of this name in the Bible. Benjamin had a son of this name,  Genesis 46:21; and a grandson,  1 Chronicles 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 5:1, etc. 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 state of sin, 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 5:1-27 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 this with 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 and confirmed 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?" ( Luke 18:8)

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

NAAMAN (  Luke 4:27 Νεεμάν, Textus Receptus; Ναιμάν, Tisch., WH [Note: H Westcott and Hort’s text.] ; Heb. נַעֲמֶן = ‘pleasantness’).—The famous captain of Benhadad ii., whose cure by the instrumentality of Elisha is related in 2 Kings 5, and who was referred to by our Lord as ‘Naaman the Syrian’ in His discourse in the synagogue at Nazareth.

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.  Matthew 13:54-58,  Mark 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.  Matthew 13:58,  Mark 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.  Acts 22:22;  Acts 28:28-29).

Albert Bonus.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

NAAMAN (the word means ‘pleasantness,’ or, as an epithet, as is probable, of Adonis or Tammuz, ‘darling’; cf. the Adonis plantations referred to in   Isaiah 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 (  Genesis 46:21 ), though in   Numbers 26:40 and   1 Chronicles 8:4 he is referred to as Benjamin’s grandson; in   Numbers 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   2 Kings 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 (  2 Kings 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.   1 Samuel 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.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Na'aman. (Pleasantness).

1. "Naaman, the Syrian."  Luke 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,  2 Kings 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  2 Kings 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  2 Kings 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  Genesis 46:21. He was the son of Bela, and head of the family, of the Naamites.  Numbers 26:40;  1 Chronicles 8:3-4. (B.C. 1706).

Morrish Bible Dictionary

1. Son of Benjamin.  Genesis 46:21 .

2. Son of Bela, a son of Benjamin.   Numbers 26:40;  1 Chronicles 8:4,7 .

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.  2 Kings 5:1-27;  Luke 4:27 .

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

1. A son, i.e. grandson, of Benjamin ( Genesis 46:21;  Numbers 26:40;  1 Chronicles 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 ( 1 Kings 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  2 Kings 7:2;  2 Kings 7:17). "But (for all earthly greatness has its drawbacks) he was a leper," afflicted with white leprosy ( 2 Kings 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 ( Luke 4:23-27) appropriately is the evangelist who alone records it.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Naaman ( Nâ'A-M Ăn ), Pleasantness. 1. "Naaman the Syrian," to whose cure our Lord referred.  Luke 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,  2 Kings 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  2 Kings 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  Genesis 46:21. He was the son of Bela, and head of the family of the Naamites.  Numbers 26:40;  1 Chronicles 8:3-4.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

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,  Leviticus 14:7 , according to the direction of Elisha,  2 Kings 5:1 -  27;  Luke 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,  Exodus 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.

Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types

 2 Kings 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.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 2 Kings 5:1Leprosy

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 2 Kings 5 Luke 4:27

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Nanman', נִעֲמִן , Pleasantness, as in  Isaiah 17:10), the name of two men.

1. (Sept. Νοεμάν ; but in 1 Chronicles Νοαμά and Νοομά v.r. Μααμάν .) The second of the sons of Bela the son of Benjamin ( Genesis 46:21), apparently exiled by his father ( 1 Chronicles 8:4;  1 Chronicles 8:7), and the head of the family of the NAAMITES ( Numbers 26:40); possibly the same elsewhere ( 1 Chronicles 7:7) called Uzzi. B.C. post 1856. (See Jacob).

2. (Sept. Ναιμάν , and so the best MSS. of the N.T., but Rec. Text Νεεμάν ; Josephus, ῎Αμανος , Ant. 8:15, 5.) The commander of the armies of Benhadad II, king of Damascene Syria, in the time of Joram, king of Israel. B.C. cir. 885. Through his valor and abilities Naaman held a high place in the esteem of his king; 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, Benhadad furnished him with a letter to his traditionary 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, suspecting an intention to fix a quarrel on him. Elisha, hearing of the affair sent for Naaman, who came to the door of his house, but, as a leper, could not be admitted; nor did Elisha come out to him, but sent him word by a servant 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 returnled 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.

He now returned to Elisha, full of gratitude, avowing to him his conviction that the God of Israel, through whom this marvellous deed had been wrought, was great beyond all gods; and declaring that henceforth he would worship him only. He asked permission to take with him two mules' burden of earth. His purpose in this has been disputed, but it was probably to set up in Damascus an altar to Jehovah. He might have heard that an altar of earth was necessary ( Exodus 20:24). The natural explanation is that, with a feeling akin to that which prompted the Pisan invaders to take away the earth of Aceldama for the Campo Santo at Pisa, and in obedience to which the pilgrims to Mecca are said to bring back stones from that sacred territory, the grateful convert to Jehovah wished to take away some of the earth of his country, to form an altar for the burnt-offering and sacrifice which henceforth he intended to dedicate to Jehovah only, and which would be inappropriate if offered on the profane earth of the country of Rimmon or Hadad. We may compare this request with the custom which once prevailed among Christians of carrying away water from the holy river Jordan; and, perhaps more aptly, with a custom still practiced by many Jews of burying a portion of earth from Jerusalem with evenr one of their number who dies in a foreign land.

It would seem, however, that Naaman's faith extended no further than acknowledging the superiority of Jehovah to the gods of other nations so far as his words are naturally understood ( 2 Kings 5:15). The Talmud regards him as a proselyte of the second class (Gittin, 57). Naaman further requested permission to attend his king in the temple of the idol Rimmon, and bow before the god. Some (e.g. Niemeyer, Charakt. 5:371) have indeed referred these expressions to his past acts of idolatry; but this construction cannot be sustained. Nor is it needed to shield Elisha from the imputation of sanctioning the worship of Rimmon; for his words in the 19th verse are simply the usual Hebrew formula of farewell, and do not imply assent to Naaman's requests. See Stackhouse, Hist. Bible, 4:869 sq.; Cotta. Vindiciae Verbor. Naaman (Tubingen, 1756). The grateful Syrian would gladly have pressed upon Elisha gifts of high value, but the holy man resolutely refused to take anything. 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. This narrative, co:aining all that is known of Naaman, is given in 2 Kings, chapter 5. (See Elisha). Naaman's appearance throughout the occurrence is most characteristic and consistent. .He is every inch a soldier, ready at once to resent what he considers as a slight cast either on himself or the natural glories of his country, and blazing out in a moment into sudden "rage," but calmed as speedily by a few good-humored and sensible words from his dependants, and, after the cure has been effected, evincing a thankful and simple heart, whose gratitude knows no bounds and will listen to no refusal. (See Gehazi).

How long Naaman lived to continue the worship of Jehovah while assisting officially at that of Rimmon we are not told. When next we hear of Syria, another, Hazael, apparently held the position which Naaman formerly filled. But the reception which Elisha met with on this later occasion in Damascus probably implies that the fame of "the man of God," and of the mighty Jehovah in whose name he wrought, had not been forgotten in the city of Naaman. A Jewish tradition, at least as old as the time of Josephus (Ant. 8:15, 5), identifies him with the archer whose arrow, whether at random or not, struck Ahab with his mortal wound at Ramoth-Gilead ( 1 Kings 22:34). The expression is remarkable "because that by him Jehovah had given deliverance to Syria" ( 1 Kings 22:1). It seems, however, to point to services of a more important kind for Syria, though not related in Scripture. But inasmuch as the advantage they won for Syria, and the position they tended to acquire for Naaman, were incidentally to subserve the divine purposes towards Israel they may perhaps on this account have been ascribed to Jehovah. Naaman himself, and partly by reason of the very greatness he had thus acquired, was to become all unwittingly an instrument of promoting the divine glory — in some sense even more than those who had directly to do with the cause and kingdom of Jehovah. It is singular that the narrative of Naaman's cure is not found in the present text of Josephus. Its absence makes the reference to him as the slayer of Ahab, already mentioned, still more remarkable. It is quoted by our Lord ( Luke 4:27) as an instance of mercy exercised to one who was not of Israel, and it should not escape notice that the reference to this act of healing is recorded by none of the evangelists but Luke the physician. See Kitto, Daily Bible Illust. ad loc.; Keil, Comment. On Kings, ad loc.; Hantzschel, Naaman Syrus (Brem. 1773); Rogers, Naanman (Lond. 1642); Bingham, Naaman the Syrian (Lond. 1865); Bullock, The Syrian Leper (Lond. 1862).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

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 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].

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

nā ´- a - man ( נעמן , na‛ămān , "pleasantness"; Septuagint: Codices Vaticanus and Alexandrinus Ναιμάν , Naimán  ; so Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek in the New Testament; Textus Receptus of the New Testament , Neemán ):

(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 Kings 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   1 Kings 22:34 . There is one reference to Naaman in the New Testament. In  Luke 4:27 , Jesus, rebuking Jewish exclusiveness, mentions "Naaman the Syrian."

(2) A son of Benjamin  Genesis 46:21 ,  Genesis 46:6 . Fuller and more precise is the description of  Numbers 26:38 ,  Numbers 26:40 , where he is said to be a son of Bela and grandson of Benjamin (see also  1 Chronicles 8:3 ).