Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 2 Kings
Chapter 5: Wash, and Be Clean
A great Syrian general is a leper, and a little captive Israelite maid points him to the prophet in Samaria. Naaman comes with gold and pride, expecting a grand cure, and is offended by the simple command: wash in Jordan seven times. When at last he humbles himself and obeys, his flesh becomes like a child's, and he confesses there is no God but the God of Israel. But Elisha's greedy servant Gehazi grasps the reward the prophet refused, and takes the leper's disease as well.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 2 Kings chapter 5. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
The Leprous General (2 Kings 5:1-7)
A captive Israelite girl points the great Syrian leper to the prophet of the LORD.
Would God My Lord Were With the Prophet
"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. 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. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. And the king of Syria said, Go to, 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. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 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 recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."
Word Study
"but he was a leper," Hebrew metzora (מְצֹרָע). The chapter opens with a great man and a single crushing "but": Naaman was captain of Syria's army, "a great man," "honourable," "a mighty man in valour", and "but he was a leper." All his greatness could not touch his deepest need; leprosy, the loathsome, isolating disease, is Scripture's frequent picture of sin, which no rank or wealth can cure. Into this hopeless case God sends help through the least likely person: "a little maid," a captured Israelite slave girl serving Naaman's wife. She could have nursed bitterness against her captors; instead she bears witness to the God of Israel: "Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria!" A child, a captive, a servant, becomes the messenger of grace to a great man, because she knew where healing was to be found. God delights to use the small and overlooked to point the great to Himself; "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Corinthians 1:27). The contrast with the king of Israel is sharp: he panics, rends his clothes, and sees only a political trap, "Am I God, to kill and to make alive?" The king has power and no faith; the maid has no power and much faith. When trouble comes, it is faith, not position, that knows where to turn.
Explanation
Naaman, the powerful and respected commander of Syria's army, through whom God had given Syria military success, suffered from leprosy. Among his household was a young Israelite girl, captured in a raid, who served his wife. She told her mistress that the prophet in Samaria could cure Naaman. Word reached the Syrian king, who sent Naaman with a lavish payment and a letter to the king of Israel demanding his cure. The king of Israel, reading it, tore his clothes in dismay, protesting that he was not God with power over life and healing, and suspecting the Syrian king of picking a quarrel. He saw only a crisis; he did not think of the prophet of God in his own land.
Gospel Focus
"But he was a leper." However great we are in the world's eyes, sin is the "but" that undoes us all, and no wealth, rank, or achievement can cleanse it. Naaman's leprosy is a picture of every soul's need. And see how grace comes: not through the mighty, but through "a little maid," a captive slave girl who simply told what she knew of the God of Israel. You do not have to be great to point others to the great Physician; the humblest believer, in the hardest place, can bear witness, "there is a prophet"; there is a Saviour who can cleanse. Do not despise your smallness or your circumstances; God uses the little maid. And note the failure of the king, all position and no faith, who tore his clothes when he should have sent to the prophet. Position without faith is helpless; faith without position is mighty, for it knows where to find God. When your leprosy is exposed and your greatness fails you, do not despair like the king; listen to the little maid, and go to the One who can make you clean.
The Simple Command (2 Kings 5:8-14)
Naaman's pride recoils at so simple a cure, until his servants persuade him to obey.
His Flesh Came Again Like a Little Child
"And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."
Word Study
"Wash, and be clean," Hebrew rachatz u-tehar (רְחַץ וּטְהָר). Elisha does not even come out to Naaman; he sends a messenger with a plain, humbling command: "Go and wash in Jordan seven times... and thou shalt be clean." Naaman is enraged, and his anger exposes the two great enemies of saving faith: pride and preconception. Pride: "I thought, He will surely come out to me," he expected to be treated as the great man he was, with an impressive ceremony. Preconception: "Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?", he had decided in advance how the cure should look, and the muddy Jordan offended him. He nearly forfeited his healing because the remedy was too simple and too humbling. But his servants wisely reasoned: if the prophet had commanded "some great thing," he would gladly have done it; how much more this easy word, "Wash, and be clean?" When he finally laid aside pride and obeyed exactly, "dipped himself seven times," his flesh became "like unto the flesh of a little child." The cure was in the obedience, not the water; the Jordan had no power, but God's word did. And the result, flesh like a little child, echoes Jesus' words that we must "be converted, and become as little children" (Matthew 18:3) to enter the kingdom. Cleansing comes not by great works or our own reasoning, but by humble obedience to God's simple word.
Explanation
Hearing of the king's distress, Elisha sent word to send Naaman to him, that Syria might know there was a true prophet in Israel. Naaman arrived in state at Elisha's door, but the prophet did not even come out; he sent a messenger telling Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan and be healed. Naaman was furious, insulted by the lack of ceremony and by being told to wash in Israel's muddy river rather than the finer rivers of Damascus, and he stormed off. His servants gently reasoned with him: if the prophet had asked something hard, he would have done it, so why not this simple thing? Persuaded, Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan as commanded, and his skin was restored, healthy as a child's. He was clean.
Gospel Focus
Naaman almost missed his healing because it was too simple and too humbling, and in that lies one of the clearest gospel pictures in the Old Testament. The way of salvation offends human pride in exactly the same way. We want to do "some great thing," to earn our cleansing by impressive effort, to be cured with dignity intact; and we recoil at a gospel that says simply, "Wash, and be clean," believe and be saved, come as you are. The rivers of Damascus, our own righteousness, our own religion, seem "better" to us than the humbling fountain God provides. But there is cleansing in only one place: "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7); "there shall be a fountain opened... for sin and for uncleanness" (Zechariah 13:1). Naaman had to lay aside his pride and his own ideas and obey God's simple word, and so must we. The result is a new beginning, "flesh... like unto the flesh of a little child", the picture of being born again, made new, coming as a child. Do not let pride keep you from the simple gospel. Stop reasoning; go down to the fountain; wash, and be clean.
There Is No God But in Israel (2 Kings 5:15-19)
The cleansed Naaman confesses the one true God, and Elisha refuses all reward.
There Is No God in All the Earth, but in Israel
"And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant. But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way."
Word Study
"there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel," the great confession of the one God. The healed body leads to a healed heart. Naaman returns and makes a stunning confession for a pagan Syrian: "now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." He has come to know the LORD as the one and only God, exactly the truth this whole book proclaims (Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 45:5). His conversion is real: he wants to worship the LORD alone and, in a touching detail, asks for "two mules' burden of earth" to take home, so he may worship the God of Israel on soil of Israel. Elisha's refusal of any reward, "As the LORD liveth... I will receive none", is crucial: salvation is a free gift and must never look bought; grace cannot be purchased, and the prophet will not let it appear so. Naaman's remaining question about bowing in "the house of Rimmon" (the Syrian storm-god) when duty compels him to attend his master shows a tender, newborn conscience wrestling honestly with how to live out his new faith in a pagan court, and Elisha's gentle "Go in peace" leaves the young convert in God's hands. Jesus later pointed to this Gentile's cleansing as a rebuke to unbelieving Israel: "many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian" (Luke 4:27), a sign that God's saving grace reaches beyond Israel to all who will believe.
Explanation
Cleansed, Naaman returned to Elisha and confessed his new faith: the God of Israel is the only true God in all the earth. He pressed Elisha to accept a gift, but the prophet firmly refused any payment, so that the cure would be seen as God's free grace, not a transaction. Naaman then asked to take home a load of Israelite soil, resolving to worship the LORD alone and no other god. He also raised an honest concern: his official duty required him to accompany his master into the temple of the god Rimmon and bow when the king leaned on his arm; he asked God's pardon for that outward act. Elisha simply said, "Go in peace," entrusting the new believer to the LORD. Naaman departed a changed man, a worshipper of the true God.
Gospel Focus
Naaman's cleansing brought him to the great confession: "there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel." True healing of the body led to true knowledge of God, for the LORD's mercies are meant to lead us to Himself. Here is a Gentile brought to faith in the one God, a foretaste of the gospel going to all nations, and Jesus Himself held up "Naaman the Syrian" as proof that grace is not confined to the privileged but given to whoever will believe. Note Elisha's refusal of payment: "I will receive none." The gift of God cannot be bought; "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23), and "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Any gospel that puts a price on grace is a false one. And see the tender patience of God with a young convert wrestling with the hard question of Rimmon: God meets new believers where they are and leads them on, "go in peace." If God cleansed a pagan general and received his newborn, imperfect faith, He will receive you. Confess the one true God made known in Jesus Christ, and go in peace.
Gehazi's Leprosy (2 Kings 5:20-27)
Elisha's servant grasps the reward the prophet refused, and takes Naaman's leprosy with it.
The Leprosy Shall Cleave Unto Thee
"But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow."
Word Study
"a leper as white as snow," and the sin of covetousness. The chapter's dark epilogue turns on Gehazi, Elisha's servant. What his master had refused for the honor of God and the freeness of grace, Gehazi coveted: "I will run after him, and take somewhat of him." His sin is a chain of evils, greed, then lies (inventing a story of two young prophets), then more lies when confronted ("Thy servant went no whither"). Greed is never alone; "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Timothy 6:10), and it breeds deceit. Gehazi undid the very testimony Elisha had guarded, making it look, to Naaman, as though the God of Israel's grace could be bought after all. Elisha, given supernatural insight ("Went not mine heart with thee?"), exposes him and pronounces the sentence: "The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee." In a terrible reversal, the disease that left the believing Gentile now clings to the covetous Israelite: "he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow." Naaman came a leper and left clean; Gehazi came clean and left a leper. The one who reached for what God gives freely, as though it could be seized for gain, lost everything. "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23). Covetousness, especially trading on the things of God for profit, is deadly; Gehazi stands with Achan, Ananias, and Sapphira as a warning against greed in the household of God.
Explanation
Elisha's servant Gehazi was disturbed that his master had let the wealthy Syrian go without taking anything. Greedy for the reward, he ran after Naaman, lied that Elisha now wanted silver and clothing for two visiting young prophets, and accepted even more than he asked. He hid the goods at home and returned as if nothing had happened. When Elisha asked where he had been, Gehazi lied again. But Elisha revealed that his spirit had gone with Gehazi and seen it all, and rebuked him: this was no time to be grasping wealth and possessions. As judgment, the very leprosy Naaman had been cured of would cling to Gehazi and his descendants. Gehazi left the prophet's presence a leper, white as snow, his greed having cost him everything.
Gospel Focus
Gehazi is the tragic counterpoint to Naaman: the Gentile leper went home clean, and the Israelite servant went out a leper. The difference was the heart, faith and humility in the one, covetousness and deceit in the other. His sin was the love of money, which "is the root of all evil," and it drove him to lie, to trade on the free grace of God for personal gain, and to ruin a testimony. It is a grave warning to all who serve in the things of God: to make merchandise of the gospel, to seek gain from ministry, is to invite God's judgment. Simon Magus tried to buy the gift of God and was told, "thy money perish with thee" (Acts 8:20); Ananias and Sapphira lied for money and fell dead (Acts 5). God guards the freeness of His grace jealously. And Gehazi's greed was folly as well as sin, for he grasped silver and gained leprosy; "what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36). Guard your heart against covetousness. The grace of God is free, precious, and not for sale; those who would traffic in it for gain, like Gehazi, lose far more than they grasp. Serve God for love of Him, not for what you can get, and let no love of money leprous your soul.
Chapter in Review
Second Kings 5 is the great chapter of Naaman the leper, one of Scripture's clearest gospel pictures. A mighty Syrian general is undone by one word, "but he was a leper", and grace reaches him through the witness of a little captive maid. Coming with gold and pride, Naaman is offended by the humbling simplicity of the cure, "Wash, and be clean", until his servants persuade him to obey, and his flesh is made new like a child's. Cleansed, he confesses the one true God, "there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel", and Elisha refuses all payment, guarding the freeness of grace. But greedy Gehazi grasps the reward the prophet refused, and the leprosy that left the believing Gentile cleaves to the covetous Israelite. The chapter proclaims that sin, like leprosy, is cured only by humble obedience to God's simple word; that grace is free and cannot be bought; and that covetousness in God's service is deadly.
Key Takeaways
- Sin is the "but" no greatness can cure. Naaman's leprosy pictures the need every soul has, whatever its rank.
- God uses the small to reach the great. A little captive maid pointed a general to the God who could heal him.
- Pride nearly forfeits salvation. The gospel offends us by being too simple; "Wash, and be clean" humbles our self-effort.
- Grace is free and cannot be bought. Elisha refused all reward; salvation is "the gift of God, not of works."
- Covetousness in God's service is deadly. Gehazi grasped silver and gained leprosy; guard your heart against greed.
Questions for Reflection
- What is the "but" in your life that all your greatness cannot cure, and have you brought it to God?
- Are you, like the little maid, willing to point others to the One who heals, whatever your circumstances?
- Does the simplicity of the gospel offend your pride? Will you humble yourself and simply obey?
- Do you treat God's grace as free, or are you trying to earn or buy what only He can give?
- Is there any "Gehazi" greed in your heart, seeking gain from the things of God?
References
- Scripture: 2 Kings 5:1-27, King James Version.
- Cross-references: Numbers 32:23; Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 45:5; Zechariah 13:1; Matthew 18:3; Mark 8:36; Luke 4:27; Acts 5:1-11; 8:18-20; Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 1:27; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Timothy 6:10; 1 John 1:7.
- Hebrew word meanings: standard lexical sources (Strong's, BDB) for metzora and rachatz u-tehar; historical background of Syria, the Jordan, and the god Rimmon.