2 Kings 5:12

Translations

Modern

Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

Traditional

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.

Literal

Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could not I wash in them and be clean?” And he turned and went away in a rage.

Latin

Numquid non meliores sunt Abana et Pharphar fluvii Damasci, omnibus aquis Israël, ut laver in eis, et munder? Cum ergo vertisset se, et abiret indignans,

Original

Hebrew

English

Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

Notes

2 Kings 5:9–12

Instead of welcoming Naaman, who came to pay for his healing, Elisha left him at the door and sent a messenger to speak with him. Naaman expected special treatment because of his status and felt let down by Elisha's refusal to meet him and by the instructions to wash seven times in the Jordan River. He thought the Jordan was inferior to the rivers of Aram. Washing in the Jordan would visibly show that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, could heal Naaman.

Theme notes and profiles

Elijah Elisha

Events

Prophecies of Elijah

Related verses

Mark 1:9
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
Joshua 3:15–17
Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,
Zechariah 13:1
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
2 Kings 5:17
“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry. For your servant will never again make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD.
Ezekiel 47:1–8
Then the man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
Proverbs 14:17
A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a devious man is hated.
Proverbs 19:11
A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
2 Kings 2:14
Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
2 Kings 2:8
And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
Zechariah 14:8
And on that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it toward the Eastern Sea and the other half toward the Western Sea, in summer and winter alike.

Parallels

Luke 17:11–19

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes

Places

Abana: A river of Damascus, preferred by Naaman over the Jordan Damascus: Ancient city, capital of Syria, important in biblical history Pharpar: A river in Damascus, Syria

Glossary

Abana Amana Cleanness and Uncleanness, Regulations Concerning Damascus Elisha Jordan River Kings, Books of First and Second Naaman Pharpar Sons of the Prophets

Topics

Abana: River of Damascus Anger: Naaman, Because Elisha Directed Him to Wash in the Jordan Elisha: Miracles of Heals Naaman the Leper Excuses: General Scriptures Concerning Joram: Also Called Jehoram: King of Syria Sends Naaman To, So That Namaan May be Healed of his Leprosy Jordan: Naaman Washes In, for the Healing of his Leprosy Leprosy: Healed: Naaman Leprosy: Power of God Manifested in Curing Miracles: Catalogue of Cures Naaman Naaman: A Syrian General, Healed of Leprosy by Elisha Pharpar: Referred to by Naaman Pride: Naaman, Refusing to Wash in the Jordan River Rashness: Naaman, in Refusing to Immerse (Lxx: Baptizo) Himself in the Jordan River Rivers of Damascus Rivers: Abana Rivers: Pharpar Select Readings: Naaman the Leper Syria: Abana and Pharpar Rivers of the River Jordan: Despised by Foreigners Unbelief: Naaman

2 Kings 5:12

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