2 Kings 5 Commentary

“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. with: Heb. before recover: Heb. gather in”

Ancients; princes of the tribes, and officers, (Calmet) with all the chief magistrates. (Haydock) — The high priest, Abiathar, received the oaths of allegiance from the people, and of the king, who promised to govern according to the laws of God. The ark was probably present, and innumerable sacrifices offered on this solemn occasion, as was usual, 1 Paralipomenon xii. 26. Hebron continued to be a place for sacrifices, chap xv. 7. (Calmet) — David had erected here a temporary altar and tabernacle, where Abiathar officiated in his pontifical robes, as it was not safe for the people to go into the dominions of Isboseth, either to Gabaon or to Cariathiarim. (Tostat) — Israel, acknowledging the right which David had to the throne, by God’s appointment. (Haydock; Worthington)

“And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.”

Forty, a round number, as another half year is specified below; (Calmet) or Solomon might be crowned at the expiration of the 40th year. (Du Hamel)

“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. with: Heb. in his hand”

Raiment; the tunic and the cloak, (Calmet) of a finer sort. (Tirinus)

“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.”

Land. This was the only canton which the infidels still retained, as they had still possession of the citadel of Jebus, (Calmet) though the Israelites had been in the country above 400 years. (Kennicott) — Nothing could reflect greater glory on the beginning of David’s reign, than the seizing of this place, (Calmet) which was deemed so impregnable, that the Jebusites thought the blind and the lame were sufficient to defend it. (Haydock) — They placed some upon the walls, (Menochius) “despising him, on account of the strength of their walls.”

“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.”

Leprosy. The cure was deemed very difficult; as it generally kept gaining ground, and destroyed the constitution. See Numbers xii. 12., and Isaias liii 4. (Calmet) — Me. The letter was, in effect, written in a haughty style, (Menochius) and the king might naturally infer that war would be the consequence. (Haydock)

“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.”

Israel; able to perform much greater wonders, by God’s assistance. (Menochius)

“So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.”

Inwards. He built or repaired the higher “city of David,” beginning at Mello, to “fill up” the valley, which Solomon finished, and adorned with a palace, 3 Kings ix. 15., and 4 Kings xii. 20. The place is probably called Asaramel, 1 Machabees xiv. 27. (Calmet) — Septuagint and Josephus generally understand Mello to designate the citadel of Sion, or “a complete fortification,” to defend the city. Instead of inwards, the Septuagint have, “and his house.” But ubithe means, “and to the house,” temple, or fort, whence he began the enclosure, so as to make a complete communication. (Kennicott) — This city became “the most famous in all the East.” (Pliny, [Natural History?] v. 14.) — “Walls, built in a crooked manner, according to the rules of art, enclosed two hills, immensely high.” (Tacitus, Hist. v.) — These hills were multiplied, on account of their different summits, so that Josephus speaks of five hills. The palace of David stood on Sion, and the temple on Moria, which was a part of it still more elevated, towards the east. The other hill is often called Acra, by Josephus, and lay southward of Sion. Here the ancient town of Jebus was built. The Machabees took in an adjoining eminence. (Josephus, Jewish Wars vi. 6.) — Bethsetta, or the new city, was afterwards enclosed. Herod adorned the city with many superb monuments, both of a public and of a private nature. (Calmet) — We read of ten gates, and of four towers, belonging to this city. It was not well supplied with water, and what it had was brackish. The walls seem never to have exceeded four and a half miles; now they are only three, and include Mount Calvary, which was formerly no part of the city. Button says a valley run from west to east, between the two hills of Zion on the south, and Acra on the north; which contradicts the former statement. (Haydock) — Villalpand supposes that the citadel was nine and a half stadia, and all the city thirty-five stadia in circumference, eight of which make an Italian mile. (Menochius)

“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.”

Messenger. Eliseus supports the dignity of God’s envoy, and shews the general that his cure was to be attributed, not to the presence of the prophet, but to the will and goodness of God.

“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. I thought: Heb. I said. or, I said with my self, He will surely come out, etc. strike: Heb. move up and down”

Hiram was a magnificent prince, who kept up a correspondence with Solomon. He greatly adorned the city of Tyre. See Jospehus, contra Apion 1.)

“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. Abana: or, Amana”

Pharphar. Benjamin (p. 53) informs us that the former river serves to water the city, and the second the surrounding gardens. Maundrell could discover no vestiges of these names in Syria, but he describes the Barrady, which supplies Damascus with abundance of water. Stephanus calls it Bardine; and others, the Chrysorroas. The Orontes, which is supposed to be one of these rivers, flows by Antioch into the Mediterranean sea. (Calmet)

“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?”

Father; a title given to masters, kings, &c. The Romans senators were styled, “conscript fathers;” and Homer calls kings “the fathers and shepherds of the people.” See Genesis xlv. 8. (Calmet) — Masters may often derive benefit from the observations of their servants, as Naaman did repeatedly, ver. 2. This may serve to correct their pride. (Haydock) — Clean. The patient ought not to prescribe rules to his physician. (Menochius) — How justly might these words be addressed to delicate penitents! (Haydock)

“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.”

Clean. If bathing seven times in the Jordan had been an infallible remedy, there would soon have been no lepers in the land; and our Saviour plainly intimates that the cure was miraculous, Luke iv. 27. The leprosy of Naaman, though inveterate, was cured in an instant. To bathe in a rapid stream, is allowed to be very salutary for removing the diseases of the skin. (Calmet) (Vales. 38.) — The fathers discover in this miracle, a figure of the Gentiles called to the faith by the Synagogue, which is in servitude, Galatians iv. 25. Baptism cleanses us from all the seven capital sins, (Tertullian, contra Marc. 4.) so that no vestiges remain. (St. Ambrose, &c.) (Calmet)

“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.”

A blessing. A present, (Challoner) accompanied with wishes of happiness, on both sides. We have seen that the prophets generally received such presents. But Eliseus acts with more reserve in regard of this stranger, as St. Paul did towards the new converts; though he received some sustenance from those, who would be less in danger of suspecting that he was actuated by selfish views in preaching the gospel, 2 Corinthians x. 7., and xii. 14., and Matthew x. 8. (Calmet) — They abstained from every appearance of evil, (Haydock) though they might lawfully have accepted such presents. Eliseus wished to convince Naaman that God’s grace was not to be purchased, and to leave a lesson of moderation to future teachers. (Menochius)

“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.”

Eliphaleth. Septuagint reckon twenty instead of eleven. (Calmet) — The Vatican copy has twenty-four, as some of the names have been read differently, so as to make two persons, and thus frequently a double translation occurs in the Septuagint; the one being taken either from Aquila, &c., or from some more early version, of which we know not the author. (Grabe) (Kennicott, Diss. ii. p. 404.)

“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.”

Mule; (burdonum,) the offspring of a horse and of an ass. (Menochius) — Earth, to make brick for an altar, or to inclose within a box of brass, as was done in the altar of holocausts in the desert; or, in fine, to sprinkle on some clean place, where an altar might be erected, in honour of the true God. He does not inquire what ceremonies were used in the land of Israel, (Calmet) as he was not enrolled by circumcision, among the Hebrews, as an observer of their law; but intended to serve God, like Job, and many other righteous Gentiles, who kept themselves clear of idolatry, and observed the ancient patriarchal religion with a clean heart. (Haydock) — As God had sanctified the land by the observance of his true religion, Naaman rightly judged that it was fitter for an altar than the earth of his own country. (Worthington) — The Jews had a particular veneration for it, Psalm ci. 15. They built a synagogue in Persia, with earth and stones taken from Jerusalem. (Benjamin) — Christians sometimes carry away the same earth. (St. Augustine, de C.[City of God?] xxii. 8.) (Turon. i. 7.) — The Donatists had a sovereign respect for it; (St. Augustine, ep. 52.) and it is said that St. Helena brought a great quantity to the church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, at Rome. (Mabillon, Itin. p. 187.) (Calmet) — Lord. Out of Palestine, the Gentiles were not prohibited to offer sacrifice to the true God any where; nor were they under any obligation of following the law of Moses. (Abulensis) (Tirinus)

“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.”

Remmon, denotes “a pomegranate,” or something “elevated,” and is probably an epithet of the sun, the chief idol of the Syrians, which was also styled Adad, “one,” as both are united, Zacharias xii. 11. — Rempham is probably the same divinity, Acts vii. 43. Septuagint here read, Remman. Hesychius explains Ramas, “the highest god.” Selden thinks the Elion of the Phœnicians is understood; Grotius, that Saturn, the highest of the planets, is meant. Serarius declares for Venus, to whom pomegranates were sacred; and P. Martyr for Juno, who held one of these apples in her hand. (Pausan. in Corinth) — Remmon occurs no where else. — Hand. This was an honour of the chief favourite, chap. vii. 2. (Calmet) — Thing. He does not ask leave to commit sin, which would be absurd; though Protestants are not ashamed to accuse the Catholic Church, as if her “indulgences” were pardons for sins to come; though they be in reality no pardon for sin at all, but only a remission of temporal punishment, after the sin has been remitted by penance. Why do they not manfully attack what we really profess to believe? — When he. Hebrew, “when I bow,” &c. (Haydock)

“And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way. a little: Heb. a little piece of ground”

Go in peace. What the prophet here allowed, was not an outward conformity to an idolatrous worship, but only a service which by his office he owed to his master; who, on all public occasions, leaned on him: so that his bowing down when his master bowed himself down, was not in effect adoring the idols; nor was it so understood by the standers by, (since he publicly professed himself a worshipper of the only true and living God) but it was no more than doing a civil office to the king, his master, whose leaning upon him obliged him to bow at the same time that he bowed. (Challoner) — Some assert that the prophet does not even authorize this civil assistance in the temple of idols, but simply tells Naaman to go in peace, and to think no more of his former religion; that he will beseech the Lord not to suffer him to be exposed to the danger. (Junius and Piscator) (Calmet) — Some formerly pleaded this example, to excuse their occasional conformity in going to the Protestant churches, as the law required. But the case was very different. Greater perfection is required in the new law. They had not to act in the capacity of Naaman; and their attendance was considered as a profession of a false religion. Their directors loudly condemned the practice. They ought rather to have imitated Eleazar, &c., who refused to eat swine’s flesh, 2 Machabees vi., and vii. (Worthington) — Though the king intended to adore the idol, Naaman referred his worship to God alone. (Bristow, Mot. 23.; Theodoret, q. 19.; and a Greek interpreter.) — The Hebrew term signifies, either to adore mentally, or to bend down; which latter is the sense applicable to Naaman. (Cajetan) (Amama) — His “request must certainly refer to the time past, and not to that to come; as if he begged an indulgence in idolatry, or of countenancing his master’s idol-worship, by his presence.” (Button, Dict.) — The Jews foolishly pretend (Calmet) that “the proselyte of dwelling,” like Naaman, might return to the service of idols, in his own country, without its being imputed to him. (Selden, Jur. ii. 11.) (Maimonides) — The conduct of the Syrian convert, whether past or future, undoubtedly filled him with alarm. If he considered the danger of a merely civil attendance upon the king, in an idolatrous temple, we cannot condemn him of idle scrupulosity; (Haycock) since many have found a difficulty in admitting the lawfulness of such a practice, and have even blamed both Naaman and the prophet. (Greg. de Valentia, &c., ep. Cornelius a Lapide) (Calmet) — But if the practice was irreprehensible, as most interpreters assert, the answer of Eliseus might give this assurance to Naaman, and inform him that he need be under no farther apprehension on that account. Go in peace. These words do not expressly solve the difficulty; but the mode in which they were uttered might intimate, either that the general would be no longer under that embarrassment, (as we do not read that he ever attended the king of Syria into the temple afterwards) or that God had forgiven his former offences, and particularly the scandalous idolatry which now gave him so much pain. The original, ver. 18, which is generally translated in the present or future, (Haydock) may be better rendered in the past tense, as the Chaldean has it. “In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant. My master going into the temple of Remmon to worship there, and leaning upon my hand, and I worshipped in the temple of Remmon, when I did worship in the temple of Remmon, that the Lord pardon,” &c. St. Jerome and the Septuagint seem to have read more correctly, when he, &c. We may also render it in the present tense, “and I worship,” or, “am wont to adore;” not that he meant to prevaricate any longer. The Syriac and Arabic read with an interrogation. “When I shall adore….(Calmet; or bow down, Haydock) will the Lord pardon me?” But this rather increases the difficulty. (Calmet) — We may therefore conclude either that Naaman had no decision, or that he had leave to serve his master, (Haydock) in a civil capacity even in the temple; (Menochius; Tirinus; Alex. 2. dis. 7.; Santius, &c.) or, that he obtained pardon for his past transgressions. (Bochart; Calmet, &c.) — Earth, as the expression is rendered [in] Genesis xxxv. 16., thoug here it is literally, “at the chosen season;” electo, not verno. The sense is the same. Cibrath, untranslated by the Septuagint, may denote a certain space, or village; (Haydock) “a furrow,” of 240 feet long, and half that breadth; (Calmet) “a mile;” (Chaldean; Pagnin) or a portion of time allowed by the law, about a quarter of an hour, during which a mile, or sabbath-day’s journey, might be performed. (Tirinus) — Protestants, “a little way.”

“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.”

Liveth. How unnecessary was this oath! But the Simoniac has no regard for any thing but money. (Haydock)

“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? Is: Heb. Is there peace?”

Away, and burnt. (Par.[1 Paralipomenon xiv. 12.?) The ark had on the contrary proved fatal to the gods, and to the people of the Philistines; who might hence perceive the difference there was between the true God and their false gods.

“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.”

Him. The weight must have been considerable, (6000 sicles, ver. 26., and Exodus xxxviii. 25.; Haydock) otherwise Giezi would have preferred carrying them himself, that his master might not know. (Calmet) — He had pretended a reluctance to take more than one talent, not to swerve from his master’s injunctions. (Menochius)

“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. tower: or, secret place”

Evening. Septuagint, Syriac, &c., seems to have read aupol, instead of the present Hebrew hopel, eminence,” (Calmet) Protestants, “tower,” (Haydock) at or near Samaria; when Giezi thought proper to take the burden himself to prevent detection. Eliseus would hardly dismiss the Syrians, when the night was so near at hand. (Calmet) — It might however be found more eligible to travel in the evening, (Haydock) as it was now the spring or summer season, (Tirinus) or at least warm, ver. 10. (Haydock)

“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. no whither: Heb. not hither or thither”

Gabaa, which some would understand of “the hills” of Bochim. (Calmet) — But in Septuagint (Alexandrian) and in Paralipomenon, we read Gabaon, a city near the birth-place of Saul. (Haydock) — David pursued the enemy by Gabaa, and took from them all the cities of which they had taken possession, after their victory. (Calmet) — Gezer was in the tribe of Ephraim, (Menochius) on the confines of the Philistines. (Calmet)

“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?”

Present is not expressed in Hebrew but must be understood. Protestants, “Went not mine heart with thee.” (Haydock) — God has revealed the whole transaction to me. (Menochius) — Heart in Scripture, often denotes the spirit or soul. (Haydock)

“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.”

For ever. Not perhaps to those who might be already born, unless they were accomplices in the crime. The leprosy is hereditary. Giezi was punished for simony, in selling the miracle, as well as for lying and disobedience. (Calmet) — He might also have given occasion to Naaman to judge ill of his master; as the false prophets were noted for such avarice, Micheas iii. 11. But Eliseus would probably take care to give him better information. (Tirinus) — He did not require his servant to give up what he had unjustly received, as the general had made over the property to him; and he thought proper to leave it in the hands of Giezi, to indemnify him for past services, and that he might have wherewith to support himself, as he now dismissed him from his company. (Salien, the year before Christ 903.) — Snow, and therefore more incurable. (Tirinus) — See Leviticus xiii. (Calmet) — “All the covetous and misers, together with their riches, possess the leprosy of Giezi:” thesaurum criminum congregarunt. (St. Ambrose) Giezi prefigured Judas, the false apostle of Christ, and all those who buy or sell spiritual things. By their avarice, they procure infamy in this world, and damnation in the next. (St. Augustine, ep. 208, de Temp.) (Worthington)