5. ten talents of silver—£3421; 6000 shekels of gold; a large sum of uncertain value. ten changes of raiment—splendid dresses, for festive occasions—the honor being thought to consist not only in the beauty and fineness of the material, but on having a variety to put on one after another, in the same night. read more
God’s ability to heal and cleanse ch. 5Naaman (Aram. gracious) was commander of the Aramean army under Ben-Hadad II (cf. 1 Kings 15:18; 1 Kings 15:20). Some forms of leprosy in the ancient world degenerated the bodies of its victims and eventually proved fatal. At this time no one could cure this disease. In Israel the priests normally isolated lepers from non-lepers because the disease was contagious, at least in certain stages (cf. Leviticus 13-14). Naaman was able to carry on his duties as... read more
The Healing of Naaman and the Punishment of Gehazi1. The Lord.. Syria] Possibly the enemies from whom the Syrians had been saved were the Assyrians. Naaman, in delivering his countrymen from them, had been an unconscious instrument in the hands of Jehovah. A leper] see on Leviticus 13. Leprosy is of slow development, and as Naaman retained his military command, his malady cannot have reached a very advanced stage. It is not likely, in any case, that the Syrians observed the same strict rules... read more
(5) Go to, go.—Depart thou (thither), enter (the land of Israel).A letter.—Written, probably, in that old Aramean script of which we have examples on Assyrian seals of the eighth century B.C. , and which closely resembled the old Phœnician and Hebrew characters, as well as that of the Moabite stone (2 Kings 1:1, Note).With him.—In his hand. (Comp. the expression “to fill the hand for Jehovah”—i.e., with presents; 1 Chronicles 29:5.)Changes of raiment.—Or, holiday suits. Reuss, habits de fête.... read more
(6) Now.—Heb., And now, continuing an omitted passage. Only the principal sentence of the letter is given. The message pre-supposes a not altogether hostile relation between the two kings; and the words of the next verse, “He seeketh a quarrel against me,” point to the time of comparative lull which ensued after the luckless expedition to Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22:0), and the short reign of the invalid Ahaziah; i.e., to the reign of Jehoram, not to that of Jehoahaz, in which Israel was wholly... read more
Now Naaman Was a Leper, But 2 Kings 5:1 As a rule our interest in the story of Naaman centres round the dramatic incident of his healing in the waters of Jordan. Looking at the story as a whole, and seeing it in its true perspective, it is inevitable that this should be the case. But I am going to ask you to look at the history of Naaman from another point of view. What can we gather from the story of Naaman's life before there came into it the whisper of hope through the lips of the little... read more
THE STORY OF NAAMAN2 Kings 5:1-27And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:3AFTER these shorter anecdotes we have the longer episode of Naaman.A part of the misery inflicted by the Syrians on Israel was caused by the forays in which their light-armed bands, very much like the borderers on the marshes of Wales or Scotland, descended upon the country and carried off plunder and captives before they could be... read more
4. Naaman and His Healing CHAPTER 5 1. Naaman, the leper (2 Kings 5:1 ) 2. The testimony of the maid of Israel (2 Kings 5:2-4 ) 3. The message to the king of Israel (2 Kings 5:5-8 ) 4. Naaman and Elisha (2 Kings 5:9-19 ) 5. Gehazi; His sin and punishment (2 Kings 5:20-27 ) The story of this chapter is peculiarly rich in its spiritual and dispensational meaning. Naaman, captain of Ben-hadad, the King of Syria, was a Gentile. He was no common man. In all his greatness and might, with... read more
5:5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and {d} took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of raiment.(d) To give this as a present to the prophets. read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 2 Kings 5:6
2 Kings 5:6. That thou mayest recover him of his leprosy— Or, "That by thy command the prophet who is with thee may cleanse him." See 2 Kings 5:3. Kings are often said to do those things which they command to be done; in which view, there is no ambiguity in the letter of the king of Syria. But the king of Israel thought himself mocked by it. The king's expression in the next verse, Am I a God, &c.? refers to what we have had occasion to remark in the notes upon Leviticus, that the leprosy... read more