2 Kings 5:18

18. Pardon thy servant Here is truly an example of one asking pardon, or at least apologizing, for an offence he is yet to commit. But the peculiar nature of the offence is to be taken into consideration, and it must not be assumed that Elisha sanctioned his purposes. See on 2 Kings 5:19.

My master The king of Syria.

Goeth into the house of Rimmon The temple erected in honour of this Syrian deity, and in which the idol was pompously worshipped. This is the only scriptural mention of this Syrian deity, but traces of the name appear in Tabrimon (1 Kings 15:18) and Hadadrimmon Zechariah 12:11. As to the origin and signification of the name no settled opinion can well be formed. As Rimmon ( רמון ) signifies a pomegranate, some have thought this deity was the emblem or personification of some fertilizing principle in nature, and hence presenting a relic of the ancient tree-worship of the East. Others take Rimmon to be “the abbreviated form of Hadadrimmon, Hadad being the sun-god of the Syrians. Combining this with the pomegranate, which was his symbol, Hadadrimmon would then be the sun-god of the later summer, who ripens the pomegranate and other later fruits, and, after infusing into them his productive power, dies, and is mourned with the ‘mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.’” Zechariah 12:11. But Selden, Gesenius, and others, derive the word from the root רום , or רמם , to be high, and understand it as the name of the supreme Syrian god, the “most high.”

He leaneth on my hand That is, Naaman attended the king when he went to worship, and assisted him when necessary in the performance of peculiar ceremonies.

I bow myself As it had been one duty of Naaman, as the king’s adjutant, to accompany his master into the temple of Rimmon, he had, of course, been accustomed to show all proper respect and reverence for the place and the worship. When his master bowed, he bowed; and now when he returns to his master he expects to be required to perform the same service still. He wishes to be a loyal subject and servant of his king, but he cannot truly worship Rimmon. He hopes, therefore, to be excusable, if, as a loyal subject, he submits to go through the mere forms of service which his king requires, but does not allow his heart to engage in the idol-worship.