If you’re looking for a Bible story that is full of redemption and forgiveness, the story of Naaman is perfect for you. Naaman was a powerful general in the army of Syria, but he was also a proud and arrogant man. When he became ill, his servants sought out a prophet who could heal him. But instead of going to Israel as they had hoped, Naaman was told to go and wash in the Jordan River. This was not an easy thing for him to do, but he eventually did as he was told and was healed of his sickness. In this Bible study, we will take a closer look at the life of Naaman and learn what we can learn from his story!
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2 Kings 5:1-14 King James Version – KJV
Scripture Reference for Naaman Healed in the Bible
2 Kings 5:1-14 KJV 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. (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. (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 took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. (6) 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. (7) 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. (8) 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. (9) So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. (10) 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. (11) 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. (12) 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. (13) 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? (14) 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.
2 Kings 5:1-14 New International Version – NIV
Naaman Bible Story about Healing in the Old Testament
2 Kings 5:1-14 NIV Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. (2) Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. (3) She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” (4) Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. (5) “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. (6) The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” (7) As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” (8) When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” (9) So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. (10) Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” (11) But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. (12) Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. (13) Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” (14) So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
2 Kings 5:1-14 The Message Bible Paraphrase
The Story of How God Healed Naaman Healed of Leprosy
2 Kings 5:1-14 MSG Naaman was general of the army under the king of Aram. He was important to his master, who held him in the highest esteem because it was by him that GOD had given victory to Aram: a truly great man, but afflicted with a grievous skin disease. (2) It so happened that Aram, on one of its raiding expeditions against Israel, captured a young girl who became a maid to Naaman’s wife. (3) One day she said to her mistress, “Oh, if only my master could meet the prophet of Samaria, he would be healed of his skin disease.” (4) Naaman went straight to his master and reported what the girl from Israel had said. (5) “Well then, go,” said the king of Aram. “And I’ll send a letter of introduction to the king of Israel.” So he went off, taking with him about 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothes. (6) Naaman delivered the letter to the king of Israel. The letter read, “When you get this letter, you’ll know that I’ve personally sent my servant Naaman to you; heal him of his skin disease.” (7) When the king of Israel read the letter, he was terribly upset, ripping his robe to pieces. He said, “Am I a god with the power to bring death or life that I get orders to heal this man from his disease? What’s going on here? That king’s trying to pick a fight, that’s what!” (8) Elisha the man of God heard what had happened, that the king of Israel was so distressed that he’d ripped his robe to shreds. He sent word to the king, “Why are you so upset, ripping your robe like this? Send him to me so he’ll learn that there’s a prophet in Israel.” (9) So Naaman with his horses and chariots arrived in style and stopped at Elisha’s door. (10) Elisha sent out a servant to meet him with this message: “Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you’ll be as good as new.” (11) Naaman lost his temper. He turned on his heel saying, “I thought he’d personally come out and meet me, call on the name of GOD, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease. (12) The Damascus rivers, Abana and Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in them? I’d at least get clean.” He stomped off, mad as a hornet. (13) But his servants caught up with him and said, “Father, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn’t you have done it? So why not this simple ‘wash and be clean’?” (14) So he did it. He went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, following the orders of the Holy Man. His skin was healed; it was like the skin of a little baby. He was as good as new.
The Story of Naaman in the Bible
Naaman’s story begins in Syria, where he was a powerful general in the army. He was respected by his fellow soldiers and loved by his family. However, Naaman was also a proud and arrogant man. When he became ill, his servants sought out a prophet who could heal him. But instead of going to Israel as they had hoped, Naaman was told to go and wash in the Jordan River. This was not an easy thing for him to do, but he eventually did as he was told and was healed of his sickness.
After he had been healed, Naaman realized that there was more to life than just being successful and powerful. He came to understand that humility and obedience are more important than pride and arrogance. This change in heart led Naaman to convert to the worship of the one true God.
The story of Naaman is a powerful reminder that no one is too far from God’s grace. No matter how proud or arrogant we may be, God is always willing to forgive us and heal us if we are willing to humble ourselves and obey Him. We can all learn from Naaman’s story and strive to live more humble and obedient lives. Thank you for joining me in this Bible study!
FAQ about Naaman in the Bible
Naaman was a great man, a mighty warrior, and a successful military leader. However, he was also a leper. For Naaman, leprosy was not just a physical ailment; it was also a spiritual affliction. In the eyes of his peers and subordinates, Naaman was unclean and undeserving of respect.
That all changed when Naaman met with the prophet Elisha. Elisha told Naaman to bathe in the River Jordan seven times and he would be healed. At first, Naaman was skeptical but he did as he was instructed and to his amazement, he was cured! Not only had his physical ailments been healed but his soul had been cleansed as
The name Naaman can be literally translated to mean “pleasantness.” It was given to him as an honorary title because of his impressive military victories.
Leprosy was a sign of God’s punishment in the Bible. It symbolized physical and spiritual uncleanliness. Those who had leprosy were quarantined from the rest of society because they were considered “unclean.” In Leviticus, God instructed Moses on how to deal with those who had leprosy. They were to be moved outside of the camp and their clothes were to be torn. They were not to return until they were healed. Lepers were also excluded from worshiping in the temple. They could not participate in religious festivals or offer sacrifices. If they did come into contact with someone, they had to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” The penalty for not following these rules was death.
Download the free Sunday School lesson on 2 Kings 5:1-14 on the Bible story of Naaman’s healing for kids from Minsitry-To-Children.com