= 2 Kings 5
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== 2 Kings 5
1 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.
15 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.
16 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.
17 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.
18 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.
19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
20 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.
21 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?
22 And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23 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.
24 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.
25 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.
26 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?
27 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.
== Notes
== Cross Reference
== Commentary
== Rashi
==== Verse 1
Na’amon the general. He goes on and lists the miracles that were performed through Elisha.
Victory to Arom. He drew back his bow innocently and killed Achov.1
==== Verse 2
Bands of marauders [from Arom] went out. When they go [in groups of] one hundred or two hundred by themselves, to plunder whatever they find, that is called a גְּדוּד [=band].
A little girl. A young girl from the city of נַעֲרוֹן.2
She became [a servant] to [Na’amon’s wife]. [Targum Yonoson renders,] “and she served Na’amon’s wife.
==== Verse 3
“My master should plead [for curing his illness] before the prophet.” An expression [similar to], “and Moshe prayed [וַיְחַל].”3 The supplications of all those who pray for him, will be that the miracle shall come before the prophet.
Plead. Soheidement, in O.F., i.e., this is the supplication that he needs.
==== Verse 4
He came. Na’amon.
And told his master. The king of Arom.
==== Verse 5
And took in his hand. A present for the prophet.
Six thousand gold [pieces]. Gold pieces.
==== Verse 6
Saying, “Now when this letter reaches, etc.” The letter said to him, “And now, when this letter reaches, etc.”
Arrange to cure him of this tzora’as. ‘אֲסֵפָה’ [=gathering], pertaining to a metzora, is an expression of his cure, because when he is cured, he is [once again] gathered in among people, but during his illness, everyone stays away from him.4
==== Verse 7
“Am I God?” The [first] ‘ה’ is voweled with a ‘פתח’ to indicate that it is a question.
He is looking for an excuse. He is looking for a pretext to attack me.5 He is looking for an excuse.
[מִתְאַנֶּה is] an expression of “false accusation [=עֲלִילוֹת דְּבָרִים].”6
==== Verse 11
“Behold, I thought.” I thought the prophet would come out and speak with me, and see the ailment.
And wave his hand toward the spot. Of the tzora’as.7
==== Verse 13
“My father [master].” אָבִי [lit., my father, means] the same as אֲדוֹנִי [=my master].8
Would you not do it? Wouldn’t you do it, even if he told you to do something requiring exertion?
Certainly since. By a fortiori conclusion, for he said to you [to do] an easy thing, “immerse yourself and become clean.”
==== Verse 15
A blessing [a gift]. A gift of peace, upon greeting, [e.g.,] when a student or a servant greets [his] master,9 salud, in O.F.10
==== Verse 16
I will not accept. Because monies pertaining to idols are included in it.
==== Verse 17
“Please.” An expression of a request, an expression of הַלְוַאי [=were it only so].11.
“May there be given.” From this soil of Eretz Yisroel, which is holy, a load [of earth] carried by a team of mules, and I will carry it off to my city, and I will make it [into] an altar.
==== Verse 18
The house of Rimon. The name of a pagan deity.
To bow down there. Against my will, when my master bows, because he leans on my hand.
==== Verse 19
A distance. כִּבְרַת אֶרֶץ is the name of a land measure,12 as in, “portions [צִמְדֵי] of vineyard,”13 arpent, in O.F.
==== Verse 20
Something. The ‘א’ is missing,14 because this taking was [responsible for his being stricken with] a flaw [=[מום.
==== Verse 21
And he jumped off. [Targum Yonoson renders,] “and he leaned over.”15
==== Verse 23
“Please.” Swear that he sent you.16
In two bags. Types of garments and kerchiefs, as in, “and the kerchiefs and the pouches [=חֲרִיטִים].”17 Menachem classified it thus. But [Targum] Yonoson rendered this as “פַּלְדָּסִין [=sheets],” and the one [חֲרִיטִים] in the Book of Yeshayahu, [he rendered] as “מְחַכַּיָּא [=a plate covering the genitals].” The exegetes say that “בִּשְׁנֵי חֲרִיטֵי,” means “in two long pockets,” brides, in O.F.
His two servants. Na’amon’s.
And they carried them before him. Before Geichazi.
==== Verse 24
And he came to a concealed place. [Targum] Yonoson rendered, “to a hidden place.”18
And took from their hands. From the hands of Na’amon’s two servants.
And he dismissed the men so that Elisha would not see them.
==== Verse 26
Was that the time to take silver. To become wealthy, and to buy with it clothing and olive [trees], etc.