Naaman's Return to Israel with Earth from Jordan River
Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, after being miraculously cured of leprosy by washing in the Jordan River, requested two mule-loads of earth from Israel to take back to his homeland [5, 3]. This unusual request, recorded in 2 Kings 5, reflects a theological understanding prevalent in the ancient Near East regarding the connection between a deity and their land.
Naaman's healing occurred after he initially resisted the prophet Elisha's instruction to wash seven times in the Jordan. Naaman, a man of high standing, expected a more elaborate reception and a more impressive healing ritual, preferring the rivers of Damascus to the Jordan [4, 7, 10]. However, after his servants persuaded him, he complied and was cleansed [3]. This event underscored that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, could heal him [10].
The Jordan River itself held significant symbolic meaning in Israelite history. It was the primary river of Palestine, known as "the descender" due to its rapid flow from the snows of Mount Hermon down to the Dead Sea [1, 2]. The Israelites famously crossed the Jordan on dry ground when entering the Promised Land, a miraculous event where the waters "stood and rose up upon a heap" far upstream at the city of Adam [8, 9]. This act established the Jordan as a boundary and a place where God's power was demonstrated [6, 8]. Rabbinic tradition also viewed the Jordan as a significant partition, separating flocks and even counties [11, 12, 13].
Naaman's request for earth from Israel can be interpreted in several ways. In the ancient world, it was commonly believed that a deity's power was localized to their specific territory [10]. By taking Israelite soil, Naaman likely intended to establish a place in Syria where he could worship Yahweh on what he considered to be "holy ground" [10]. This would allow him to continue worshipping the God who had healed him, even while living in a land dedicated to other gods. This act demonstrates his conversion and commitment to Yahweh, acknowledging that the God of Israel was superior to the gods of Aram.
The narrative in 2 Kings 5 does not explicitly state Elisha's response to Naaman's request for earth, but it implies acceptance, as Naaman then declares his intention to offer sacrifices only to Yahweh and asks for forgiveness when he must accompany his king to worship in the temple of Rimmon [2 Kings 5:17-18]. This episode highlights the transformative power of God's healing and the lengths to which a new convert might go to express their devotion within their cultural context.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Jordan — Heb. Yarden, "the descender;" Arab. Nahr-esh-Sheriah, "the watering-place" the chief river of Palestine. It flows from north to south down a deep valley in the centre of the country. The name descender is significant of the fact that there is along its whole course a descent to its banks; or it may simply denote the rapidity with which it "descends" to the Dead Sea. It originates in the snows of Hermon, which feed its perennial fountains. Two sources are generally spoken of. (1.) From the western base of a hill on which once stood the city of Dan, the northe”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Jordan — (the descender), the one river of Palestine, has a course of little more than 200 miles, from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the head of the Dead Sea. (136 miles in a straight line.--Schaff.) It is the river of the "great plain" of Palestine--the "descender," if not "the river of God" in the book of Psalms, at least that of his chosen people throughout their history. There were fords over against Jericho, to which point the men of Jericho pursued the spies. (Joshua 2:7) comp. Judg 3:28 Higher up where the fords or passages of Bethbarah, where Gideon lay in wait”
- II Kings “II Kings 5:14 (BSB) — So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Naaman — (pleasantness). + "Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4:27) Naaman was commander-in-chief of the army of Syria, and was nearest to the person of the king, Ben-hadad II., whom he accompanied officially and supported when he went to worship in the temple of Rimmon, (2 Kings 5:18) at Damascus, the capital. (B.C. 885.) A Jewish tradition at least as old as the time of Josephus, and which may very well be a genuine one identifies him with the archer whose arrow, whether at random or not, struck Ahab with his mortal wound, and thus "gave deliverance to Syria." The expressio”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Naaman — Pleasantness, a Syrian, the commander of the armies of Benhadad II. in the time of Joram, king of Israel. He was afflicted with leprosy; and when the little Hebrew slave-girl that waited on his wife told her of a prophet in Samaria who could cure her master, he obtained a letter from Benhadad and proceeded with it to Joram. The king of Israel suspected in this some evil design against him, and rent his clothes. Elisha the prophet hearing of this, sent for Naaman, and the strange interview which took place is recorded in 2 Kings 5. The narrative contains all ”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Canaan, The Land Of — (lit. lowland), a name denoting the country west of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, and between those waters and the Mediterranean; given by God to Abraham's posterity, the children of Israel. (Exodus 6:4; Leviticus 25:38) [[338]Palestina And Palestine]”
- 2 Kings (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 2 Kings 5:8: ELISHA SENDS HIM TO JORDAN, AND HE IS HEALED. (Kg2 5:8-15) when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, . . . let him come now to me--This was the grand and ultimate object to which, in the providence of God, the journey of Naaman was subservient. When the Syrian general, with his imposing retinue, arrived at the prophet's house, Elisha sent him a message to "go and wash in Jordan seven times." This apparently rude reception to a foreigner of so high dignity incensed Naaman to suc”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM CXIV. (3) (part 1): 1. The river Jordan, when they were entering across it into the land of promise, when touched by the feet of the priests who bore the Ark, stood still from above with bridled stream, while it flowed down from below, where it ran on into the sea, until the whole people passed over, the 550 priests standing on the dry ground.(1) We know these things, but yet we should not imagine in this Psalm, to which we have now answered by chanting Allelujah, that it is the purpose of the Holy Spirit, that while we call to mind those d”
- Joshua (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Joshua 3:16: the waters which came down from above--that is, the Sea of Galilee stood and rose up upon a heap--"in a heap," a firm, compact barrier (Exo 15:8; Psa 78:13); very far--high up the stream; from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan--near mount Sartabeh, in the northern part of the Ghor (Kg1 7:46); that is, a distance of thirty miles from the Israelitish encampment; and those that came down toward the sea of the desert--the Dead Sea--were cut off (Psa 114:2-3). The river was thus dried up as far as the eye could reach. This was a stupendous mirac”
- 2 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Kings 5:9: 5:9-12 Rather than receiving Naaman, who came to buy his healing, Elisha left him standing at the door and communicated with him by messenger. Naaman expected special treatment befitting his station and was disappointed both in Elisha’s failure to receive him and at his instructions to wash . . . seven times in the Jordan River, which he considered inferior to the rivers of Aram. Washing in the Jordan would be a visible reminder that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, could heal Naaman.”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 55a.6: The Gemara notes: Apparently, the Jordan River serves as a partition because the flock on one side is not close and is unable to join the flock on the other side due to the river between them. The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita : If one had sheep on both sides of the Jordan River, here and there; or if the flocks were in two counties [ avtilaot ], e.g., Namer and Namori, even if they were under the control of the same ruler, the flocks do not combine, even if there is no river between them and they are less than thirty-two mil apart. And needless t”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 122a.109:6: The Gemara notes: Apparently, the Jordan River serves as a partition because the flock on one side is not close and is unable to join the flock on the other side due to the river between them. The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita : If one had sheep on both sides of the Jordan River, here and there; or if the flocks were in two counties [ avtilaot ], e.g., Namer and Namori, even if they were under the control of the same ruler, the flocks do not combine, even if there is no river between them and they are less than thirty-two mil apart. And needl”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Bekhorot 122b.109:6: The Gemara notes: Apparently, the Jordan River serves as a partition because the flock on one side is not close and is unable to join the flock on the other side due to the river between them. The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita : If one had sheep on both sides of the Jordan River, here and there; or if the flocks were in two counties [ avtilaot ], e.g., Namer and Namori, even if they were under the control of the same ruler, the flocks do not combine, even if there is no river between them and they are less than thirty-two mil apart. And needl”