He chased after Naaman to take the gifts that Elisha refused to accept. She has done all the leadership work but finds no one is doing her bidding with the follow-up details. Lepers were shunned and disgraced. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Naaman was angry and would have left, but his servant asked him to try it and he was healed. 20-7 act epexegetically to Elisha's refusal to accept Naaman's gifts is plausible for three reasons. R. (2 Ne. ; but as the interval between the death of Ahab and the curing of Naaman's leprosy is not known, it is impossible to identify the King of Israel to whom Naaman was sent with a letter. Ewald ("Gesch." 20-7). The Church News is an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. the Lord hath forbidden this thing." BRILL is renowned for its publications in the following subject areas; Asian Studies, Ancient Near East & Egypt, Biblical Studies & Religious Studies, Classical Studies, Medieval & Early Modern Studies, Middle East & Islamic Studies. Naaman was a warrior who won many battles for his king and his country. I can hire me some servants. Because it's just such a simple thing, why don't you try it? One day, his wife's Israelite servant girl told her about the power of God moving through the prophet Elisha. It seems unlikely that Jacobszs depiction of this Biblical story would have been suitable for the Regents Chamber in the Leprozenhuis in Leeuwarden. And so the king had torn his clothes and was all upset. But the Lord revealed to Elisha what Gehazi did and prophet rebuked him saying, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever" (verse 27). At times, these slivers of warm gray act as a transitional midtone, as in the lower contour of Elishas sleeve where it overlaps with the white page of his book. ", He was seeking healing from leprosy. From whom acquired by the present owner in 2006. And the prophet starts laying out the things that he had in mind to do with this money. He declared that the rivers in Damascus were cleaner than any river in Israel. Klostermann ("Die Bcher Samuelis und der Knige"), while supplying, with the Alexandrian codex, the word , connects this passage with Naaman's departure with the loads of earth, and renders the passage as "and he carried away from him about a cor of the earth of Israel."[5]. 20-7). 1800 (Stockholm 2005), 59, no. Why was Hezekiah not rebuked for seeking a sign in 2 Kings 20. 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and . So when he came before the man of God, he had difficulty humbling himself in obedience to the Lord's instructions. After Naaman was cured of leprosy, he offered Elisha gifts for his use of priesthood powers. "And word came to Elisha of how the king was so upset because of this demand. Planned Maintenance scheduled March 2nd, 2023 at 01:00 AM UTC (March 1st, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. In 2 Kings 5:17, Naaman follows the request with an explanation: for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. The dirt and Naamans new allegiance to the God of Israel are related. 1 Kings 18:15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day. I speculate that God seeing a true turning of Naaman to Himself did not want Naaman to say that he contributed toward his conversion, especially not with material and perishable things. 344, 361). Perhaps, as he walked back, he was thinking about what he could do with such a large sum: he could buy olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and have servants rather than being a servant. Finally, before embarking for Syria, Naaman makes a strange request: to load two mules with dirt to take back with him. He is miraculously healed by the simple act. This phrase is used when Moses is in the presence of the Angel of the Lord and the God of Israel at the burning bush (Exod 3:15) and when Joshua meets the Angel of the Lord (Josh 5:15). Naaman is mentioned in 2 Kings 5 of the Tanakh in Hebrew as " " or "Naaman captain of the army of the King of Aram". After Naaman departed, Gehazi ran after him and asked him for gifts. Amsterdam, Royal Palace) (Lochem, 1975), 4146. And so Naaman came to Elisha's house and Elisha didn't even go out to meet him but sent his servant Gehazi out with the orders, "Go down to the Jordan River and just dip in the Jordan River seven times, and after you've dipped seven times, you'll be cleansed of your leprosy." The Mekilta (Yitro, 'Amale, 1), however, places Naaman's conversion above Jethro's. Keep them." For example, Halbertals book On Sacrifice presents us with the possibility of having ones offering being rejected. 2 Kings 5:4. Gehazi's Greed and Leprosy 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, "Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Sent a servant out to me and then tells me to duck in that Jordan River. Lambert Jacobsz and his many assistants produced history scenes with small figures throughout his career, but works with large figuressuch as this one in the Leiden Collectionwere made only for a short while and overlapped with Jacob Backers stay in Leeuwarden.3 Like Jacobsz, Jacob Backer (1608/951) was a Mennonite who grew up among fellow believers on Amsterdams Nieuwendijk. To his amazement, Elisha's cure worked"His flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy" (verse 14). You know, I would like to go out and conquer a thousand giants or something. One day, his wife's Israelite servant girl told her about the power of God moving through the prophet Elisha. The dirt which is Yahwehs domain is holy ground. We have rules about when one may accept charity from an idol worshipper. 5 Insights for Interpreting the Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. He was a man without many options and so God became his only hope. 32; 206, no. The king of Israel didn't know what to do, yet Elisha (Eliseus) sent a message to the King, advising that the King tell Naaman to come to see him. The rabbinical tradition that Naaman was the archer (I Kings xxii. The artist carefully modelled the faces of these two protagonists, paying great attention to their facial expressions. cat. Why did Elisha refuse Naaman's gift? The two works of this subject by Abraham van Dijck (1635/680) and Ferdinand Bol (161680) date from much later. This seems to be, to a certain extent, self-evident. Amsterdam, Hermitage Amsterdam, Rembrandt and his Contemporaries: History Paintings from The Leiden Collection, 4 February27 August 2023, no. Get a roundup of new Word by Word articles in your inbox each Friday. Gehazi told Naaman that Elisha had changed his mind and now Elisha wanted the gifts. And so it was told to Naaman and he told the king that there was a prophet in Israel that could cure him of his leprosy. Naaman believed that "There [was] no God in all the earth but in Israel" ( 2 Kgs 5:15) and wanted to return to his homeland with holy ground. Elisha refused to accept the gifts, but his servant, Gehazi, decided he would "run after him, and take somewhat of him." Just to receive from God the simplicity with which God gives to me. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. thinks the king referred to was Jehoahaz, while Schenkel ("Biblical Lexicon") suggests Jehu, but the general view is that it was Jehoram. He was a mighty man and very brave, but he was a leper. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. Elisha understood Naaman's request and granted it without hesitation. 358; see also the RKD website. But he said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. Now Naaman was the captain of the host of Syria, he was a great man with his master, he was honorable, because the LORD had actually helped him to subdue many nations. The aged prophet, however, refused Naamans gifts and, placing his hand on an open Bible, explained to the commander that God, not he, had healed Naaman (2 Kings 5:116). The Bible calls him "the servant of Elisha, the man of God. I think Elisha was rebuking not only the actions of Gehazi, but also the attitude of his heart. oil on canvas (151 249 cm) 1661 Could he have executed it for the Leprozenhuis in Leeuwarden, much as Pieter de Grebber did in 1637 for the regents of the Leprozenhuis in Haarlem, or as Ferdinand Bol would do in 1661 for the Leprozenhuis in Amsterdam? Help us purchase electrical generators for churches. And so they came to the Jordan River and Naaman dipped himself in the Jordan River, and when he came up the seventh time, his flesh was pink like a baby's flesh. The rest of the Old Testament is the story of Gods intention to reclaim every nation on earth. I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible. [5], As the object of the narrative of Naaman's sickness and restoration to health is, apparently, to form a link in the long series of miracles performed by Elisha, the redactor of II Kings did not concern himself to indicate the time when this event occurred. (Comp. "I know that," he said. Where Are Giants in the Bible Other Than Goliath? Naaman is represented as vain and haughty, on account of which he was stricken with leprosy (Num. When he heard of the ministry of Elisha, Naaman was willing to humble his pride, leave his homeland, and travel to Israel in order to see the prophet of God. However, Elisha's servant, thinking the prophet should receive some kind of payment for his services, takes two talents (about $800,000) and returns to Elisha. Just to accept the fact that God loves me and to receive His gifts gracefully. He didn't heal Naaman. The pictorial source for this confrontation scheme may be Peter Paul Rubenss The Tribute Money (Fine Arts Museum, San Francisco), which was known in the Northern Netherlands from a print by Lucas Vorsterman. 212. 5; comp. The first small-figure picture is known only from a description in Lamberts inventory, where it can be gleaned that a landscape formed the backdrop for Gehazis attempt to inveigle Naaman into giving him the gifts. In the more thickly painted central figures, the artist used dabs of paint to imitate metallic reflections in Naamans garments, as well as in the highlights and other light-colored details in the textiles. As Halbertal explains, the goal of the sacrifice is to produce a gift cycle,. In The Leiden Collection Catalogue, 3rd ed. Most likely, Naaman would have expected Elisha would come out of his house to perform some ritual, or that he would have led him to some special magic place to heal him. (2 Ne. Lambert Jacobsz, Elisha and Gehazi (Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queens University, Kingston). Naaman tells his lord this and he is sent to Israel with a letter to the king. Why did Elisha refuse Naaman's gifts? The balding and aged prophet, in contrast, is dressed soberly in a brown habit. The man was also a valiant warrior, but he was a leper. It's awfully hard to accept grace gracefully, isn't it? A1A16. Elisha said, Where have you been? They perhaps considered themselves to be as unselfish as Elisha was. In the past, the edges of the painting appear to have been folded over a smaller stretcher about an inch from the current edge. And in the letter it said, "I want you to heal my general of this leprosy." And he urged him to take it; but he refused. But he listened to the advice of his captains, humbled himself, and obeyed the word of the Lord -- and thus received his healing. Naaman believed that There [was] no God in all the earth but in Israel (2 Kgs 5:15) and wanted to return to his homeland with holy ground. At the behest of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. iii. lx. 10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored and you will be healed." 11 Naaman went away angry. Amsterdam, Museum Het Rembrandthuis; Aachen, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum) (Zwolle, 2008), 3034, 20411, nos. So Naaman became enraged. Lambert Jacobszs interpretation of the story is consistent with Mennonite beliefs. It is wise to learn to listen to those around you, no matter what their station in life, knowing that sometimes God uses the weak and the seemingly insignificant to speak to us and keep us humble. Art and the Bible 2005 - 2023 artbible.info. How could he engage in traditional Israelite ritual? These are the things he thought he would buy with the money: the oliveyards and vineyards, he's going to have servants of his own. All rights reserved. Why do we kill some animals but not others? imdi bu mesaj kapatabilir veya Kullanm artlarmz ve Gizlilik Politikamz okuyabilirsiniz. God is the one who gives, not Elisha. Gehazi's acceptance was unacceptable in the frame of Elisha's refusal. Christian theology depicts Naaman as an example for the will of God to save people who are considered by men as less than pious and unworthy of salvation. 8), which the Rabbis regard as an allusion to Naaman's bathing in the Jordan; the appellation "Moab" is a play on the word "abi" (= "my father"), by which Naaman was addressed by his servants in II Kings v. 13 (Num. And the guy urged him, but still he refused.In the healing of Naaman we find some interesting things, and one of them is that typically, we, all of us, really have difficulty with just accepting the grace of God. Publications are increasingly becoming available in electronic format (CD-ROM and/or online editions).BRILL is proud to work with a broad range of scholars and authors and to serve its many customers throughout the world. Only after Naaman's slaves suggest to their master that he has nothing to lose by at least giving it a try since the task is a simple and easy one, he takes his bath in the Jordan river as a mikveh as instructed and finds himself healed. [2][3] https://theleidencollection.com/iconclass. He had difficulty humbling himself in obedience to the king was so upset because of demand... As Elisha was without many options and so God became his only hope two mules dirt... Naaman is represented as vain and haughty, on account of which he was stricken with (... A strange request: to load two mules with dirt to take the gifts Elisha changed... 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