2 Kings 5:1

Elisha Heals a Syrian General

5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, 1  for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. 2 

2 Kings 16:6

16:6 (At that time King Rezin of Syria 3  recovered Elat for Syria; he drove the Judahites from there. 4  Syrians 5  arrived in Elat and live there to this very day.)

1 tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”

2 tn For a discussion of מְצֹרָע (mÿtsora’), traditionally translated “leprous,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 63. Naaman probably had a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy/Hansen’s disease.

3 tc Some prefer to read “the king of Edom” and “for Edom” here. The names Syria (Heb “Aram,” אֲרָם, ’aram) and Edom (אֱדֹם, ’edom) are easily confused in the Hebrew consonantal script.

4 tn Heb “from Elat.”

5 tc The consonantal text (Kethib), supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac version, and some mss of the Targum and Vulgate, read “Syrians” (Heb “Arameans”). The marginal reading (Qere), supported by the LXX, Targums, and Vulgate, reads “Edomites.”