“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.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Kings 5:14 Mean?
"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." Naaman obeys — finally. After his fury, after his servants' logic, he goes down to the Jordan and dips seven times. The healing is total: his leprous skin becomes like a child's. Not just healed. Restored to childhood freshness. The word "again" (shub — returned) suggests his flesh went back to an original state, as if leprosy had never touched it.
The seven dips echo completion and covenant — seven being God's number of fullness. The healing doesn't come at dip one or three. It comes at seven. Obedience must be complete before the result appears. Partial obedience to a clear command produces nothing.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'seventh dip' of obedience are you in danger of stopping before?
- 2.How does the extravagance of Naaman's healing (child-like flesh, not just leprosy removed) change what you expect from God's restoration?
- 3.Where has partial obedience to a clear instruction left you without the breakthrough?
- 4.What does it mean that God restores to newness rather than just removing damage?
Devotional
He went down. The general of Syria's army, the commander who expected fanfare and ceremony, walked into the muddy Jordan River and dipped. Once. Twice. Three times. Four. Five. Six. Nothing. And then seven — and his skin became like a baby's.
Seven times. Not one. Not three. Seven. The healing required complete obedience to a specific number. If Naaman had stopped at six — if he'd dipped mostly enough and decided that was close enough — nothing would have happened. The miracle lived in the seventh dip. And the seventh dip required trusting the instruction all the way through.
This is how God often works: the breakthrough comes at the end of complete obedience, not at the beginning of partial compliance. You do what God says. All of it. Even when nothing seems to be happening after dip number four. Even when you feel ridiculous standing in a river that doesn't seem to be doing anything. Even when the result you were promised hasn't materialized yet.
And the restoration is extravagant: like the flesh of a little child. Not just healed. Renewed. Returned to a state of freshness Naaman hadn't experienced in decades. God doesn't just remove the disease. He restores the original condition. The leprosy is gone. But more than that — the skin is new. As if the leprosy never happened.
Whatever God is healing in you, the result won't just be the absence of damage. It'll be the presence of newness. Flesh like a child's. Not scarred removal but fresh restoration.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God,.... He listened…
Seven times - Compare 1Ki 18:43. In both cases a somewhat severe trial was made of the individual’s faith. Compare the…
Then went he down - He felt the force of this reasoning, and made a trial, probably expecting little success.
Like unto…
We have here the cure of Naaman's leprosy.
I. The short and plain direction which the prophet gave him, with assurance…
Then went he down His rage had first gone down, and thus he was in a fitter condition to undertake the journey commanded…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture