[[2 Kings-05]] Prev: [[Prophecies in 2 Kings-04]] | Next: [[Prophecies in 2 Kings-06]] --- ### Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: The prophet Elisha predicts that Naaman, the Syrian commander, will be completely healed of his leprosy if he performs a specific ritual of washing in the Jordan River seven times. *Historical context*: Theologians and historians note that this command served as a test of faith for a high-ranking Gentile official. This event is historically cited by Jesus in the New Testament ([[Luke-04#v27|Luke 4:27]]) as a specific instance of divine grace extended to a non-Israelite, validating the historical reality and prophetic nature of Elisha's word in the 9th century BCE. *Related to*: ### Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: Upon following Elisha's prophetic instruction exactly, Naaman's skin is miraculously restored to its healthy state, fulfilling the prediction that he would be made clean. *Historical context*: This fulfillment is recognized in Christian tradition as a prefiguration of baptism and the inclusion of Gentiles in God's covenant. The 'seven times' is often interpreted in a historical-religious context as representing divine completion or the sealing of a covenantal promise. *Related to*: Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean. ### Therefore the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and to your offspring forever. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: Elisha pronounces a judgment and a prediction that the leprosy removed from Naaman will transfer to his servant Gehazi and all of Gehazi's future descendants as punishment for greed and deceit. *Historical context*: Scholars note that the mention of 'offspring' implies a hereditary curse. In Jewish midrashic tradition and some historical commentaries, this prophecy is seen as having long-term historical weight, specifically identifying the four lepers mentioned in [[2 Kings-07#v3|2 Kings 7:3]] as Gehazi and his sons, demonstrating the immediate transfer of the disease to his lineage. *Related to*: ### He went out from his presence a leper, as white as snow. *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: Immediately after Elisha's word, Gehazi is afflicted with the same skin disease that had previously affected Naaman. *Historical context*: This immediate physical manifestation is categorized as a judicial miracle in biblical history. The description 'as white as snow' corresponds to a specific severe form of leprosy (tzara'at) documented in ancient Near Eastern texts and the Mosaic law, serving as a historical marker of Elisha's prophetic authority. *Related to*: Therefore the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and to your offspring forever. --- #ai_prophecy