Since 1951 the journals has been generally recognized to be indispensable for scholarly work on the Old Testament. Am I God that I can heal him of his leprosy? Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Immediately after Babel, Yahweh called Abraham and the nation of Israel was created. 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. "And Naaman said, "Here, take a couple of talents of silver," and he was happy to give it to him. An Israelite maid he had captured advised him to see the prophet Elisha. But Elisha said, As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing. Backer A. van Dijck (Landau, 1983), 669, no. The word is transliterated in the Septuagint (Vatican) and (Lucian) , while the Alexandrian codex has ' , apparently reading . rev2023.3.1.43269. But this only can happen if we are willing to humble ourselves and recognize that Jesus is Lord and that we are His servants. Heres where the story usually ends in our telling, but that would result in the omission of one very odd detailwhat Naaman asks to take back home. Maybe something's gone wrong." For example, the artist often divided the picture plane and juxtaposed his main protagonists in this manner, as in The Disobedient Prophet in the Nationalmuseum Stockholm (fig 5).11 The old prophet in that painting, moreover, resembles Elisha.12, A final question concerns patronage. Oh how simple it is. The third one is, then, that of the gifts: Naaman insists on giving Elisha some gift (the text doesnt specify what, but one can assume that it might have to do with Naamans six thousand shekels of gold), but Elisha refuses him, saying As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.. 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). When a joyful Naaman stood before Gehazi and Elisha, with skin clean and pure, Naaman pleaded, "Take a blessing [gift] of thy servant.". 3, B. Keil J. When we come before the Lord in our time of prayer, it's important for us to humble ourselves like Naaman did to receive favor from God. There are some old damages to the canvas support with associated paint losses, as in the two figures immediately to the left of Naaman. 2,Dutch Paintings c. 1600c. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. When Elisha became aware of Gehazi's duplicity, he punished his servant by infecting him with the disease from which Naaman had just been cured. He does, however, ask for sacrificial altar soil to be given him to take back home and that the God of Israel pardon him when he enters the temple of Rimmon as part of his obligations to the king of Syria. Naaman returned to Elisha and said, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant" (verse 15). See Hendrik Luitje Straat, Lambert Jacobsz: schilder, De Vrije Fries 28 (1928): 71, no. 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. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient. Art and the Bible 2005 - 2023 artbible.info. For example, Naamans turban and sashas well as the sash of his youngest servantfeature the same decorations as Belshazzars sash. Amsterdam, Royal Palace) (Lochem, 1975), 4146. He was accustomed to being in charge and to giving the orders. Naaman is also mentioned in Luke 4:27 of the New Testament, in Greek as " " or "Naaman the Syrian", a leper. To his amazement, Elisha's cure worked"His flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy" (verse 14). 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. Since Jacobsz did not execute large figure pieces after Backers departure, Elisha Refusing Naamans Gifts must have been painted between 1628, shortly after Backer arrived in Leeuwarden, and 1633, when he returned to Amsterdam. And he headed home in a rage. 6 (ascribed to Pieter de Grebber by Fred Meijer). He then praised the lord of Israel as the only true god. Acceleration without force in rotational motion? An overall warm gray ground has been applied to the painting. So please accept a gift from your servant." 16 But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it." And although Naaman urged him to accept it . Discover God's love and plan for you, Elisha was totally surrendered to God in every area of his life. He did make use of translucent glazes in certain areas, however, such as the shadows of the red garments and the figures lips. Sign up for our Premium service. Jan Pynas, Elisha Refusing Naamans Gifts (Oud-Katholieke Kerk, Leiden); see the RKD website. Create an account or log in to get started. Elisha was totally surrendered to God in every area of his life. 20-7). Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and brought away captives out of the land of Israel and a little maid happened to be the servant of his wife. Elisha's servant, Gehazi, was not happy. 2 Kings 3:14 And Elisha said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee. UFOs and Christianity: What Hath Roswell to Do with Jerusalem? 78. And in fact, they sent a fellow back carrying a bag. The rabbinical tradition that Naaman was the archer (I Kings xxii. 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. When Naaman left Elisha's house to return home to Syria, Gehazi was filled with greed. He thought Elisha should have accepted all of the gifts. To demonstrate his gratitude, Naaman, wearing a richly decorated turban and pale turquoise kaftan, came before the prophet to offer Elisha precious gifts, including the purple cloak on which he rests his left hand. Gehazi did not tell Elisha but he followed Naaman and told him a lie. 2 Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and . Scattered pinpoint losses are also found in the more thinly painted areas. For example, mentioned in Jacobszs stock inventory is a Naomi and Ruth by De Grebber, which would have been sent to the artist in Leeuwarden from Haarlem, or from Amsterdam via Hendrick Uylenburgh. 122. According to Blankert, the subject had a twofold significance for the regents: first, Elishas refusal symbolized the regents own rectitude and, second, the example of Gehazi was a cautionary note for their servants that they would pay a heavy price for deception. Edited by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. and Lara Yeager-Crasselt. ), "It is, after all, by divine power that men are able to perform priesthood miracles," states the manual. He couldnt stay in Israel, but he could take Israel with him. . But Naaman was completely in his right mind. Explain that Naaman was healed by Heavenly Father through the power of the priesthood and that priesthood holders cannot use the priesthood to gain recognition or wealth. Learn more at. 2 Kings 5:4. (Matt. If the tradition is correct, the Syrian king whom Naaman served must have been Ben-hadad II. An Israelite maid he had captured advised him to go see the prophet Elisha. Kullanm artlarmz ve Gizlilik Politikamz kabul ettiiniz iin teekkr ederiz. 57b; Deut. 1, J.A. Naaman doesnt take this well and prepares to go home. 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 Share Improve this answer 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. He then praised the lord of Israel as the only true god. 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. Superbook is a registered trademark of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization All Rights Reserved. Naaman tells his lord this and he is sent to Israel with a letter to the king. Naaman's wife had a servant girl from Israel who said that a prophet there would be able to heal him. The paint layers are generally in good condition. The man standing in the door to the right is Elisha's servant Gehazi. In the same way, each one of us needs to be careful to check our heart and our motives in pursuing wealth, especially when it has to do with the kingdom of God or ministry to others. Request Permissions. Previous commentary: Next commentary: About this commentary: are made available by the generosity of . Elisha is one of the most powerful prophets in the Old Testament. From whom acquired by the present owner in 2006. The king was distraught because he knew that he couldn't heal him. This is the second contrast we find in this story: that of the pomp of Naaman and Elishas humbleness. This was Gods land. The king of Israel suspects in this to him impossible request a pretext of Syria for later starting a war against him, and tears his clothes. Around 1627, after finishing his training, Backer moved to Leeuwarden to assist his former neighbor with the production of paintings, especially large-figure history pieces.4 The collaboration between Jacobsz and Backer, his main assistant, must have been harmonious. Elisha refused to accept the gifts, but his servant, Gehazi, decided he would "run after him, and take somewhat of him." Ps. Naaman departed for Syria, but Elisha's servant Gehazi ran after him and told a lie in order to get Naaman's gift for himself. God is the one who gives, not Elisha. Lambert Jacobszs interpretation of the story is consistent with Mennonite beliefs. And he started thinking of what he could do with some of that reward that Naaman was offering.And so he went chasing after Naaman. As he found himself cured, he praised Elishas god and wanted to thank the prophet by giving him presents. During the same period, Jacobsz painted two other large-figure paintings depicting Elisha rebuking Gehazi in the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queens University, Kingston (fig 3) and in the Landesmuseum Hannover (fig 4).7 In both the Kingston and Hannover paintings, the artist focused on the interactions of the two protagonists, with the elderly prophet admonishing his chastened servant by wagging his finger. The balding and aged prophet, in contrast, is dressed soberly in a brown habit. That Naaman was offering.And so he went chasing after Naaman Belshazzars sash ettiiniz teekkr! 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