In brief
Naaman's servant girl is a young Israelite whose name the Bible does not give. Carried off by Syrian raiders, she serves the wife of Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, who suffers from leprosy. She tells her mistress that the prophet in Samaria would heal her lord. That single sentence sets Naaman on the road to Elisha. Cleansed in the Jordan, he acknowledges the God of Israel. She is remembered for a simple faith that bears witness in a foreign land.
What does the name Naaman's Servant Girl mean?
The Bible does not give her name. The text calls her a little maiden from the land of Israel (2 Kings 5:2), and her words are reported to the king of Syria as those of the maiden from the land of Israel (2 Kings 5:4). She is therefore known by her place in Naaman's household.
The story of Naaman's Servant Girl
Carried off to Syria
2 Kings 5:1-2Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, is a great and valiant man, highly regarded by his master, for through him Yahweh had given victory to Syria. But he is a leper. During one of their raids, Syrian bands carried off a little girl from the land of Israel. She ends up serving Naaman's wife, far from her own people.
A word of hope
2 Kings 5:3-4The young servant does not keep to herself what she knows about the God of Israel and his prophet. She says to her mistress: “I wish that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would heal him of his leprosy.” Naaman takes her words seriously and carries them to his master, the king of Syria.
The letter to the king of Israel
2 Kings 5:5-8The king of Syria sends Naaman to Samaria with a letter, silver, gold and changes of clothing. Reading the letter, the king of Israel tears his clothes: he is not God, that he should heal a leper. Elisha, the man of God, hears of it and has the king told to send Naaman to him, so that he may know there is a prophet in Israel.
Cleansed in the Jordan
2 Kings 5:9-14Elisha does not come out to meet him. He has a messenger tell him to wash seven times in the Jordan. Naaman is angry and turns away, for he expected something else. His servants reason with him, and he finally dips himself seven times in the river, as the man of God said. His flesh is restored like that of a little child, and he is clean.
The God of Israel acknowledged
2 Kings 5:15-19Naaman returns to Elisha and says: “See now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel.” He promises to offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to any god but Yahweh. A little captive's word has led a foreign commander to the knowledge of the true God. The text says nothing more about the servant herself.
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What Naaman's Servant Girl teaches us
- God can use a simple word, spoken by the humblest person, to lead someone to him.
- Hard circumstances, even exile, do not prevent us from bearing witness to the living God.
- Wishing well to those who hold power over us reflects the heart of God rather than bitterness.
- Our role is to point to where help is found: it is God who heals and who saves.
Key verses
The only words reported from the servant. She has no doubt that the prophet of the God of Israel can heal her master, and she expresses this wish with compassion, without resentment toward those who carried her off.
The fruit of her witness: Naaman, cleansed, confesses that the God of Israel is the only true God. What began with one sentence from a young captive ends in a confession of faith.
Jesus points out that, among all the lepers in Elisha's time, only Naaman the Syrian was cleansed. God's grace reached a foreigner, and it was a little servant girl who had shown him the way.
Frequently asked questions
What was the name of Naaman's servant girl?
The Bible does not give her name. The account in 2 Kings 5 presents her as a little girl from the land of Israel, carried off by Syrian bands and placed in the service of Naaman's wife. Her name is not recorded, but her words changed her master's life and led him to the God of Israel.
Why is Naaman's servant girl an example of faith?
Held captive far from home, she could have kept silent or nursed a grudge. Instead she wished her master to be healed and declared that the prophet of Samaria would heal him. She trusted the God of Israel and his prophet, and her words set Naaman on the road to Elisha.
Where is the story of Naaman's servant girl in the Bible?
It is found in the second book of Kings, chapter 5, verses 1 to 4, at the beginning of the account of Naaman's healing. The rest of the chapter tells of his cleansing in the Jordan, his confession of faith and the sin of Gehazi, Elisha's servant.