Scripture · 1 Kings 17:17-24
2 Kings 5:15-16
Elisha Refusing Gifts from Naaman
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” 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, he refused.
Naaman offers gifts after his healing, but Elisha refuses them amid the rich fabrics and closely gathered faces of De Grebber’s painting.
About the artwork
The richly dressed commander turns toward a man whose hands interrupt the offer. A red length of cloth and a chest make the gifts tangible. Elisha’s open palms give the crowded group a clear centre: everything presses toward an exchange that he will not complete.
De Grebber made the painting in 1637 for the governors of Haarlem’s hospital for people with leprosy, placing their portraits in the roles of Naaman and his attendants. The biblical scene let the governors present themselves through a story about healing and integrity. Its later episode, in which Gehazi secretly takes gifts and is punished, would make the refusal of payment especially pointed in an institution entrusted with caring for others.
Featured in: Luke 4 in Art: The Temptation, the Hometown Sermon, and the Verses Worth Remembering
What does 2 Kings 5:15-16 mean?
Naaman, a Syrian commander, is healed after washing seven times in the Jordan as Elisha directs. He returns to acknowledge the God of Israel and offer a gift. Elisha refuses even when Naaman presses him, making the healing impossible to settle as a purchase.
The passage continues with Naaman’s questions about worship after he returns home. His encounter has changed more than his health. De Grebber chooses the moment when gratitude meets refusal, allowing the visible richness of the gifts to sharpen the distinction between receiving restoration and paying for it.
The offered gifts and Elisha’s refusal focus attention on a healing that Naaman receives but cannot buy.
Sources
Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem — catalogue context. Piet Bakker’s catalogue entry: comparative figure 1 and notes 1 and 13 discuss this exact De Grebber canvas and its hospital governors. The main Leiden Collection painting is a separate work by Lambert Jacobsz.
Luke 4 in Art: The Temptation, the Hometown Sermon, and the Verses Worth Remembering. Artwork reading adapted from this guide.
2 Kings 5 — Berean Standard Bible. Context for 2 Kings 5:15–16.