servant tell Naaman to bathe seven times in the Jordan River. His pride hurt, and apparently feeling he had unceremoniously and fruitlessly been run from one place to another, Naaman turned away in a rage. Had his attendants not reasoned with him and pointed out the reasonableness of the instructions, Naaman would have returned to his country still a leper. As it turned out, he bathed the seven times in the Jordan and was miraculously cleansed, the only leper whom Elisha was instrumental in curing.—2 Ki. 5:1-14; Luke 4:27.

BECOMES WORSHIPER OF JEHOVAH

Now filled with gratitude and humble appreciation, the Syrian army chief returned to Elisha, a distance of perhaps thirty miles (c. 48 kilometers), and offered him a most generous gift, which the prophet insistently refused. Naaman then asked for some of the earth of Israel, “the load of a pair of mules,” to take home, that upon Israel’s soil he might offer sacrifices to Jehovah, vowing that from henceforth he would worship no other god. Perhaps Naaman had in mind offering sacrifices to Jehovah upon an altar of ground.—2 Ki. 5:15-17; compare Exodus 20:24, 25.

Naaman next requested that Jehovah forgive him when, in the performance of his civil duties, he bowed before the god Rimmon with the king, who evidently was old and infirm and leaned for support upon Naaman. If such was the case, then his bowing would be mechanical, being solely for the purpose of dutifully supporting the king’s body and not in personal worship. Elisha believed Naaman’s sincere request, replying, “Go in peace.”—2 Ki. 5:18, 19.

After leaving, Naaman was overtaken by Elisha’s covetous servant Gehazi, who lyingly made it appear that Elisha had changed his mind and would, after all, accept some gifts. Naaman gladly granted him gifts of silver and garments. But for this greedy and lying act in which he tried, by misusing his office as Elisha’s attendant, to profit from the work of Jehovah’s spirit, Jehovah punished him by inflicting leprosy on him and on his offspring to time indefinite.—2 Ki. 5:20-27.

NAAMATHITE

(Naʹa·ma·thite).

A designation applied to Job’s companion Zophar (Job 2:11; 11:1; 20:1; 42:9) and identifying his family or the place of his residence. Djebel-el-Naʽameh in NW Arabia has been presented as a possible location for Zophar’s home.

NAAMITES

(Naʹa·mites).

A family of Israelites descended from Benjamin’s grandson Naaman.—Num. 26:38, 40.

NAARAH

(Naʹa·rah) [girl].

1. A wife of the Judean Ashhur by whom he had four sons.—1 Chron. 4:1, 5, 6.

2. A city on the boundary of Ephraim (Josh. 16:5, 7) thought to be the same as Naaran. (1 Chron. 7:28) Naarah is generally considered to correspond to the No·o·rathʹ of Eusebius’ Onomasticon. Josephus seemingly calls this site Ne·a·raʹ. He relates that half of its waters were diverted to irrigate the palms near Archelaus’ palace at Jericho. (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVII, chap. XIII, par. 1) It has been identified with Khirbet el-ʽAyash, some six and a half miles (10.5 kilometers) N-NE of Roman Jericho (Tulul Abu el-ʽAlayiq).

NAARAI

(Naʹa·rai) [youthful].

Son of Ezbai and a mighty man in David’s military forces. (1 Chron. 11:26, 37) He may be identical with “Paarai the Arbite” mentioned at 2 Samuel 23:35, in what seems to be a parallel list.

NAARAN

(Naʹa·ran) [perhaps, juvenile].

An Ephraimite border city (1 Chron. 7:20, 28), apparently the same as Naarah.—Josh. 16:5, 7; see NAARAH No. 2.

NABAL

(Naʹbal) [foolish, senseless].

A wealthy Maonite sheep owner who pastured and sheared his flocks in Carmel of Judah. Nabal was also known as a Calebite, that is, a descendant of Caleb. (1 Sam. 25:2, 3) Few Bible characters are so contemptuously described as is Nabal. “[He] was harsh and bad in his practices” (vs. 3); “he is too much of a good-for-nothing fellow [son of Belial] to speak to him” (vs. 17); “he repays . . . evil in return for good” (vs. 21); “senselessness is with him.”—Vs. 25.

Nabal’s flocks of 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats had been protected from marauding bands by David’s men. After showing this kindness and not being guilty of any misappropriation, David requested Nabal to provide some material assistance for him and his men at shearing time, a traditional time of feasting and hospitality. But Nabal “screamed rebukes” at David’s messengers and sent them away empty-handed. Nabal’s own men feared David’s reaction, but did not feel free to speak to Nabal about the matter. One of them, however, told Nabal’s wife Abigail, who, with generous gifts, went to meet David as he approached intending to slay Nabal, and persuaded him not to become guilty of shedding her husband’s blood. On her return home, she found Nabal “as drunk as could be,” so waited until the next morning to tell him of her encounter with David and how near death he had caused them all to come. Thereupon, Nabal’s “heart came to be dead inside him, and he himself became as a stone,” perhaps indicating some type of paralysis or else referring to the effect on Nabal’s inner emotions. (Compare Deuteronomy 28:28; Psalm 102:4; 143:4.) About ten days later Nabal was struck dead by Jehovah. (1 Sam. 25:2-38) David then took the sensible and courageous Abigail as his wife.—1 Sam. 25:39-42; 27:3; 30:5; 2 Sam. 2:2; 3:3.

NABONIDUS

(Nab·o·niʹdus) [Akkadian, Nabu·naʼid; the god Nabu (Nebo) is exalted].

Last supreme monarch of the Babylonian Empire and father of Belshazzar. On the basis of cuneiform texts he is believed to have ruled some seventeen years (556-539 B.C.E.). (However, see CHRONOLOGY.) He was given to literature, art and religion.

In his own inscriptions Nabonidus claims to be of noble descent, referring to his father as “the wise prince” in a number of cuneiform texts. On the basis of a somewhat mutilated tablet found near ancient Haran, it is conjectured that Nabonidus’ mother was a priestess of the moon-god Sin. Later, as king, Nabonidus showed great devotion to the worship of the moon god, both at Haran and at Ur, where this god occupied a dominant position.

Cuneiform tablets of the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar (Nisan 617-Nisan 616 B.C.E.) list a certain Nabu-naʽid as the one ‘who is over the city,’ and some authorities believe this is the same Nabonidus who later became king. However, this would mean that Nabonidus was a very young man when placed in such administrative position and would make him extremely aged at the fall of Babylon, some seventy-seven years later (539 B.C.E.).

Discussing events in the twentieth year of Nebuchadnezzar (Nisan 605-Nisan 604 B.C.E.), the Greek historian Herodotus describes a treaty negotiated between the Lydians and the Medes by one “Labynetus the Babylonian” as mediator. Labynetus is considered to be Herodotus’ way of writing Nabonidus’ name. Later, Herodotus refers to Cyrus the Persian as fighting against the son of Labynetus and Nitocris.—Book I, 188.