H6554 H6554
Pharpar, a river near Damascus mentioned alongside the Abana in 2 Kings 5:12
This is the name of a river flowing near Damascus, mentioned only in 2 Kings 5:12 in Naaman's indignant response to Elisha's instruction to wash in the Jordan. Naaman protested: 'Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?' The Pharpar is likely the modern Awaj River, which flows south of Damascus. Together, the Abana (probably the Barada) and Pharpar supplied water to Damascus and its surrounding oasis, making it one of the ancient world's most beautiful cities. Naaman's point was that Damascus had abundant, superior water sources—why would he need Israel's muddy Jordan?
Senses
1. sense 1 — Second Kings 5:12 records Naaman's protest as he initially rejected Elisha's simple prescription for healing his leprosy. The paired rivers Abana and Pharpar represented Damascus's abundant water resources, contrasting with the Jordan's less impressive appearance. The multilingual glosses preserve the river name (Pharpar, Farfar). Naaman's outburst reveals the challenge of obeying God's unexpected commands—he expected dramatic prophetic ritual, not mundane washing. His eventual compliance and healing demonstrated that God's power works through humble obedience, not geographical pride or impressive ceremony. 1×
AR["وَفَرْفَرُ"]·ben["এবং-পর্পর"]·DE["und-Pharpar"]·EN["and-Pharpar"]·FR["et-Pharpar"]·heb["ו-פרפר"]·HI["और-परपर"]·ID["dan-Farpar"]·IT["e-Pharpar"]·jav["lan-Parpar"]·KO["그리고-바르바르"]·PT["e-Parpar"]·RU["и-Парпар"]·ES["y-Farfar"]·SW["na-Farpari"]·TR["ve-Parpar"]·urd["اور-فرفر"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† פַּרְפַּר n.pr.flum. near Damascus 2 K 5:12, (Α)φαρφαρ; A Φαρφαρα; perhaps mod. ʿAwaj, S. of Damascus RobBR iii. 447 f..