Place Old Testament
Pharpar
Pharpar was one of the rivers of Damascus, mentioned by Naaman the leper when comparing them to the Jordan River in Israel. Mentioned once in Scripture, at 2 Kings 5:12.
Why it matters. A river in Damascus, Syria
- Primary passages
- Location
- 33.380, 36.306 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Pharpar
Pharpar, along with the Abana (or Amana), was one of the two rivers of Damascus mentioned in the Bible (2Kgs. 5:12). When Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, sought healing from his leprosy, the prophet Elisha instructed him to wash seven times in the Jordan River (2Kgs. 5:10). Naaman was initially angry at this suggestion, exclaiming, "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" (2Kgs. 5:12). However, after being persuaded by his servants, Naaman followed Elisha's instructions and was healed of his leprosy (2Kgs. 5:13-14). The Pharpar River, which still exists today, flows from the Anti-Lebanon mountains and runs through the city of Damascus before emptying into a lake east of the city. Naaman's initial reluctance to wash in the Jordan highlights the pride and prejudice that can hinder people from experiencing God's healing and blessing.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
2 Kings (1 verse)