Abana

Abana (spelled Abanah in the UPDV) is one of the two principal rivers of Damascus, cited by Naaman the Syrian commander in his protest against Elisha's instructions.

The Rivers of Damascus

When Elisha directed Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan to be healed of his leprosy, Naaman was indignant and asked: "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage" (2 Kings 5:12). In Naaman's view, the rivers of his homeland were superior to any Israelite waterway, and Elisha's instruction seemed an arbitrary slight. His servants persuaded him to comply, and his healing followed — making the Jordan the site of restoration despite his initial preference for the rivers of Damascus.