Science & Scripture · Medicine

Leprosy can be completely cured by bathing in a river seven times.

Medicine 97 passages in this field

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What current science says

Leprosy (Hansen's disease) is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae, which attacks nerve cells and skin. It's treated with a multi-drug antibiotic regimen that takes 6 to 12 months. River water doesn't contain antibiotics — in fact, untreated river water is full of its own bacteria that could make things worse. The nerve damage from leprosy is permanent even after the bacteria are killed. No number of baths will defeat a bacterial infection.

What the text says

This comes from 2 Kings 5:14. The Syrian commander Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River and his leprosy was completely healed — his flesh 'came again like unto the flesh of a little child.'

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