Abanah is the name of one of the two rivers of Damascus mentioned by Naaman the Aramean general. The name may derive from a root meaning "stony" or "rocky." It is identified with the modern Barada River.
Naaman's complaint — "Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?" — is one of Scripture's most honest expressions of human pride resisting divine instruction. The rivers of Syria were clear, beautiful, and impressive by any standard. But God directed Naaman to wash in the muddy Jordan, humbling him. Healing came not through the superior river but through obedient faith. God deliberately chooses what the world considers inferior to display His power.