2 Kings 5:27 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 5:27 mean?

2 Kings 5:27 records Elisha’s judgment on his servant Gehazi after Gehazi deceitfully obtained gifts from Naaman. The skin disease that Naaman had been healed of would now cling to Gehazi and his descendants. Gehazi immediately left Elisha with skin “white as snow.”

Elisha’s sentence joins Gehazi’s conduct to Naaman’s healing: the man who sought to profit from that healing now bears the disease himself. The final image makes the change visible as Gehazi leaves.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 5:27

• “leprosy” — צָרַעַת (tsaraʿat): This word describes a condition affecting the skin. In the Bible, the term can cover more than the disease now called leprosy.
• “cleave” — דָּבַק (davaq): This word means to cling or stick closely. Here it pictures the disease as something that will remain attached to Gehazi and his family.
• “seed” — זֶרַע (zeraʿ): This word can mean seed or offspring. Here it refers to Gehazi’s descendants, extending Elisha’s sentence beyond Gehazi himself.

Why 2 Kings 5:27 matters

• Gehazi’s gain came through a lie, not a gift Elisha had accepted. Gehazi told Naaman that Elisha had sent him to request silver and clothing, then hid what he received (2 Kings 5:20–24).
• The sentence reaches into Gehazi’s family line. Elisha says the disease will cling to Gehazi and his “seed for ever,” giving the judgment a lasting scope.
• The contrast with Naaman is sharp. Naaman’s skin had become clean after he washed in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:14); Gehazi leaves with the visible skin condition Naaman had borne.