2 Kings 5:27
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
Study Note
Study Note
The verdict 'the leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever' falls on Gehazi whose deception of both Naaman and Elisha contaminated the miraculous healing with mercenary exploitation — receiving payment for what was freely given. The transfer of leprosy from the healed Gentile to the covetous Israelite servant creates a dramatic reversal: the outsider walks clean while the insider becomes unclean, a pattern Jesus points to in Luke 4:27 ('many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian'). The generational dimension of the punishment ('thy seed for ever') is theologically challenging but reflects the Old Testament's understanding of households as moral communities whose corporate identity is affected by the representative's choices. Peter's rebuke of Simon Magus (Acts 8:20-23) deploys the same principle: the miraculous gifts of the Spirit cannot be commodified.
Other Translations
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
yea, the leprosy of Naaman doth cleave to thee, and to thy seed, --to the age;' and he goeth out from before him--leprous as snow.
Because of what you have done, the disease of Naaman the leper will take you in its grip, and your seed after you, for ever. And he went out from before him a leper as white as snow.
Cross References
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Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, …
And the Lord smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt …
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that …
For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath …