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Bible Q

Tag: leprosy

Who were Gehazi’s descendants?

Answered by . November 7, 2010 - 8:54 pm

Gehazi was a servant of the prophet Elisha. When Elisha healed Naaman the Syrian of leprosy, Gehazi lied to Naaman in order to receive a large reward (2 Kings 5:20-24). Elisha confronted Gehazi over his deception and said: Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out […]

Is “leprosy” in the Bible the same as the disease that’s called leprosy nowadays?

Answered by . May 2, 2010 - 5:27 pm

Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) did not exist in the Ancient Near East. The Bronze Age Hebrews had no word for ‘leprosy’ (Hansen’s Disease). Leviticus 13 and14, chapters containing laws concerning ‘leprosy’, are talking about a non-lethal but possibly infectious skin disease which will clear itself up if left alone for a couple of weeks. The relevant scholarly literature has […]

Did Gehazi still have leprosy in 2 Kings 8:4?

Answered by . May 1, 2010 - 7:55 pm 1

In 2 Kings 5:27 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, is struck with leprosy:1 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. However, in 2 Kings 8:4 he is talking to the King. People with leprosy were excluded from regular society […]