BIBLE PEOPLE | GEHAZI

1. Bible People

a) The Bible is an historic record of real people and places. 

b) Here is a brief biography of such a person during Bible times.

2. Gehazi

a) Gehazi was a servant of the prophet Elisha. He was at first a faithful servant. When Elisha asked Gehazi how he could reward the Shunammite woman who had welcomed him into her home, Gehazi suggested that the childless woman and her husband be given a child. Eventually a son was born to the couple. A few years later the son died. Elisha sent Gehazi to lay his staff upon the corpse in an attempt to perform a miracle and bring the boy back to life. But the boy failed to come back to life, until Elisha himself breathed into his mouth and brought the boy back.

b) Later on, Gehazi's true nature came out after Elisha cured Naaman the Syrian of leprosy. This event is described in 2 Kings 5. Elisha refused payment from Naaman for the healing, but Gehazi ran after Naaman to get some money for himself. Gehazi lied to Naaman by saying Elisha had sent him to get a talent of silver. Naaman, grateful for his healing and believing the lie, gave Gehazi two talents. Because of his greed and lying, Elisha cursed Gehazi with the same disease from which Naaman had been cured.

c) According to a Rabbinic tradition, outside of the Bible, the four lepers who are mentioned in 2 Kings 7:3-18 were Gehazi and his three sons.

d) The name Gehazi means "valley of vision."