2 Kings 5:20But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him, and take something from him."
The setting
Dothan, Israel, ~850 BC. Gehazi watches his master Elisha refuse gold and silver from grateful Naaman. Greed whispers in his heart.
The emotion here: bitter envy disguised as righteous indignation
The original word
chamal (חָמַל) — to spare, show pity, but Gehazi uses it sarcastically, implying Elisha was foolish
Why it matters
The wealth Naaman offered would equal about $100,000 in modern currency
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 5:20
Gehazi swears by Yahweh's name while planning to sin — using God to justify greed
Common misconceptionGehazi seems to have a point about fairness, but the story shows that some gifts from God aren't meant to be monetized.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 5:20
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 5:20 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 5:20 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Gehazi. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include greed, temptation, integrity. Notable phrases: my master has spared this Naaman.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 5:20 mean to you, today?
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