Bible Strands
2 Kings 5:24
When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from the servants and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they departed.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Gehazi arrives at the hill where Naaman’s servants have left the silver and clothing, takes the items into his master’s house, and dismisses the carriers. This action occurs immediately after Naaman’s second offer of compensation and directly precedes Gehazi’s verbal confrontation with Elisha.
The words — וַ/יִּפְקֹד (va/i.yif.Kod) literally means “and he deposited” or “and he stored,” marking Gehazi’s deliberate act of concealing the silver and garments inside the house. מִ/יָּדָ֖/ם (mi./ya.Da/m) translates to “from their hand,” specifying the direct physical transfer from the servants to Gehazi.
The thread — The pattern of secret appropriation appears in Joshua 7:1, Joshua 7:11, and Joshua 7:21, where Achan similarly takes devoted spoils and hides them, triggering communal consequence. Both accounts track the identical sequence of hidden theft followed by inevitable exposure.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe the exact mechanics of concealment before the confrontation begins. It demands a clear assessment of how one handles unearned gain and whether one will face accountability or attempt to bury it.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed.
Cross-references
- Joshua 7:1 The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.
- Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.
- Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
- 1 Kings 21:16 And when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
- Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”
- Habakkuk 2:6 Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’
- Zechariah 5:3 Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed.