Inquiry:
Did God give Gehazi leprosy? 2 Kings 5:27 says yes, but 2 Kings 8:4 says no. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
Naaman offered gifts to Elisha after he had been healed of leprosy, but the prophet refused (2 Kings 5:15-16). Gehazi ran after Naaman, saying that Elisha had sent him, seeking something from him (5:19-24). Gehazi had lied and was given to covetousness. Thus, the prophet stated that he and his descendants would be plagued with leprosy (5:24-27). The text does not say that God afflicted Gehazi with leprosy, but such is a reasonable conclusion, since it happened just as the prophet said.
The questioner suggests that 2 Kings 8:4 tells us that God did not bring leprosy upon Gehazi. Nothing is said about his leprosy. It simply tells us that the king asked him about the works of Elisha.
Perhaps the questioner is assuming that Gehazi is no longer a leper. There is no reason to conclude such. The disease would be with his family forever (5:27). Gehazi would no longer be with the prophet; the Law required that he be outside the city (Leviticus 13:46).
The king, who once sought to kill Elisha (2 Kings 6:31) came to Gehazi, inquiring about the prophet. So it was that Gehazi told the king about Elisha’s deeds, among them, the woman who had received her son restored to life (2 Kings 8:4-6). However, there is no reason to think that his leprosy was gone.
There is no contradiction.
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