2 Kings 5: Messages and Gifts Worksheet
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Read the whole chapter, fill the eight arrows, and check one claim against the narrator's account. This complete worksheet includes reference tables, all answers, correction cards, and a reusable card. Write on paper or in your saved copy; no online submission is required.
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Reference: the message route
| Stage | Message route and request | What the story actually reports |
|---|---|---|
| 5:2–4 | A captive Israelite girl tells Naaman's wife about the prophet in Samaria; her report reaches Naaman's master. | Her recommendation concerns the prophet. The chapter does not describe a conversation between the girl and Elisha. |
| 5:5–7 | The king of Syria sends a letter with Naaman to Israel's king, asking for Naaman's healing. | Israel's king receives the letter and fears a provocation. Receiving a request does not mean he has the ability it assumes. |
| 5:8–10 | Elisha sends word to Israel's king; Naaman comes to Elisha's house; Elisha sends a messenger to Naaman. | Elisha directs Naaman to wash seven times in the Jordan. The instruction arrives through a messenger, not a personal appearance. |
| 5:11–14 | Naaman voices his expectations and objections; his servants urge him to reconsider. | He had expected Elisha to come out and act in a particular way. After his servants speak, he follows the instruction and the narrator reports his restoration. |
| 5:20–22 | Gehazi pursues Naaman and claims that Elisha has sent him with a request. | This is Gehazi's claim. It conflicts with Elisha's refusal and Gehazi's own stated plan to obtain something. |
Reference: the gift route
| Gift stage | Direction | Evidence and limit |
|---|---|---|
| Carried, 5:5 | Naaman travels with silver, gold, and clothing. | Possession on a journey does not prove that a payment was accepted. |
| Offered, 5:15 | Naaman offers a gift to Elisha after returning. | The offer follows the narrated restoration in 5:14. |
| Refused, 5:16 | Elisha declines, even when urged. | Do not draw an arrow showing an accepted gift to Elisha. |
| Falsely requested, 5:22 | Gehazi asks Naaman for silver and clothing in his master's name. | His story about two visiting young men is part of his claim, not an independently narrated arrival. |
| Given and carried, 5:23 | Naaman gives two talents of silver and two sets of clothing to two servants to carry ahead of Gehazi. | The verse records an actual transfer. It does not record the gold being handed over. |
| Stored, 5:24–27 | Gehazi takes the goods from the servants and stores them; Elisha later confronts him. | Gehazi's denial in 5:25 is another character statement to check against the narrated action. |
Open the companion dual-route diagram.
Eight arrow exercises
The captive girl → ________: she recommends the prophet in Samaria. Who first hears her words? Read 5:2–3.
The king of Syria → ________: Naaman carries a letter requesting healing. Who is its recipient? Read 5:5–7.
Elisha → ________: let Naaman come to the prophet. To whom is this message sent? Read 5:8.
Elisha, through a messenger → ________: wash seven times in the Jordan. Who receives the instruction? Read 5:9–10.
________ → Naaman: reconsider the simple instruction. Who gives this counsel? Read 5:13.
________ → Naaman: the master supposedly needs help for visitors. Whose speech contains this claim? Read 5:20–22.
Naaman → ________: two talents of silver and two sets of clothing are assigned for carrying. Who carries them? Read 5:23.
________ → Gehazi: the carried goods change hands before being stored. From whom does he take them? Read 5:24.
Answer key with reasons
Naaman's wife. The girl speaks to her mistress. Her captivity is part of the setting; the text does not supply all her feelings or private motives.
The king of Israel. The girl had pointed to a prophet, but the royal letter addresses another king. That change of recipient helps explain the king's alarm.
The king of Israel. Elisha's message redirects Naaman to him. It does not say that the king has healed Naaman.
Naaman. Elisha is the source, the messenger delivers the instruction, and Naaman receives it. Keeping those roles separate prevents a false scene of a face-to-face command.
Naaman's servants. Their question compares a demanding task with the instruction he has actually received. The verse supplies their words, not a full description of their tone.
Gehazi. He claims authorization; the narrator has just reported his own plan in 5:20. Elisha's refusal in 5:16 must remain on the page.
Two of Naaman's servants. They carry the goods ahead of Gehazi. This transfer differs from the earlier offer that Elisha refused.
The two servants. Gehazi takes the goods from their hands and stores them. His subsequent claim to have gone nowhere contradicts that sequence.
Three correction cards
Cover the final column first and try to repair each invented summary yourself.
| Correction card | Tempting but unsupported summary | A more careful reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wrong authority | The girl sends Naaman to the king who can cure him. | She points to the prophet; the royal letter reaches Israel's king, who objects to the demand (5:3, 6–8). |
| 2. Invented delivery | Elisha comes outside and rudely orders Naaman into the river. | Elisha sends a messenger. Naaman is angry, but the messenger's tone is not described (5:10–12). |
| 3. False authorization | Elisha changes his mind and asks Gehazi to collect his fee. | Elisha refuses the offer; Gehazi pursues Naaman and attributes a new request to him. The later confrontation exposes the deception (5:16, 20–27). |
Worked example and reusable blank card
| Reading-card field | Filled example | Your next observation |
|---|---|---|
| Passage | 2 Kings 5:22 | Reference: ________ |
| Speaker and listener | Gehazi speaks to Naaman. | Speaker: ________; listener: ________ |
| Claimed authority | Gehazi says his master sent him. | Whose authority is claimed? ________ |
| Check against narration | Elisha refused the gift in 5:16; Gehazi decided to pursue Naaman in 5:20. | Earlier or later check: ________ |
| Conclusion and limit | The request is attributed to Elisha by Gehazi; it is not a genuine instruction from Elisha. | Supported conclusion: ________; still unstated: ________ |
Completion check and boundaries
I can distinguish Elisha's source message from its messenger in 5:10.
I can explain why Gehazi's claim in 5:22 is not proof that Elisha sent him.
I kept an offered or requested gift separate from an actual transfer.
I used the categories text-supported, reread needed, or text does not say; I did not assign a faith score.
The chapter ends with Gehazi leaving Elisha with the skin condition described in 5:27. The illness and restoration are events within the narrative, not a treatment plan or a promise about a reader's health. Naaman requests earth in 5:17; its delivery is not narrated. The girl's private motives and the messenger's tone are not supplied.
Read the source
Read 2 Kings 5 in the Updated World English Bible: the whole narrative, especially 5:2–16 and 5:20–27.
Compare 2 Kings 5 in the Berean Standard Bible: an additional translation for checking the same chapter. Verse 4 names Naaman in the BSB, while the linked WEB uses an unnamed reporter; the initial map preserves the report without settling that wording difference.
World English Bible information and permissions and Berean Bible permissions: both translations are public domain. These resources use original paraphrases, not a replacement Bible translation.