2 Kings 8:10-20

10 And Elisha said to him, 1"Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the LORD has shown me that 2he shall certainly die."
11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, 3until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know 4the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword 5and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women."
13 And Hazael said, "What is your servant, 6who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, 7"The LORD has shown me that you are to be king over Syria."
14 Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, "What did Elisha say to you?" And he answered, "He told me 8that you would certainly recover."
15 But the next day he took the bed cloth[a] and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Jehoram Reigns in Judah

16 In the fifth year of 9Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah,[b] Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign.
17 He was 10thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for 11the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD.
19 Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, 12since he promised to give 13a lamp to him and to his sons forever.
20 In his days Edom revolted from the rule of Judah and set up 14a king of their own.

2 Kings 8:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 8

This chapter gives an account of some advice Elisha had formerly given to the Shunammite woman, and of the success of it, 2Ki 8:1-6 and of the sickness of the king of Syria, who sent to Elisha, then being at Damascus, by Hazael, to know whether he should recover; by whom a message was returned, and Hazael was told by the prophet he should be king of Syria, and exercise great cruelty in Israel, 2Ki 8:7-15 and of the bad reign of Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, over Judah, 2Ki 8:16-24 and of the reign of his son Ahaziah, 2Ki 8:25-29.

Cross References 14

  • 1. ver. 14
  • 2. ver. 15
  • 3. 2 Kings 2:17
  • 4. 2 Kings 10:32; 2 Kings 12:17; 2 Kings 13:3, 7, 22; Amos 1:3, 4
  • 5. Isaiah 13:16; Hosea 13:16; Nahum 3:10; [Psalms 137:9; Hosea 10:14]
  • 6. See 1 Samuel 17:43
  • 7. [1 Kings 19:15]
  • 8. ver. 10
  • 9. [2 Kings 1:17; 2 Kings 3:1]
  • 10. For ver. 17-24, see 2 Chronicles 21:5-10
  • 11. [ver. 26]
  • 12. 2 Samuel 7:12, 13; Psalms 132:11
  • 13. 1 Kings 11:36; 1 Kings 15:4; [2 Samuel 21:17]
  • 14. 2 Kings 3:9; [1 Kings 22:47]

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  • [b]. Septuagint, Syriac lack when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.