2 Kings 8:7

7 Elisha went to Damascus at a time when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. When the king was told that Elisha was there,

2 Kings 8:7 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 8:7

And Elisha came to Damascus
On what account, and when, is not certain, whether to convert Gehazi, as say the Jews ^F4; or to confirm Naaman in the true religion he professed, for which he might be dismissed from his office, since another man was made general of the Syrian army; or on account of the famine; or rather it may be to anoint, or, however, to declare that Hazael would be king of Syria; see ( 1 Kings 19:15 ) ,

and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick;
at the time he came thither, where his palace was, and now a Mahometan temple; a very extraordinary building, according to Benjamin the Jew ^F5:

and it was told him, saying, the man of God is come hither;
the famous prophet in Israel, Elisha, through whom Naaman his general had been cured of his leprosy, of whom he had heard so much.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F4 T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 47. 1.
F5 Itinerar. p. 55.

2 Kings 8:7 In-Context

5 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life, the woman made her appeal to the king. Gehazi said to him, "Your Majesty, here is the woman and here is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!"

6 In answer to the king's question, she confirmed Gehazi's story, and so the king called an official and told him to give back to her everything that was hers, including the value of all the crops that her fields had produced during the seven years she had been away.

7 Elisha went to Damascus at a time when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. When the king was told that Elisha was there,

8 he said to Hazael, one of his officials, "Take a gift to the prophet and ask him to consult the Lord to find out whether or not I am going to get well."

9 So Hazael loaded forty camels with all kinds of the finest products of Damascus and went to Elisha. When Hazael met him, he said, "Your servant King Benhadad has sent me to ask you whether or not he will recover from his sickness."