2 Kings 8:7

7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick ; and it was told him, saying , The man of God is come hither.

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.

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FOOTNOTES:

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

2 Kings 8:7 In-Context

5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life , that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life , cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said , My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life .

6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying , Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick ; and it was told him, saying , The man of God is come hither.

8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go , meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying , Shall I recover of this disease?

9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said , Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying , Shall I recover of this disease?