Melachim Bais 8

1 Then spoke Elishah unto the isha, whose ben he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine bais, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn; for Hashem hath called for a ra’av (famine); and it shall also come upon ha’aretz sheva shanim.

2 And the isha arose, and did according to the davar Ish HaElohim; she went away and her bais, sojourned in the Eretz Pelishtim sheva shanim.

3 And it came to pass at the end of the sheva shanim, that the isha returned from Eretz Pelishtim; and she went forth to make appeal unto HaMelech for her bais and for her sadeh.

4 And HaMelech talked with Geichazi na’ar Ish HaElohim, saying, Tell me, now, all the gedolot (great things) that Elishah hath done.

5 And it came to pass, as he was telling HaMelech how he had restored to life hamet (the dead), that, hinei, the isha, whose ben he had restored to life, cried out her appeal to HaMelech for her bais and for her sadeh. And Geichazi said, Adoni, HaMelech, this is the isha, and this is her ben, whom Elishah restored to life.

6 And when HaMelech asked the isha, she told him. So HaMelech appointed unto her a certain saris (official), saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the tevu’ot (increase) of the sadeh since the yom that she left ha’aretz, even until now.

7 And Elishah came to Damascus; and Ben-Hadad Melech Aram choleh (was ill), when it was told him, saying, Ish HaElohim has come here.

8 And HaMelech said unto Chazael, Take a minchah (a present) in thine yad, and go, meet the Ish HaElohim, and inquire of Hashem through him, saying, Shall I recover of this illness?

9 So Chazael went to meet him, and took a minchah (a present) with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, massa (burden, load) of arba’im gamal, and came and stood before him, and said, Binecha Ben-Hadad Melech Aram (Syria) hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this illness?

10 And Elishah said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou shalt certainly recover; howbeit Hashem hath showed me that he shall surely die.

11 And he fixed his gaze steadfastly, and stared at him until he was ashamed; then the Ish HaElohim wept.

12 And Chazael said, Why weepeth, adoni? And he answered, Because I know the ra’ah (evil, harm) that thou wilt do unto the Bnei Yisroel; their strongholds wilt thou with eish set ablaze, and their bochurim wilt thou slay with the cherev, and wilt dash their olelim, and their women with child thou wilt rip open.

13 And Chazael said, But what, is thy eved a kelev (dog), that he should do this davar hagadol (great thing)? And Elishah answered, Hashem hath showed me that thou shalt be Melech over Aram (Syria).

14 So he departed from Elishah, and came to adonav (his master); who said to him, What said Elishah to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.

15 And it came to pass on the next day, that he took hamakhber (the bedcover), and soaked it in mayim, and spread it on his face, so that he died; and Chazael reigned as Melech in his place.

16 And in the fifth year of Yoram Ben Ach’av Melech Yisroel, Yehoshaphat being then Melech Yehudah, Yehoram Ben Yehoshafat Melech Yehudah began to reign as Melech.

17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign as Melech; and he reigned as Melech shmoneh shanah in Yerushalayim.

18 And he walked in the derech malkhei Yisroel, as did the Bais Ach’av; for the Bat Ach’av was his isha; and he did rah (evil) before the eyes of Hashem.

19 Yet Hashem would not destroy Yehudah for the sake of Dovid His eved, in accordance with His promise to him to give a Ner (Lamp) for him and his banim kol hayamim.

20 In his yamim Edom pasha (rebelled) from under the yad Yehudah, and set a melech over themselves.

21 So Yoram went over to Tzair, and all the merkavot with him; and he rose by lailah, and attacked Edom who had him surrounded, and the commanders of the merkavot; and the army fled to their ohalim (tents, homes).

22 Yet Edom revolted from under the yad Yehudah unto this day. Then Livnah revolted at the same time.

23 And the rest of the acts of Yoram, and all that he did, are they not written in the Sefer Divrei HaYamim L’Malkhei Yehudah?

24 And Yoram slept with his avot, and was buried with his avot in Ir Dovid; and Achazyahu bno reigned as Melech in his place.

25 In the twelfth year of Yoram Ben Ach’av Melech Yisroel did Achazyahu Ben Yehoram Melech Yehudah begin to reign as Melech.

26 Achazyahu was 22 years old when he began to reign as Melech; and he reigned one year in Yerushalayim. And the shem immo was Atalyah Bat Omri Melech Yisroel.

27 And he walked in the derech of the Bais Ach’av, and did rah in the eyes of Hashem, as did the Bais Ach’av: for he was choson (son-in-law) of the Bais Ach’av.

28 And he went with Yoram Ben Ach’av to the milchamah (war) against Chazael Melech Aram in Ramot Gil‘ad; and the Aramim wounded Yoram.

29 And Yoram HaMelech returned to recover in Yizre’el of the makkim (wounds) which the Aramim (Syrians) had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Chazael Melech Aram. And Achazyahu Ben Yehoram Melech Yehudah went down to see Yoram Ben Ach’av in Yizre’el, because he was choleh (ill with his wounds).

Melachim Bais 8 Commentary

Chapter 8

A famine in Israel, The Shunammite obtains her land. (1-6) Elisha consulted by Hazael, Death of Benhadad. (7-15) Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah. (16-24) Ahaziah's wicked reign in Judah. (25-29)

Verses 1-6 The kindness of the good Shunammite to Elisha, was rewarded by the care taken of her in famine. It is well to foresee an evil, and wisdom, when we foresee it, to hide ourselves if we lawfully may do so. When the famine was over, she returned out of the land of the Philistines; that was no proper place for an Israelite, any longer than there was necessity for it. Time was when she dwelt so securely among her own people, that she had no occasion to be spoken for to the king; but there is much uncertainty in this life, so that things or persons may fail us which we most depend upon, and those befriend us which we think we shall never need. Sometimes events, small in themselves, prove of consequence, as here; for they made the king ready to believe Gehazi's narrative, when thus confirmed. It made him ready to grant her request, and to support a life which was given once and again by miracle.

Verses 7-15 Among other changes of men's minds by affliction, it often gives other thoughts of God's ministers, and teaches to value the counsels and prayers of those whom they have hated and despised. It was not in Hazael's countenance that Elisha read what he would do, but God revealed it to him, and it fetched tears from his eyes: the more foresight men have, the more grief they are liable to. It is possible for a man, under the convictions and restraints of natural conscience, to express great abhorrence of a sin, yet afterwards to be reconciled to it. Those that are little and low in the world, cannot imagine how strong the temptations of power and prosperity are, which, if ever they arrive at, they will find how deceitful their hearts are, how much worse than they suspected. The devil ruins men, by saying they shall certainly recover and do well, so rocking them asleep in security. Hazael's false account was an injury to the king, who lost the benefit of the prophet's warning to prepare for death, and an injury to Elisha, who would be counted a false prophet. It is not certain that Hazael murdered his master, or if he caused his death it may have been without any design. But he was a dissembler, and afterwards proved a persecutor to Israel.

Verses 16-24 A general idea is given of Jehoram's badness. His father, no doubt, had him taught the true knowledge of the Lord, but did ill to marry him to the daughter of Ahab; no good could come of union with an idolatrous family.

Verses 25-29 Names do not make natures, but it was bad for Jehoshaphat's family to borrow names from Ahab's. Ahaziah's relation to Ahab's family was the occasion of his wickedness and of his fall. When men choose wives for themselves, let them remember they are choosing mothers for their children. Providence so ordered it, that Ahaziah might be cut off with the house of Ahab, when the measure of their iniquity was full. Those who partake with sinners in their sin, must expect to partake with them in their plagues. May all the changes, troubles, and wickedness of the world, make us more earnest to obtain an interest in the salvation of Christ.

Chapter Summary

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.