2 Kings 8:2-20

2 And the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God; and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And it came to pass, at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines; and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, "Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done."
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 has come hither."
8 And the king said unto Hazael, "Take a present in thine hand and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, `Shall I recover from 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 from this disease?'"
10 And Elisha said unto him, "Go, say unto him, `Thou mayest certainly recover'. However the LORD hath shown me that he shall surely die."
11 And he fixed his countenance steadfastly until Hazael was ashamed; and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, "Why weepeth my lord?" And he answered, "Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel. Their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child."
13 And Hazael said, "But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?" And Elisha answered, "The LORD hath shown me that thou shalt be king over Syria."
14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, "What said Elisha to thee?" And he answered, "He told me that thou shouldest surely recover."
15 And it came to pass on the morrow that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face so that he died; and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David His servant's sake, as He promised him to give him always a light, and to his children.
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.

2 Kings 8:2-20 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.

Third Millennium Bible (TMB), New Authorized Version, Copyright 1998 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc., Gary, SD 57237. All rights reserved.