2 Kings 8:9

9 Haza'el went to meet him, taking with him a gift that included everything good Dammesek had, forty camel-loads. He came, stood before him and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you; he asks, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"

2 Kings 8:9 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 8:9

So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him
As was usual when a prophet or seer was consulted, see ( 1 Samuel 9:7 )

even of every good thing of Damascus;
which was a very fruitful place, and had abundance of gardens and orchards in it, which yielded excellent fruit, and of such it is probable the present consisted, and which was large:

even forty camels' burden:
which, as they are strong creatures, will bear a great deal. Abarbinel thinks, bread, flesh, and wine, and fowls, were in the present, but not gold, silver, and raiment, which the prophet had refused to take of Naaman; the Jews have a fable, that there was a precious stone in it, worth all the good things of Damascus:

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?
he calls him his son, in veneration of the prophet as a father, as such men were called.

2 Kings 8:9 In-Context

7 Elisha went to Dammesek. Ben-Hadad the king of Aram was ill; and he was told, "The man of God has come here."

8 The king said to Haza'el, "Take with you a gift, go meet the man of God and consult ADONAI through him; ask if I will recover from this illness."

9 Haza'el went to meet him, taking with him a gift that included everything good Dammesek had, forty camel-loads. He came, stood before him and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to you; he asks, 'Will I recover from this illness?'"

10 Elisha answered, "Go and say to him, 'You will surely recover'- even though ADONAI has shown me that he will surely die."

11 Then the man of God fixed his gaze on him for so long that Haza'el became embarrassed; finally Elisha began to cry.