2 Kings 12:17

17 Then Hazael, king of Syria, went up, and fought against Gath and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.

2 Kings 12:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 12:17

Then Hazael king of Syria went up and fought against Gath, and
took it
When Jehoiada was dead, and Jehoash was become an apostate, the Lord suffered the king of Syria to be a scourge to him; who first attacked Gath, and took it, which was formerly one of the principalities of the Philistines, but was subdued by David, and had been in the hands of the Israelites ever since; the king of Syria began with this, as nearest to him, to open the way for what he had further in view:

and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem;
he made such preparations, and took such measures, as plainly indicated what his design was.

2 Kings 12:17 In-Context

15 Moreover they did not require accounts from the men into whose hands they delivered the money to be bestowed on workmen, for they dealt faithfully.

16 The guilt money and sin money was not brought into the house of the LORD, for it was the priests’.

17 Then Hazael, king of Syria, went up, and fought against Gath and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up against Jerusalem.

18 And Jehoash, king of Judah, took all the holy things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated and his own holy things and all the gold that was found in the treasury of the house of the LORD and in the king’s house and sent it to Hazael, king of Syria; and he went away from Jerusalem.

19 And the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?