2 Kings 8:1-11

1 Then spoke Elisha unto the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, "Arise and go, thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn; for the LORD hath called for a famine, and it shall also come upon the land seven years."

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.

2 Kings 8:1-11 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.