2 Kings 8:3-13

3 After seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines and went to beg the king for her house and land.
4 The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had said, "Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done."
5 Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came and begged the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, "My master and king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha brought back to life."
6 The king asked the woman, and she told him about it. Then the king chose an officer to help her. "Give the woman everything that is hers," the king said. "Give her all the money made from her land from the day she left until now."
7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, where Ben-Hadad king of Aram was sick. Someone told him, "The man of God has arrived."
8 The king said to Hazael, "Take a gift in your hand and go meet him. Ask the Lord through him if I will recover from my sickness."
9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camels loaded with every good thing in Damascus. He came and stood before Elisha and said, "Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram sent me to you. He asks if he will recover from his sickness."
10 Elisha said to Hazael, "Go and tell Ben-Hadad, 'You will surely recover,' but the Lord has told me he will really die."
11 Hazael stared at Elisha until he felt ashamed. Then Elisha cried.
12 Hazael asked, "Why are you crying, master?" Elisha answered, "Because I know what evil you will do to the Israelites. You will burn their strong, walled cities with fire and kill their young men with swords. You will throw their babies to the ground and split open their pregnant women."
13 Hazael said, "Am I a dog? How could I do such things?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram."

2 Kings 8:3-13 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.

Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.