2 Kings 8:11

11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was ashamed. And the man of God wept.

2 Kings 8:11 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 8:11

And he settled his countenance steadfastly
Refrained himself as much as possible, that he might not weep, as some Jewish writers interpret it; or, as others, he turned his face on one side, and covered it with his hands, that Hazael might not see him weep; or rather he set his face on Hazael, and looked at him so wistly:

until he was ashamed;
that is, Hazael; the prophet looked him out of countenance:

and the man of God wept;
at the thought of what calamities the man before him, he looked on, would be the cause of in Israel, as the following words show.

2 Kings 8:11 In-Context

9 So Haz'ael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, "Your son Ben-ha'dad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, 'Shall I recover from this sickness?'"
10 And Eli'sha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover'; but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die."
11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was ashamed. And the man of God wept.
12 And Haz'ael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you will set on fire their fortresses, and you will slay their young men with the sword, and dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child."
13 And Haz'ael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Eli'sha answered, "The LORD has shown me that you are to be king over Syria."
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.