2 Kings 8)
1 Then spoke Elisha to the woman, whose son he had restored to life (cp. 4:35), saying, “Arise, and go you and your household, and sojourn wheresoever you can sojourn: for the Lord has called for the famine [which already had begun] (probably the same as 4:38. Occasion is not determined by the text, but v.3 takes up the history at the end of the 7 years); and it is come upon the land seven years” (i.e. to last 7 years. #7 = spiritual perfection, completeness,).
2 And the woman arose, and did after 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 to the king for [to recover] her house and for [to recover] her field (Heb. ’el. Not same word as v.5. "Field", i.e. estate).
4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me, I pray you, all the great things that Elisha has done” (see 2:15).
5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life (cp. 4:35), that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for [to call attention to] her house and for [to call attention to her land (Heb. ’ãl). 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 to her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that [was] hers, and all the produce of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.”
7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, “The man of God is come to this place.”
8 And the king said to Hazael (= whom God sees. One of Ben-hadad's servants), “Take a present in your hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover of this disease?’ ” (it does not say that Elisha accepted it)
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every kind of thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover of this disease?’ ”
10 And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You may certainly recover: however the Lord has showed me that he shall surely die”. (= "so far as recovering goes, you will recover. And yet Yehovah has made me plainly see that he will surely die" See notes on Gen.2:17 and 26:28).
11 And he (i.e. Hazael) settled his countenance steadfastly, until he was ashamed (the thought of murder came into his mind): and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, “Why weep my lord?” And he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel (described in 10:32; 12:17; 13:3,22. Hos. 10:14. Amos 1:3,4): their strong holds will you set on fire, and their young men will you slay with the sword, and will dash their little ones, and rip up their women with child.”
13 And Hazael said, “But what, [is] you servant a dog (cp. 1 Sam.17:43; 24:14. 2 Sam.9:8), that he should do this great thing?” And Elisha answered, “The Lord has showed me that you [shall be] king over Syria.”
14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, “What said Elisha to you?” And he answered, “He told me [that] you should surely recover” (see v.10. A false report).
15 And it came to pass on the next day (the inscriptions of Shalmanezer II agree with this. The name Jehu appears on them with Hazael's), that he took a thick cloth, and dipped [it] in water, and spread [it] on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
F³ C¹ 8:16-24. Jehoram.
C² 8:25-9:24. Ahaziah.
C¹ v 16,17. Introduction.
w 18,19. Evil-doing. Personal.
w 20-22. Evil-doing. Political.
v 23,24. Conclusion.
16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel (#5 = grace), Jehoshaphat [being] then king of Judah (Jehoram associated with him in Joram's 5th year, and reigned solely in Joram's 6th year. Cp. 9:29. Joram [of Ahab] began in Jehoshaphat's 11th year [2 Kings 3:1. #11 = disorder,defective administration]. His 5th year is therefore Jehoshaphat's 18th year [#18 = bondage]. His 5th year is therefore Jehoshaphat's 23rd year, when Jehoram is associated with him as king, in the 3rd year before his death [#23 = death]), Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign (i.e. in consort with his father).
17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign (#32 = covenant); and he reigned eight years in Jerus h7njalem (#8 = new beginnings).
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, according as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife (cp. v.26. See 2 Kings 11:1 [The Dynasty of Omri]): and he did evil in the sight of the Lord (cp. Chron. 21:2-4).
19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for D avid His servant's sake, as He promised him (cp. 2 Sam. 7:13) to give him always a light (cp. 1 Kings 11:36. See Gen. 15:17. Heb. nêr. Found only 4 times, and always of David [2 Sam. 21:17, 1 Kings 11:1. Here. 2 Chron. 21:7), [and] to his sons (many codices read "and for his sons").
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah (cp. 2 Chron. 21:8 with 1 Kings 22:47, and see 2 Kings 3:9), and made a king over themselves.
21 So Joram went over to Zair (= small), and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people (i.e. of Judah) fled into their tents.
22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah to this day (the success of Edom accounted for from the end of v.21, and Gen.27:40. written therefore before the captivity of Judah). Then Libnah revolted at the same time (Libnah = whiteness. Cp. 2 Chron. 21:10. Libnah was a city of the priests [Josh. 21:13], and Jehoram with his wife and sons had "broken up" the Temple worship [2 Chron. 24:7], led this revolt, and were afterwards active in repairing the house of the Lord [2 Chron. 24:1-14]).
23 And the rest of the acts of Jehoram, and all that he did, [are] they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (Cp. 2 Chron. 21)
24 And Jehoram slept with his fathers (see Deut. 31:16), and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead (i.e. his youngest son; all the rest being slain. See 2 Chron. 21:17; 22:1. 1 Kings 11:1).
C² x 8:25-27. Introduction.
y z 8:28,29. Jehoram, Ramoth-gilead, and Hazael.
a 9:1-14-. Conspiracy of Jehu.
y z 9:-14,15-. Jehoram, Ramoth-gilead, and Hazael.
a 9:-15-26. Conspiracy of Jehu.
x 9:27-29. Conclusion.789 to 788 B.C.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah (= sustained by Yah [the Lord]) the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
26 Two and twenty years old [was] Ahaziah when he began to reign (#22 = light [which kind? true or false?]. see 2 Chron.22:2. Note that Ahaziah. Joash, and Amaziah, omitted in Matt. 1:8, all died violent deaths [9:27; 12:20; 14:19]); and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name [was] Athaliah (= afflicted of Yah), the grand-daughter of (and even used for successors not in descent of blood) Omri king of Israel (= pupil of the Lord).
27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of Yehovah, as [did] the house of Ahab: for he [was] the son in law of the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram (his uncle) the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth-gilead (it was then in the hands of Israel, but threatened by Syria. Cp. 9:14); and the Syrians wounded Joram.
29 And king Jehoram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramoth-gilead, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.