Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2 Kings 8

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  The Shunammite, having left her country seven years, to avoid the forewarned famine, for Elisha's miracle's sake has her land restored by the king.
7  Hazael, being sent with a present by Ben-hadad to Elisha at Damascus, after he had heard the prophecy, kills his master, and succeeds him.
16  Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah.
20  Edom and Libnah revolt.
23  Ahaziah succeeds Jehoram.
25  Ahaziah's wicked reign.
28  He visits Joram, being wounded, at Jezreel.
Verse 1

Then spake 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.
A. M. 3113. B.C. 891. whose son
4:18,31-35
sojourn
Genesis 12:10, 26:1, 47:4, Ruth 1:1
the Lord
Genesis 41:25,28,32, Leviticus 26:19,20,26, Deuteronomy 28:22-24,38-40, 1 Kings 17:1, 18:2, Psalms 105:16, 107:34, Haggai 1:11, Luke 21:11,22, Acts 11:28
called for a famine
Jeremiah 25:29
seven years
Genesis 41:27, 2 Samuel 21:1, 24:13, Luke 4:25
Verse 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.
with
1 Timothy 5:8
land
Judges 3:3, 1 Samuel 27:1-3
Verse 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.
A. M. 3119. B.C. 885
6, 4:13, 6:26, 2 Samuel 14:4, Psalms 82:3,4, Jeremiah 22:16, Luke 18:3-5
Verse 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.
the king
As it appears not likely that the king would hold conversation with a leprous man; or, that, knowing Gehazi had been dismissed with the highest disgrace from the prophet's service, he would talk with him concerning his late master; some have supposed that this happened before the cleansing of Naaman. But it agrees better with the chronology to consider it as having taken place after that event; the king, probably, having an insatiable curiosity to know the private history of a man who had done such astonishing things. As to the circumstances of Gehazi's disease, he might overlook that, and converse with him, keeping at a reasonable distance, as nothing but actual contact could defile.
Gehazi
5:20-27, 7:3,10
Tell
Matthew 2:8, Luke 9:9, 23:8, John 9:27, Acts 24:24
all the great
2:14,20-22,24, 3:14-16, 4:3-6,16,17, 5:14,27, 6:6,9-12,17-20,32, 7:1,16-20
Verse 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.
he had restored
4:35
behold, the woman
Ruth 2:3, Esther 5:14, 6:11,12, Proverbs 16:9, Ecclesiastes 9:11, Matthew 10:29,30, Acts 8:27-40, Romans 8:31
My lord
6:12,26, 1 Samuel 26:17, Psalms 145:1
Verse 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.
officer
or, eunuch.
9:32, Genesis 37:36, 1 Chronicles 28:1; *margins
Restore all
Deuteronomy 22:2, Judges 11:13, 2 Samuel 9:7, Proverbs 16:7, 21:1
Verse 7

And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
Damascus
Genesis 14:15, 1 Kings 11:24, Isaiah 7:8
Ben-hadad
6:24, 1 Kings 15:18, 20:1,34
The man of God
1:9,10, 2:15, 6:12, Deuteronomy 33:1, 1 Kings 13:1
is come
Judges 16:2, Acts 17:6
Verse 8

And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
Hazael
1 Kings 19:15
Take
5:5, 1 Samuel 9:7, 1 Kings 14:3
enquire
1:2,6, 3:11-13, 1 Kings 14:1-4, Luke 13:23, Acts 16:30
Verse 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 of this disease?
Hazael
1 Kings 19:15
with him
Heb. in his hand.
5:5
Thy son Ben-hadad
6:21, 13:14, 16:7, 1 Samuel 25:8, Philemon 1:14
Verse 10

And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
Thou mayest
1 Kings 22:15
the Lord
13, Genesis 41:39, Jeremiah 38:21, Ezekiel 11:25, Amos 3:7, 7:1,4,7, 8:1, Zechariah 1:20, Revelation 22:1
he shall surely die
15, 1:4,16, Genesis 2:17, Ezekiel 18:13
Verse 11

And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
stedfastly
Heb. and set it. wept.
Genesis 45:2, Psalms 119:136, Jeremiah 4:19, 9:1,18, 13:17, 14:17, Luke 19:41, John 11:35, Acts 20:19,31, Romans 9:2, Philippians 3:18
Verse 12

And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
my Lord
4:28, 1 Kings 18:13
the evil
10:32,33, 12:17, 13:3,7, Amos 1:3,4
dash
15:16, Psalms 137:8,9, Isaiah 13:16,18, Hosea 10:14, 13:16, Amos 1:3-5,13, Nahum 3:10
Verse 13

And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.
a dog
1 Samuel 17:43, 2 Samuel 9:8, Psalms 22:16,20, Isaiah 56:10,11, Matthew 7:6, Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:15
he should do
Jeremiah 17:9, Matthew 26:33-35
The Lord
10, 1 Kings 19:15, Micah 2:1
Verse 14

So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.
He told me
10, 5:25, Matthew 26:16
Verse 15

And it came to pass on the morrow, 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.
And it came
13, 1 Samuel 16:12,13, 24:4-7,13, 26:9-11, 1 Kings 11:26-37
on the morrow
Psalms 36:4, Micah 2:1
that he took a thick cloth
There is a considerable degree of ambiguity in this passage. The pronoun he is generally referred to Hazael; but Dr. Geddes and others are decidedly of the opinion, that we should understand by it Ben-hadad; who, encouraged by the favourable answer of Elisha, as reported by Hazael, adopted a violent remedy to allay the heat of his fever, and put over his face the keever, or fly-net, (See Note on 1 Sa 19:13,) dipped in water, which suddenly checked the perspiration, and occasioned his death.
so that he died
9:24, 15:10-14,25,30, 1 Kings 15:28, 16:10,18, Isaiah 33:1
Hazael
13, 1 Kings 19:15
Verse 16

And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
A. M. 3112. B.C. 892. Jehoram
1:17, 1 Kings 22:50, 2 Chronicles 21:1-20
began to reign
Heb. reigned. "Began to reign in concert with his father."
Verse 17

Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
A. M. 3112-3119. B.C. 892-885
Verse 18

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
in the way
3:2,3, 1 Kings 22:52,53
the house
9:7,8, 21:3,13, 2 Chronicles 21:13, Micah 6:16
the daughter
26, 1 Kings 21:25, 2 Chronicles 18:1, 19:2, 21:6, 22:1-4
his wife
Genesis 6:1-5, Deuteronomy 7:3,4, 1 Kings 11:1-5, Nehemiah 13:25,26
Verse 19

Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.
for David
19:34, 2 Samuel 7:12,13,15, 1 Kings 11:36, 15:4,5, 2 Chronicles 21:7, Isaiah 7:14, 37:35, Jeremiah 33:25,26, Hosea 11:9, Luke 1:32,33
light
Heb. candle, or lamp.
1 Kings 11:36
Verse 20

In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
Edom
22, 3:9,27, Genesis 27:40, 2 Chronicles 21:8-10
made a king
2 Samuel 8:14, 1 Kings 22:47
Verse 21

So Joram went over to Zair, 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 fled into their tents.
Zair
Zair is supposed by Calmet and others to be the same as Seïr, the country of Seir the Horite, inhabited by the Edomites or Idumeans. Probably the former was a dialectical pronunciation of the latter.
Verse 22

Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
Yet
"And so fulfilled. Ge 27:40."
Libnah
19:8, Joshua 21:13, 2 Chronicles 21:10
Verse 23

And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
15:6,36, 1 Kings 11:41, 14:29, 15:23, 2 Chronicles 21:11-20
Verse 24

And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
slept
1 Kings 2:10, 11:43, 14:20,31
Ahaziah
1 Chronicles 3:11, 2 Chronicles 21:1,17, 25:23
Jehoahaz
2 Chronicles 22:1,6
Azariah
Verse 25

In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
A. M. 3119-3120. B.C. 885-884
16,17, 9:29, 2 Chronicles 21:20
Verse 26

Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
Two and twenty
In the parallel passage of Chronicles, it is said, "forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign;" but this is evidently a mistake, as it makes the son two years older than his own father! For his father began to reign when he was thirty-two years old, and reigned eight years, and so died, being forty years old. See ver. 17, and the Note on 2 Ch 22:2.
one year
9:21-27, 2 Chronicles 22:5-8
Athaliah
11:1,13-16
daughter
or, grand-daughter.
Verse 27

And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
he walked
the son in law
18, 2 Chronicles 22:3,4, Ecclesiastes 7:26, 2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Verse 28

And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
A. M. 3120. B.C. 884. he went
3:7, 9:15, 1 Kings 22:4, 2 Chronicles 18:2,3,31, 19:2, 22:5
Hazael
12,13, 1 Kings 19:17
Ramoth-gilead
Joshua 21:38, 1 Kings 4:13, 22:3
Verse 29

And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, 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.
Joram
9:15
which the Syrians had given
Heb. wherewith the Syrians had wounded. Ramah. "Called Ramoth, ver. 28."
Ahaziah
9:16, 2 Chronicles 22:6,7
sick
Heb. wounded.
1 Kings 22:34

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