2 Kings8
English Standard Version
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1 Now had to the whose he had , , and with your , and you can, the Lord has for a , it will upon the for .
2 So the and according to the of the of . She with her and in the of the .
3 the of the , when the from the of the , she to to the for her and her .
4 was with the of the of , , me the that has .
5 And while he was the how Elisha had the to , , the whose he had to the for her and her . And , My , O , is the , and is her .
6 And when the the , she him. So the for her, , that was hers, together with all the of the the that she the .
7 Now to . the of was . And when it was him, The of has ,
8 the to , a with and to the of , and of the Lord through him, , Shall I from this ?
9 So to him, and a , kinds of of , ’ . When he and him, he , Your of has me to you, , Shall I from ?
10 And to him, , to him, You shall , but the Lord has me that he shall .
11 And he his and at him, he was . And the of .
12 And , does my ? He , I the that you will to the of . You will on their , and you will their with the and dash in their and their women.
13 And , is your , who is but a , that he should this ? , The Lord has me that you are to be over .
14 Then he and to his , who to him, did to you? And he , He me that you would .
15 But the he the and it in and it his , till he . And in his .
16 In the of the of , of , when was of , the of , of , began to .
17 He was when he , and he in .
18 And he in the of the of , the of had , the of was his . And he what was in the of the Lord.
19 Yet the Lord was to , for the of his , since he to a to him and to his .
20 In his from the of and a of their .
21 Then to with his and by , and he and his the who had him, but his .
22 So the of . Then at the .
23 of the of , and he , are they in the of the of the of ?
24 So his and was his in the of , and his in his .
25 In the of the of , of , the of , of , began to .
26 was when he began to , and he in . His was ; she was a of of .
27 He also in the of the of and what was in the of the Lord, as the of had done, he was to the of .
28 He with the of to make of at , and the .
29 And to be in the that the had him at , when he against of . And the of of to the of in , he was .
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2 Kings 8Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for 2 Kings 8. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: A famine in Israel, The Shunammite obtains her land. (1–6). Elisha consulted by Hazael, Death of Benhadad. (7–15). Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah. (16–24). Ahaziah's wicked reign in Judah. (25–29).
vv1-6
The kindness of the good Shunammite to Elisha, was rewarded by the care taken of her in famine. It is well to foresee an evil, and wisdom, when we foresee it, to hide ourselves if we lawfully may do so. When the famine was over, she returned out of the land of the Philistines; that was no proper place for an Israelite, any longer than there was necessity for it. Time was when she dwelt so securely among her own people, that she had no occasion to be spoken for to the king; but there is much uncertainty in this life, so that things or persons may fail us which we most depend upon, and those befriend us which we think we shall never need. Sometimes events, small in themselves, prove of consequence, as here; for they made the king ready to believe Gehazi's narrative, when thus confirmed. It made him ready to grant her request, and to support a life which was given once and again by miracle.
vv7-15
Among other changes of men's minds by affliction, it often gives other thoughts of God's ministers, and teaches to value the counsels and prayers of those whom they have hated and despised. It was not in Hazael's countenance that Elisha read what he would do, but God revealed it to him, and it fetched tears from his eyes: the more foresight men have, the more grief they are liable to. It is possible for a man, under the convictions and restraints of natural conscience, to express great abhorrence of a sin, yet afterwards to be reconciled to it. Those that are little and low in the world, cannot imagine how strong the temptations of power and prosperity are, which, if ever they arrive at, they will find how deceitful their hearts are, how much worse than they suspected. The devil ruins men, by saying they shall certainly recover and do well, so rocking them asleep in security. Hazael's false account was an injury to the king, who lost the benefit of the prophet's warning to prepare for death, and an injury to Elisha, who would be counted a false prophet. It is not certain that Hazael murdered his master, or if he caused his death it may have been without any design. But he was a dissembler, and afterwards proved a persecutor to Israel.
vv16-24
A general idea is given of Jehoram's badness. His father, no doubt, had him taught the true knowledge of the Lord, but did ill to marry him to the daughter of Ahab; no good could come of union with an idolatrous family.
Key Words
אֱלִישָׁע: Elisha, the famous prophet
אִשָּׁה: a woman
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
חָיָה: to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive
קוּם: to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
יָלַךְ: to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)
בַּיִת: a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)
אֲשֶׁר: who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.
כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
Cross References
2 Kings 8Fulfills the commission given to Elijah at Horeb to anoint Hazael king over Syria.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallel account of Jehoram's wicked reign in Judah and the fatal influence of Ahab's daughter.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
The promise to preserve a 'light' or lamp for David in Jerusalem, preventing total destruction.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Fulfillment of Isaac's ancient prophecy that Edom would eventually break Judah's yoke from its neck.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Establishes the identity of the woman whose son Elisha previously restored to life.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
Provides the crucial background context explaining Gehazi's status as a leper talking to the king.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Records the brutal realization of Elisha's prophecy concerning the terrible evil Hazael would do to Israel.
Supported by JFB
Detailed parallel of Ahaziah's reign, highlighting Athaliah's destructive, idolatrous influence as his counselor.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Explains the seven-year duration of the famine as Levitical escalation for Israel's persistent idolatry.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Parallels the common practice of sending elaborate presents to inquire of prophets during illness.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the self-deprecating Eastern expression 'is thy servant a dog' to denote insignificance or revulsion.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Provides the immediate historical sequel of Joram recovering in Jezreel from Hazael's wounds.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts Ben-Hadad inquiring of Yahweh with Ahaziah wickedly inquiring of Baal-zebub in sickness.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the profound prophetic grief and weeping over the impending destruction of God's people.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Chronicles parallel noting the simultaneous rebellion of Edom and Libnah from Judah's control.
Supported by Matthew Poole