King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
¶ Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Haza'el king of Aram went up and fought against Gat; and after capturing it, Haza'el made his decision to attack Yerushalayim.
Berean Standard Bible:
At that time Hazael king of Aram marched up and fought against Gath and captured it. Then he decided to attack Jerusalem.
American Standard Version:
Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Then Hazael{H2371} king{H4428} of Syria{H758} went up{H5927}, and fought{H3898} against Gath{H1661}, and took{H3920} it: and Hazael{H2371} set{H7760} his face{H6440} to go up{H5927} to Jerusalem{H3389}.
Cross-References (KJV):
2 Chronicles 24:23
- And it came to pass at the end of the year, [that] the host of Syria came up against him: and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people, and sent all the spoil of them unto the king of Damascus.
2 Chronicles 24:24
- For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers. So they executed judgment against Joash.
Jeremiah 42:15
- And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;
Luke 9:53
- And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.
1 Kings 2:39
- And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants [be] in Gath.
1 Kings 2:40
- And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
2 Kings 8:12
- 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.
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Commentary for 2 Kings 12:17
2 Kings 12:17 is a verse set within the historical narrative of the Old Testament, specifically during the period of the Divided Monarchy when the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were separate entities. The verse reads, "Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem."
In this verse, Hazael is the king of Aram-Damascus, also known as Syria, who was known for his military prowess and expansionist policies. Gath, one of the five Philistine cities, was a significant military and strategic center. The Philistines had been long-standing adversaries of Israel and Judah. Hazael's conquest of Gath demonstrates his strength and the growing threat he posed to the region.
The phrase "set his face to go up to Jerusalem" indicates Hazael's determined intention to march against Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This action would have been seen as a direct challenge to Judah's sovereignty and the Davidic monarchy, which held significant theological importance as God's chosen dynasty.
The historical context of this verse is a time of political instability and military conflict among the small kingdoms of the Levant, as they sought to assert their dominance and defend their territories. The themes present in this verse include the reality of political and military power struggles, the vulnerability of nations to external aggression, and the divine promise and protection of Jerusalem, which is a recurring theme in the Hebrew Bible. The narrative also serves to foreshadow the future conflicts and eventual exile of the people of Judah, as their kingdom would eventually fall to foreign invaders. This verse underscores the precarious position of Judah amidst powerful and often hostile neighbors during a tumultuous period in ancient Near Eastern history.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H2371
There are 21 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֲזָאֵל
Transliteration: Chăzâʼêl
Pronunciation: khaz-aw-ale'
Description: or חֲזָהאֵל; from חָזָה and אֵל; God has seen; Chazael, a king of Syria; Hazael. - Strong's Number: H4428
There are 1922 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֶלֶךְ
Transliteration: melek
Pronunciation: meh'-lek
Description: from מָלַךְ; a king; king, royal. - Strong's Number: H758
There are 561 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲרָם
Transliteration: ʼĂrâm
Pronunciation: arawm'
Description: from the same as אַרְמוֹן; the highland; Aram or Syria, and its inhabitants; also the name of the son of Shem, a grandson of Nahor, and of an Israelite; Aram, Mesopotamia, Syria, Syrians. - Strong's Number: H5927
There are 817 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָלָה
Transliteration: ʻâlâh
Pronunciation: aw-law'
Description: a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative; arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, [phrase] shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, [idiom] mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, [phrase] perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work. - Strong's Number: H3898
There are 171 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לָחַם
Transliteration: lâcham
Pronunciation: law-kham'
Description: a primitive root; to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by implication, to battle (as destruction); devour, eat, [idiom] ever, fight(-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war(-ring). - Strong's Number: H1661
There are 31 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: גַּת
Transliteration: Gath
Pronunciation: gath
Description: the same as גַּת; Gath, a Philistine city; Gath. - Strong's Number: H3920
There are 112 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: לָכַד
Transliteration: lâkad
Pronunciation: law-kad'
Description: a primitive root; to catch (in a net, trap or pit); generally, to capture or occupy; also to choose (by lot); figuratively, to cohere; [idiom] at all, catch (self), be frozen, be holden, stick together, take. - Strong's Number: H7760
There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שׂוּם
Transliteration: sûwm
Pronunciation: soom
Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work. - Strong's Number: H6440
There are 1890 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: פָּנִים
Transliteration: pânîym
Pronunciation: paw-neem'
Description: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you. - Strong's Number: H3389
There are 600 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם
Transliteration: Yᵉrûwshâlaim
Pronunciation: yer-oo-shaw-lah'-im
Description: rarely יְרוּשָׁלַיִם; a dual (in allusion to its two main hills (the true pointing, at least of the former reading, seems to be that of יְרוּשָׁלֵם)); probably from (the passive participle of) יָרָה and שָׁלַם; founded peaceful; Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine; Jerusalem.