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Commentary on 2 Kings 8 verses 7–15
Here, I. We may enquire what brought Elisha to Damascus, the chief city of Syria. Was he sent to any but the lost sheep of the house of Israel? It seems he was. Perhaps he went to pay a visit to Naaman his convert, and to confirm him in his choice of the true religion, which was the more needful now because, it should seem, he was not out of his place (for Hazael is supposed to be captain of that host); either he resigned it or was turned out of it, because he would not bow, or not bow heartily, in the house of Rimmon. Some think he went to Damascus upon account of the famine, or rather he went thither in obedience to the orders God gave Elijah, Kg1 19:15, "Go to Damascus to anoint Hazael, thou, or thy successor."
II. We may observe that Ben-hadad, a great king, rich and mighty, lay sick. No honour, wealth, or power, will secure men from the common diseases and disasters of human life; palaces and thrones lie as open to the arrests of sickness and death as the meanest cottage.
III. We may wonder that the king of Syria, in his sickness, should make Elisha his oracle.
1.Notice was soon brought him that the man of God (for by that title he was well known in Syria since he cured Naaman) had come to Damascus, Kg2 8:7. "Never in better time," says Ben-hadad. "Go, and enquire of the Lord by him." In his health he bowed in the house of Rimmon, but now that he is sick he distrusts his idol, and sends to enquire of the God of Israel. Affliction brings those to God who in their prosperity had made light of him; sometimes sickness opens men's eyes and rectifies their mistakes. This is the more observable, (1.) Because it was not long since a king of Israel had, in his sickness, sent to enquire of the god of Ekron (Kg2 1:2), as if there had been no God in Israel. Note, God sometimes fetches to himself that honour from strangers which is denied him and alienated from him by his own professing people. (2.) Because it was not long since this Ben-hadad had sent a great force to treat Elisha as an enemy (Kg2 6:14), yet now he courts him as a prophet. Note, Among other instances of the change of men's minds by sickness and affliction, this is one, that it often gives them other thoughts of God's ministers, and teaches them to value the counsels and prayers of those whom they had hated and despised.
2.To put an honour upon the prophet, (1.) He sends to him, and does not send for him, as if, with the centurion, he thought himself not worthy that the man of God should come under his roof. (2.) He sends to him by Hazael, his prime-minister of state, and not by a common messenger. It is no disparagement to the greatest of men to attend the prophets of the Lord. Hazael must go and meet him at a place where he had appointed a meeting with his friends. (3.) He sends him a noble present, of every good thing of Damascus, as much as loaded forty camels (Kg2 8:9), testifying hereby his affection to the prophet, bidding him welcome to Damascus, and providing for his sustenance while he sojourned there. It is probable that Elisha accepted it (why should he not?), though he refused Naaman's. (4.) He orders Hazael to call him his son Ben-hadad, conforming to the language of Israel, who called the prophets fathers. (5.) He puts an honour upon him as one acquainted with the secrets of heaven, when he enquires of him, Shall I recover? It is natural to us to desire to know things to come in time, while things to come in eternity are little thought of or enquired after.
IV. What passed between Hazael and Elisha is especially remarkable.
1.Elisha answered his enquiry concerning the king, that he might recover, the disease was not mortal, but that he should die another way (Kg2 8:10), not a natural but a violent death. There are many ways out of the world, and sometimes, while men think to avoid one, they fall by another.
2.He looked Hazael in the face with an unusual concern, till he made Hazael blush and himself weep, Kg2 8:11. The man of God could outface the man of war. It was not in Hazael's countenance that Elisha read what he would do, but God did, at this time, reveal it to him, and it fetched tears from his eyes. The more foresight men have the more grief they are liable to.
3.When Hazael asked him why he wept he told him what a great deal of mischief he foresaw he would do to the Israel of God (Kg2 8:12), what desolations he would make of their strong-holds, and barbarous destruction of their men, women, and children. The sins of Israel provoked God to give them up into the hands of their cruel enemies, yet Elisha wept to think that ever Israelites should be thus abused; for, though he foretold, he did not desire the woeful day. See what havock war makes, what havock sin makes, and how the nature of man is changed by the fall, and stripped even of humanity itself.
4.Hazael was greatly surprised at this prediction (Kg2 8:13): What, says he, Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? This great thing he looks upon to be, (1.) An act of great power, not to be done but by a crowned head. "It must be some mighty potentate that can think to prevail thus against Israel, and therefore not I." Many are raised to that dominion which they never thought of and it often proves to their own hurt, Ecc 8:9. (2.) An act of great barbarity, which could not be done but by one lost to all honour and virtue: "Therefore," says he, "it is what I shall never find in my heart to be guilty of: Is thy servant a dog, to rend, and tear, and devour? Unless I were a dog, I could not do it." See here, [1.] What a bad opinion he had of the sin; he looked upon it to be great wickedness, fitter for a brute, for a beast of prey, to do than a man. Note, It is possible for a wicked man, under the convictions and restraints of natural conscience, to express great abhorrence of a sin, and yet afterwards to be well reconciled to it. [2.] What a good opinion he had of himself, how much better than he deserved; he thought it impossible he should do such barbarous things as the prophet foresaw. Note, We are apt to think ourselves sufficiently armed against those sins which yet we are afterwards overcome by, as Peter, Mat 26:35.
5.In answer to this Elisha only told him he should be king over Syria; then he would have power to do it, and then he would find in his heart to do it. Honours change men's tempers and manners, and seldom for the better: "Thou knowest not what thou wilt do when thou comest to be king, but I tell thee this thou wilt do." Those that are little and low in the world cannot imagine how strong the temptations of power and prosperity are, and, if ever they arrive at them, they will find how deceitful their hearts were and how much worse than they suspected.
V. What mischief Hazael did to his master hereupon. If he took any occasion to do it from what Elisha had said the fault was in him, not in the word. 1. He basely cheated his master, and belied the prophet (Kg2 8:14): He told me thou shouldst certainly recover. This was abominably false; he told him he should die (Kg2 8:10), but he unfairly and unfaithfully concealed that, either because he was loth to put the king out of humour with bad news or because hereby he might the more effectually carry on that bloody design which he conceived when he was told he should be his successor. The devil ruins men by telling them they shall certainly recover and do well, so rocking them asleep in security, than which nothing is more fatal. This was an injury to the king, who lost the benefit of this warning to prepare for death, and an injury to Elisha, who would be counted a false prophet. 2. He barbarously murdered his master, and so made good the prophet's word, Kg2 8:15. He dipped a thick cloth in cold water, and spread it upon his face, under pretence of cooling and refreshing him, but so that it stopped his breath, and stifled him presently, he being weak (and not able to help himself) or perhaps asleep: such a bubble is the life of the greatest of men, and so much exposed are princes to violence. Hazael, who was Ben-hadad's confidant, was his murderer, and some think, was not suspected, nor did the truth ever come out but by the pen of this inspired historian. We found this haughty monarch (1 Kings 20) the terror of the mighty in the land of the living, but he goes down slain to the pit with his iniquity upon his bones, Eze 32:27.
“Elisha went to Damascus while King Ben-hadad was ill.” His illness had derived from his unhappiness. For he had been deeply afflicted by the fact that, in the war of Samaria, his armies had been defeated and that, at the same time, his people had been chased from the city when he had hoped that his victory would occur immediately. His entire army had fled and sunk into shame and dishonor, and he was troubled in his mind because of this. In addition, the anguish of his thoughts was due to something that was not responsible for his fall: he had been deceived in believing that a countless and powerful army would march against him, whereas it was later shown that there was no army at all to oppress him.Therefore the king, when he heard of the coming of Elisha, sent Hazael, one of his noble men, to meet him. He ordered him to persuade the prophet to take care of his healing, and since he thought that this request must be accompanied with gifts and offerings, according to secular customs, he sent him, through his ambassador, all sorts of goods from Damascus and forty camels. But certainly the prophets refused, just as Elisha had refused and had not accepted the offerings of Naaman, the Aramean.
“Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover;’ but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.” These were the words of Elisha to the king, who asked him, “Will I live after this illness?” But it seems that they do not agree with the truth of the events, and not even with each other. However, after the words reported above in the story of the prophet Micah, it is evident that they do not cancel each other out or contradict each other. In fact, both prophets answer in the same manner, and the words of their reply pursue the same aim in the fact that they announce to their interlocutor good and death at the same time. But in the reply of Micah a particular aspect must be considered, that is, the fact that Ahab could not escape from death, because he so ardently and savagely wanted to go to the war, which was the real cause of his fall.But the case of Ben-hadad is quite different: it would have been easy for him to get rid of his illness, because it was not serious or fatal. He would have recovered from his illness, as Elisha had said to him and as Ben-Hadad had asked him by saying, “Will I live after my illness?” However, he died in a natural course but by a hostile means: he was misled by Hazael, his ambassador, the one who spread the bed cover on his master, killed him and reigned in his place, as Elisha had predicted.
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SUMMARY
Second Kings 8:11 records a profoundly intense and revealing encounter between the prophet Elisha and Hazael, an officer of the Aramean king Ben-hadad. The verse vividly portrays Elisha fixing his gaze upon Hazael with such unwavering intensity that it causes Hazael to experience deep shame. This dramatic moment culminates in Elisha's profound weeping, an outpouring of prophetic grief not for personal sorrow, but for the immense suffering and atrocities Elisha divinely foresaw Hazael would inflict upon the people of Israel. The scene powerfully underscores the reality of divine foreknowledge, the heavy burden borne by God's prophets, and the stark potential for human depravity.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse is rich in Foreshadowing, as Elisha's intense gaze and subsequent weeping dramatically anticipate the grim prophecy of Hazael's future atrocities against Israel, which are explicitly detailed in the very next verse. There is also a subtle Dramatic Irony at play; while Hazael is only beginning to feel a vague sense of shame, the audience (and Elisha) is privy to the horrific future that awaits, making Hazael's initial ignorance or discomfort all the more poignant. Symbolism is powerfully evident in Elisha's tears, which are not merely personal grief but symbolize divine sorrow over human sin and its devastating consequences. This aligns the prophet's heart with God's own lament over the brokenness of the world. Furthermore, the scene presents a stark Contrast between Elisha's spiritual clarity and Hazael's initial unawareness, and between the prophet's profound compassion and Hazael's future capacity for ruthless cruelty. The Tension is palpable, built through Elisha's silent, penetrating gaze and Hazael's uncomfortable reaction, before the emotional release of Elisha's tears.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This poignant scene in 2 Kings 8:11 serves as a profound theological statement on God's absolute sovereignty and foreknowledge, even over the darkest aspects of human history. Elisha's prophetic vision demonstrates that God is not a passive observer but actively aware of all human choices and their consequences, even before they are made. The prophet's tears underscore the divine heart of compassion, revealing that God grieves over the suffering caused by human sin and depravity. It challenges believers to cultivate a similar empathy for those who are oppressed or are destined for destruction, and to pray for rulers and leaders, understanding the profound impact their choices have. Furthermore, the certainty of Elisha's prophecy and its subsequent fulfillment (as seen in 2 Kings 10:32) reinforces our confidence in God's promises and His ultimate control over history, giving hope for a future where all evil will be vanquished.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The intense encounter between Elisha and Hazael in 2 Kings 8:11 invites us into a deep reflection on the nature of sin, prophecy, and divine compassion. Elisha's unwavering gaze and subsequent weeping serve as a potent reminder that true spiritual discernment often comes with a heavy burden of knowing the pain and suffering that human sin will unleash. His tears are not merely an emotional outburst but a prophetic lament, aligning his heart with God's own sorrow over the brokenness of the world. This challenges us to move beyond superficial responses to evil and to cultivate a profound, empathetic grief for the victims of injustice and for those who perpetuate it. It calls us to pray earnestly for leaders, recognizing the immense power they wield for good or ill, and to intercede for those who are caught in cycles of violence and oppression. Moreover, Hazael's shame under Elisha's gaze prompts us to consider our own inner potential for sin and the discomfort we feel when our hidden motives or future actions are exposed, even if only to our own conscience. Ultimately, while the scene is grim, it also reinforces our confidence in God's ultimate control over history, assuring us that even amidst human depravity, His purposes will prevail, and one day, all evil will be vanquished.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Elisha weep when he looked at Hazael?
Answer: Elisha wept not out of personal sorrow or fear for himself, but from the overwhelming grief of foreseeing the immense suffering and devastation Hazael would inflict upon the people of Israel. His tears were a prophetic lament, an expression of profound compassion and sorrow over the future atrocities that God revealed to him, as detailed in 2 Kings 8:12. This highlights the heavy emotional and spiritual toll that divine revelation and the knowledge of future calamities could place upon God's messengers, aligning Elisha's heart with God's own sorrow over human sin and its devastating consequences.
What does "he settled his countenance stedfastly" mean?
Answer: This phrase describes Elisha's intense, unwavering, and penetrating gaze upon Hazael. It means he fixed his eyes on Hazael with a resolute and unblinking focus, indicative of deep spiritual discernment and a prophetic vision. Elisha was not merely looking at Hazael, but through him, perceiving the dark potential within him and the horrific future that God was revealing. This fixed gaze was so powerful that it caused Hazael to feel shame.
Was Hazael aware of his future evil deeds when Elisha looked at him?
Answer: The text states Hazael was "ashamed," which suggests a subconscious discomfort or a fleeting moment of conviction. While he may not have fully grasped the specific atrocities Elisha foresaw, his shame indicates a dawning awareness or a deep unease about the potential for evil within himself, exposed by Elisha's penetrating, divinely-inspired gaze. It implies that Elisha's look unveiled something unsettling in Hazael's character, even before Elisha explicitly delivered the grim prophecy.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The encounter in 2 Kings 8:11, with Elisha's prophetic insight and profound grief, finds its ultimate fulfillment and deeper meaning in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Elisha's ability to "settle his countenance stedfastly" and perceive the hidden depravity and future actions of Hazael powerfully foreshadows Christ's perfect, omniscient knowledge. Jesus, the true "man of God," possessed complete divine insight, knowing the hearts of all people (John 2:25) and foretelling future events with absolute accuracy, including His own suffering and the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44). Elisha's tears, shed out of compassion for the suffering Israel would endure, profoundly prefigure Christ's own weeping over Jerusalem, lamenting its spiritual blindness and impending judgment. More profoundly, Elisha's burden of knowing future suffering points to Christ, who willingly bore the ultimate burden of all human sin and suffering on the cross (Isaiah 53:4-5). While Hazael represents the depths of human depravity and the destructive power of sin, Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), offering redemption and deliverance from the very evil that caused Elisha to weep. Unlike Hazael, who brought devastation, Christ establishes a kingdom of righteousness and peace, where every tear will ultimately be wiped away (Revelation 21:4), fulfilling the deepest longings expressed in the prophet's lament and ushering in an eternal state of shalom.