2 Kings 8:1-29
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.
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 unto the king for her house and for her land.
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.
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.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer,a saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
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.
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?
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?
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.
11 And he settled his countenance stedfastly,b until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
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.
19 Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light,c and to his children.
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
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.
22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time.
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?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziahd his son reigned in his stead.
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.
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 daughtere of Omri king of Israel.
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.
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.
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.
The Last Kings of *Israel and *Judah
Book of 2 Kings
Philip Smith
Chapter 8
The report about Elisha’s *miracles
v1 Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. ‘Go away with your family and stay somewhere else. The *Lord had decided that there will be a serious lack of food in this country. During a 7 year period, people will not have enough food.’ v2 The woman did what Elisha said. She and her family went to stay in the country called Philistia for 7 years.
v3 At the end of 7 years, the woman returned from Philistia. She went to the king to ask him to return her house and land. v4 The king was talking to Gehazi, Elisha’s servant. The king wanted to know about Elisha’s *miracles. v5 Gehazi was telling the king about how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life. At that exact moment, the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life arrived there. She came in order to ask the king for her house and land. Gehazi said, ‘Sir, here is the woman. This is her son. Elisha brought him back to life.’ v6 The king asked the woman what had happened. So she told him. Then the king called an official. He told the official to give back to the woman everything that had belonged to her. That would include the income that her land had produced during her absence.
Many Bible teachers think that the events in Chapter s 4 to 8 are not in date order. Gehazi began to suffer a serious skin illness in 5:27. And a king would not want to be near a person with such an illness. People with that illness had to live away from other people.
But we also know some other facts. There was a large yard by the gate of Samaria. The king had his royal seat there in 1 Kings 22:10. And we can see from 2 Kings 7:3 that people with that skin disease also lived by the gate. Such people could not earn their money in the same manner as other people did. We do not know how they got their money. Probably they behaved as the poorest people in any society do. Probably they urged people to give them money. Perhaps they made music and they acted. And we know that people did such things by the gate of Samaria (1 Kings 22:11).
Gehazi had some astonishing experiences when he was Elisha’s servant. It is clear that Gehazi spoke well. People liked to listen to his stories. And they might pay him to tell stories. After Gehazi got his skin illness, people would not want to stand near him. But perhaps Gehazi could speak in a loud voice like an actor. We know that the yard by the gate of Samaria was very large (1 Kings 22:6).
Verse 1 refers to the events in 2 Kings 4:8-37. This woman had helped Elisha. Afterwards, God helped the woman to have a son. The son died, but God made him alive again. At some time after those events, God showed Elisha what would happen during the next 7 years. So Elisha warned the woman that there would be a serious lack of food in *Israel. She and her family went to live in the country called Philistia. They stayed there for 7 years.
While the woman was abroad, the government or some neighbours had taken her land. So she went to see the king about that.
The rights to land in *Israel were very ancient. Originally, God gave land to each family in *Israel. So there was a relationship between the land and God’s promises to *Israel. The land usually belonged to the male members of the family. This passage does not mention the woman’s husband, so perhaps he was dead. But this woman had a son. And that son had the right to own his father’s land on behalf of the family. So the woman brought her son with her.
The kings of *Israel did not serve God. So they did not respect the rights that God had given to the people (for example, 1 Kings 21:1-16). The woman could not be sure that the king would help her. But the kings acted as judges in *Israel. When the king sat on his royal seat in public, people could approach him. In Samaria, it seems that the proper place for this was the city’s gate (1 Kings 22:10). So the woman came here to ask the king to issue his judgement about this matter.
The king was sitting on his royal seat. But he was not issuing judgements at that time. Instead, he was listening to stories. Probably he did not care about the people. He preferred to enjoy himself. But God knows the perfect time to do his work. And this was God’s time.
Elisha’s servant Gehazi was telling the king about Elisha’s *miracles. And they were great *miracles. Even a dead person had become alive again. And at that moment, the woman arrived with her son. Gehazi recognised her. And he introduced her to the king. Of course, it was the right moment. The king was curious about her. He asked questions. She told the king how Elisha had brought her son back to life. And, of course, she had the opportunity to ask the king about her land. So the king was happy to give her land back to her. Also, people had sold crops that they had harvested from the woman’s land. The king made sure that she got money from their sale.
That is a good example of how God can make things happen at the right time. It is also an example of how God can even use an evil king to carry out his purposes.
Elisha appoints Hazael to be king of Syria
v7 Elisha went to Damascus. Benhadad the king of Syria was ill. He heard that the man of God had arrived. v8 King Benhadad asked Hazael to go to meet Elisha. Benhadad told Hazael to take a gift with him. Benhadad said, ‘Ask the *Lord by means of him, “Will I recover from this illness?” ’
v9 Hazael went to meet Elisha. Hazael took with him all the finest products of Damascus. He loaded 40 camels with them. He went in and he stood in front of Elisha. Hazael said, ‘I have come on behalf of Benhadad, the king of Syria. He respects you as a son respects his father. He has sent me to ask you if he will recover from his illness.’
v10 Elisha answered, ‘Tell him this. “You will certainly recover.” But the *Lord has told me that Benhadad will in fact die.’ v11 Then Elisha stared at Hazael. Elisha continued to stare until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep.
v12 ‘Why are you weeping, sir?’ asked Hazael.
Elisha replied, ‘Because I know the damage that you will do to the *Israelites. You will start fires in order to burn their safe cities. You will use swords to kill their young men. You will throw their children down to the ground in order to kill them. You will take women who are expecting to have babies. And you will cut those women’s bodies open while they are still alive.’
v13 Hazael said, ‘I, your servant, am not important. I am as unimportant as a dog is. How could I do such powerful things?’
Elisha gave him this answer. ‘The *Lord has shown to me that you will become the king of Syria.’
v14 Then Hazael left Elisha, and Hazael returned to his master. Benhadad asked, ‘What did Elisha say?’ Hazael replied, ‘He told me this. You will certainly recover.’ v15 However, the next day, Hazael took a thick cloth and he made it very wet. He spread it over the king’s face so that the king died. Then Hazael became the king instead.
This event happened after Elisha had cured Naaman. It happened after the battles and the *miracles in chapter 6 also. So Elisha was now well-known in Damascus. But we would not expect him to go there. Damascus was the capital city of Syria. It was a long journey from the cities that Elisha usually visited in *Israel. And Syria was a foreign country. Syria and *Israel were frequent enemies during Elisha’s life.
But a long time before, God had announced his intention to make Hazael king of Syria. God told Elijah to appoint Hazael (1 Kings 19:15). This became Elisha’s duty after Elijah went up to heaven. But this would not be a pleasant task. Hazael would be a cruel king. His rule would bring about a period of terrible punishment for the rulers in *Israel. God had sent powerful *prophets to warn them. But the rulers of *Israel still refused to obey God. They continued to *worship false gods. And their punishment was certain (1 Kings 19:17).
Benhadad heard that Elisha was in Damascus. So Benhadad told Hazael to ask Elisha whether he (Benhadad) would recover from his illness. Benhadad sent a very large present to Elisha. It is clear that Benhadad respected Elisha greatly. It is interesting to compare the behaviour of this foreign king with the actions of *Israel’s king in chapter 1.
Elisha told Hazael to say that Benhadad would not die from his disease. Elisha meant that in normal circumstances the king would recover. But then Elisha told Hazael that Benhadad would certainly die. Perhaps God showed that to Elisha at that moment. Elisha wept.
Hazael asked Elisha why he was weeping. Elisha told him this. Hazael would do terrible things to the *Israelites. Hazael did not say that those deeds made him feel disgust. He said that he was not an important person. He meant that he would never become powerful enough to do such things. Hazael probably already had great ambitions. Soon he would carry out a cruel plot against Benhadad. But Elisha did not argue with Hazael. Elisha simply replied that Hazael would become the king of Syria.
Hazael went back to Benhadad and he told Benhadad this. ‘You will recover.’ But the next day, he killed Benhadad and he took his place as the king.
God appointed Hazael to be the king, but Hazael was wrong to murder Benhadad. Sometimes God did tell someone to organise a revolution (for example, 9:7). But that did not happen here. After God chose David to be king, David had the opportunity to kill King Saul (1 Samuel Chapter s 24 and 26). But David refused to do such an evil thing. David realised that at the right time, God would carry out his promise to David. David had to wait for that time. But in the end, God did what he had promised.
Hazael had protested that he could not do such terrible things. But when the opportunity came, he did them. ‘The heart deceives us (makes us believe things that are not true) more than anything else. You cannot cure it. Nobody can understand it’ (Jeremiah 17:9). Only God can save us from the power of our own wicked intentions (Romans 7:24-25).
Jehoram’s rule as king of *Judah
v16 It was the 5th year during Joram’s rule. Joram, Ahab’s son, was the king of *Israel. In that year, Jehoshaphat was the king of *Judah. Then Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram began to rule as a king of *Judah. v17 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became the king. He ruled in Jerusalem for 8 years. v18 Jehoram’s wife was Ahab’s daughter. Ahab’s family had behaved in a wicked manner. And Jehoram imitated the wicked behaviour of the kings of *Israel. He *sinned against God. v19 The *Lord did not want to destroy *Judah because of his promises to David. The *Lord had promised to his servant David that David’s *descendants would always rule.
v20 During Jehoram’s rule, the people in Edom *rebelled. They *rebelled against *Judah’s king and they chose their own king. v21 So Jehoram set out to go to Zair with all his *chariots. The people from Edom surrounded him. And they also surrounded the people that commanded his *chariots. During the night, Jehoram and the people that commanded his *chariots managed to escape. His army, however, went back home. v22 All the time afterwards, Edom’s people have been in *rebellion against *Judah’s king. The people in Libnah *rebelled at the same time.
v23 You can read about the other events during Jehoram’s rule and about all his deeds. They are in the history of *Judah’s kings. v24 Jehoram died. People buried him in the royal graves in David’s city. Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram, became the king after him.
This is a short account about Jehoram’s life and his rule. He was among the worst kings of *Judah. His father, Jehoshaphat, was among its best kings. But Jehoshaphat made some very serious errors. These errors were the result of his very close relationship with some of *Israel’s most evil kings. In particular, Jehoshaphat allowed his son Jehoram to marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah. Jehoram behaved in an evil manner, as Ahab’s family did. Jehoram did not behave well as his father Jehoshaphat did. Jehoshaphat made him a partner in his rule. That was a great mistake. Jehoram began to rule in 853 *B.C. and then he ruled alone from 848 *B.C.. He died in 841 *B.C..
The people in Edom *rebelled during Jehoram’s rule. Jehoram tried to defeat them, but they continued to be enemies of the *Jews. Libnah was a city in the middle of *Judah. Its people also *rebelled. The people there did not want to obey Jehoram. These troubles were the results of Jehoram’s *sin. And 2 Chronicles chapter 21 mentions other troubles during his rule. God allowed these people to *rebel against *Judah, but God did not destroy *Judah. That was because of what God had promised to David.
In 2 Chronicles 21:18-20, we can read how Jehoram died. And we read this. ‘Nobody was sorry when Jehoram died.’
Ahaziah’s rule as king of *Judah
v25 It was then the 12th year of Joram’s rule. Joram, Ahab’s son, was the king of *Israel. During that year Ahaziah, Jehoram’s son, began to rule. He was the king of *Judah. v26 Ahaziah ruled in Jerusalem for one year. He was 22 when he became the king. His mother’s name was Athaliah. She was a granddaughter of King Omri of *Israel. v27 Ahaziah did what Ahab’s family had done. He *sinned against the *Lord as Ahab’s family did. Ahaziah behaved in this evil manner because he was a relative of Ahab’s family by marriage.
v28 Ahaziah went with Ahab’s son, King Joram, to fight against Syria’s king Hazael. That happened at Ramoth Gilead. The *Syrians caused injuries to Joram. v29 So he returned to Jezreel to recover from those injuries. The *Syrians had caused him those injuries at Ramoth. He received them during his battle against Hazael, Syria’s king.
Then Jehoram’s son Ahaziah, the king of *Judah, went to Jezreel. He went there to see Joram, the son of Ahab. He did that because Joram was unwell.
King Ahab of *Israel had two sons, Ahaziah and Joram (who was also called Jehoram). First one son ruled over *Israel, and after him the other one ruled. King Jehoshaphat of *Judah had a son called Jehoram and a grandson called Ahaziah. They also ruled in turn.
This book only mentions King Ahaziah of *Judah briefly. He was a wicked king. He ruled in the same wicked manner as Ahab’s family did. One reason for that was because Ahaziah’s mother was Ahab’s daughter. Mothers have either a good effect or a bad effect on their children. Ahaziah’s mother had a bad effect on him. It is a great pity that Ahaziah imitated her evil behaviour. He could have behaved like his grandfather Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat was a good king who was loyal to God.
Ahaziah went with his uncle Joram to try to *capture Ramoth Gilead. Ahab had died there during a previous battle against Syria. Joram did not die, but he suffered injuries in the battle. He returned to Jezreel and Ahaziah went to visit him. The result would be death for them both (9:14-29).
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
Judah ~ one of the tribes in the nation called Israel; the southern part of that kingdom after it divided.
tribe ~ a group of people that share the same ancestors, language, and customs.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
miracle ~ a wonderful thing that God does by his power. People cannot explain it by means of human knowledge.
Lord ~ the name of God. We use this word to translate two different words in the original language. One word means ‘He is always God.’ The other word means ‘master’.
Israelites ~ people that belonged to the nation called Israel.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
prophet ~ a person that gives a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God (or from a false god) that someone speaks; what someone says will happen in the future.
worship ~ to praise God (or a false god); to give honour to God (or a false god) by sacrifice, prayer, song or action.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).
sin ~ an action that is wrong or wicked, which is against God’s moral law; something that is against a law in a religion.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
chariot ~ a kind of vehicle that soldiers used when they fought. Horses pulled it.
rebellion ~ when people fight against authority or they oppose it.
Jew ~ a person that belongs to the nation called Israel (especially the southern part called Judah). Or a person who follows that nation’s religion.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
Judah ~ one of the tribes in the nation called Israel; the southern part of that kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
tribe ~ a group of people that share the same ancestors, language, and customs.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
rebel ~ to fight against authority; to oppose authority.
Syrian ~ a person from the country called Syria; or anything that has a relationship with Syria.
capture ~ to seize (arrest) someone and to keep that person as a prisoner; to take something by force and to keep it under your control.