2 Kings 8

1 Now Elisha [the prophet of God] had said to the woman [a devout follower] whose son he had restored to life [revived, given new life], “Arise [stand up, get ready], you and your household [family, loved ones]; go and live as a foreigner [sojourn, reside temporarily] wherever you can [wherever it is possible]. For the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] has decreed [declared, ordained] a seven-year [a period of completion] famine [a time of scarcity, hunger], and it has already come [arrived, is present] to the land [the earth, the promised territory].” word study 2 So the woman [a female person, wife, or mother figure] had proceeded to do as the man [a male person, individual] of God [Elohim, the supreme Creator] had instructed. And she and her household [family, those belonging to her] lived as foreigners [sojourners, temporary residents] for seven years in the land [earth, territory] of the Philistines [a non-Israelite people, inhabitants of Philistia]. word study 3 At the end [termination, conclusion] of seven years, when the woman [female person, wife] returned [to turn back, come again] from the land [soil, ground, country] of the Philistines [immigrants from other places], she went [to come out, proceed] to the king [royal person, ruler] to appeal [cry out, request] for her house [dwelling place, family home] and her land [field, territory, possession]. word study 4 Now the king [ruler, monarch] had been speaking [talking, conversing] to Gehazi [Elisha’s servant, valley of vision], the servant [attendant, minister] of the man [person, individual] of God [Elohim, the supreme Creator], saying, “Please [I pray, kindly] relate [tell, recount] to me all [everything, the whole] the great [mighty, extraordinary] things [deeds, acts] Elisha [God is salvation, prophet] has done [accomplished, performed].” word study 5 And Gehazi was telling the king [recounting, sharing the story] how Elisha had brought the dead [one who was deceased, a lifeless body] back to life [restored to living, revived]. Just then the woman [this female person, the mother] whose son Elisha had revived [given life back to, restored] came to appeal [cry out, make a request] to the king for her house [her home, dwelling place] and her land [her field, property]. So Gehazi said, “My lord [my master, ruler] the king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha restored to life [revived, brought back to living].” word study 6 When the king [the ruler, monarch] asked [inquired, sought information] the woman [female, wife], she confirmed [told, recounted] it. So the king appointed [assigned, designated] for her an officer [eunuch, official], saying, “Restore [return, give back] all that was hers [her property, possessions], along with all the proceeds [fruits, produce] of the field [land, territory] from the day [time, period] that she left [forsaken, departed] the country [land, nation] until [till, as far as] now [this present time].” word study 7 Then Elisha [the prophet of God] came to Damascus [the capital city of Aram] while Ben-hadad [son of the false god Hadad] king of Aram [also known as Syria] was sick [weak, ill], and the king was told, “The man [a male person, a human] of God [Elohim, the supreme God] has come [arrived, entered] here [to this place, hither].” word study 8 So the king [ruler, monarch] said to Hazael, “Take a gift [offering, present] in your hand, go to meet the man [prophet, servant] of God [Elohim, the supreme Creator], and inquire [seek, ask] of the LORD [Yehovah] through him, ‘Will I recover [be healed, live] from this illness [sickness, disease]?’” word study 9 So Hazael [the one who sees God] went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift [offering, present] of forty camel loads [burdens] of every good thing [best products, finest goods] from Damascus [the capital city of Aram]. And he went in and stood [stood firmly, presented himself] before him and said, “Your son [descendant, royal successor] Ben-hadad [son of the false god Hadad] king of Aram [Syria, the region] has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover [be healed, revived] from this illness [sickness, disease]?’” word study 10 Elisha answered, “Go [to him, as a messenger] and tell him, ‘You will surely [certainly, without a doubt] recover [be healed, restored to health].’ But the LORD [Yehovah, the covenant God] has shown me [revealed, given insight] that in fact he will [shall surely, is destined to] die [meet his end, experience mortal death].” word study 11 Elisha fixed his gaze [steadfastly, with a troubled look] steadily on him until Hazael became [ashamed, uneasy, embarrassed] uncomfortable. Then the man [a male person, individual] of God [Elohim, the supreme God] began to weep [cry, shed tears, overcome with emotion]. word study 12 “Why [for what reason] is my lord [master, ruler] weeping [crying, shedding tears]?” asked Hazael. “Because [since, for the reason that] I know [am aware of, have insight into] the evil [harm, wickedness] you will do [commit, carry out] to the Israelites [descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people],” Elisha replied. “You will set fire [send flames, ignite] to their fortresses [strongholds, fortified cities], kill [slay, destroy] their young men [youth, warriors] with the sword [cutting instrument, weapon], dash [shatter, break] their little ones [infants, children] to pieces, and rip open [tear apart, break open] their pregnant women [expectant mothers].” word study 13 “But how could your servant [a lowly slave, one who is despised], a mere dog, do such a [great, terrible] monstrous thing?” said Hazael [the king of Aram, one who sees God]. And Elisha [God is salvation, the prophet] answered, “The LORD [Yehovah, the self-existent God] has shown me [revealed, made known] that you will be king [a ruler, monarch] over Aram [Syria, the region].” word study 14 So Hazael [left the presence of, departed from] left Elisha [God is salvation, the prophet] and went to his master [lord, ruler], who asked him, “What [what message, how] did Elisha [the prophet of God] say to you [tell, speak to]?” And he replied, “He told me [said, spoke to] that you would [certainly] surely recover [live, be restored to health].” word study 15 But the next day [on the morrow, following day] Hazael took a thick [coarse, heavy] cloth [coverlet, bed-cover], dipped it in water [and soaked it], and spread it over the king’s face [upon his presence, in front of him]. So Ben-hadad died [ceased to exist, passed away], and Hazael reigned [ruled as king, took over] in his place [stead, underneath him]. word study 16 In the fifth [fifth year of his reign] year of the reign of Joram [a king of Israel] son of Ahab over Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], Jehoram [the son of Jehoshaphat] son of Jehoshaphat [a king of Judah, known for his piety and prosperity] succeeded his father as king [a royal person, ruler] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob, and the region where the tribe lived]. word study 17 Jehoram [a son of thirty-two years, thirty and two years old] was thirty-two years old [at the start of his reign, when he began to rule] when he became king [to reign, to rule as a king], and he reigned [as a ruler, in a kingly office] in Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city] eight [a special number, a complete cycle] years. word study 18 And Jehoram walked [followed, lived his life] in the ways [paths, manner of life] of the kings [rulers, monarchs] of Israel, just as [similar to, in the same way] the house [family, dynasty] of Ahab had done [practiced, carried out]. For he married [took as wife, was wed to] a daughter [child, female descendant] of Ahab and did [committed, performed] evil [wickedness, bad things] in the sight [presence, view] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God]. word study 19 Yet for the sake of His servant [faithful follower, devoted attendant] David, the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] was unwilling [did not consent, refused] to destroy [to ruin, bring to nothing] Judah, since He had promised [vowed, sworn an oath] to maintain [to preserve, keep intact] a lamp [a candle, a light] for David and his descendants [sons, children] forever [throughout all generations, always]. word study 20 In the days [period of time, era] of Jehoram, Edom [the region, descendants of Esau] rebelled [revolted, broke away] against the hand [power, authority] of Judah [the tribe, people of God] and appointed [made, established] their own king [ruler, leader, one having royal authority]. word study 21 So Jehoram [Joram, the king of Judah] crossed over to Zair [a city in Edom, also known as Zoar] with all [every single one] his chariots [vehicles, teams of horses]. When the Edomites [the people of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother] surrounded him and his chariot commanders [rulers, captains], he rose up [stood up, took action] and attacked by night [in the darkness, under cover of darkness]. His troops [army, people], however, fled [ran away quickly, escaped] to their homes [tents, dwellings]. word study 22 So to this day [until now, as far as] Edom [the region, Esau’s descendants] has been in rebellion [revolted, transgressed] against the hand [power, authority] of Judah [the tribe, the southern kingdom]. Likewise [at the same time, then], Libnah [the city, a Canaanite royal city] rebelled [revolted, broke away] at the same time [that moment, simultaneously]. word study 23 As for the rest [remainder, what is left] of the acts [deeds, accomplishments] of Jehoram [Joram, the king], along with all [everything, the entirety] his accomplishments [achievements, works], are they not [is it not the case] written [recorded, inscribed] in the book [scroll, written document] of the Chronicles [events, history] of the Kings [rulers, monarchs] of Judah [the tribe, the region]? word study 24 And Jehoram [Joram, the king of Judah] rested [slept, lay down] with his fathers [ancestors, predecessors] and was buried [interred, laid to rest] with them in the City of David [the capital city, Jerusalem]. And his son [descendant, heir] Ahaziah [Jehovah holds or sustains] reigned [ruled, governed] in his place [stead, position]. word study 25 In the twelfth year of the reign [to rule, to have dominion] of Joram [a king of Israel] son of Ahab [a king who did evil] over Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, referring to his descendants], Ahaziah [Jehovah holds or sustains] son of Jehoram [exalted by Jehovah, a king of Judah] became king [to reign, to rule as a monarch] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob]. word study 26 Ahaziah was twenty-two [two and twenty] years old when he became king [began to reign], and he reigned [ruled as king] in Jerusalem [the city of peace] one [a single, unified] year. His mother’s [female parent] name was Athaliah [afflicted of the Lord], the [daughter, granddaughter] granddaughter of Omri [pupil of Jehovah] king [royal ruler] of Israel [God’s chosen people]. word study 27 And Ahaziah walked [following the path] in the ways of the house [family, dynasty] of Ahab and did evil [wickedness, morally bad] in the sight [presence, eyes] of the LORD [Yehovah] like the house [family, household] of Ahab, for he was a son-in-law [related by marriage, bridegroom] of the house of Ahab. word study 28 Then Ahaziah went [to walk, to journey] with Joram [a king of Israel] son of Ahab to fight [to engage in battle, to wage war] against Hazael [one who sees God, a king of Aram] king of Aram [also known as Syria] at Ramoth-gilead [a location east of the Jordan River, a significant place], and the Arameans [people from Aram, Syrians] wounded [to smite, to strike] Joram. word study 29 So King Joram [the son of Ahab, a king of Israel] returned to Jezreel [a city in Israel, a place of God’s nurturing growth] to recover [to heal, to mend] from the wounds [the blows, the injuries] that the Arameans [the people of Aram, a region in Syria] had inflicted [had struck, had smitten] on him at Ramah [a city in Palestine, a place of battle] when he fought [when he battled, when he warred] against Hazael [a king of Aram, one who sees God] king of Aram [a region in Syria, a land of the Arameans]. Then Ahaziah [Jehovah holds or sustains, a king of Judah] son of Jehoram [a king of Judah, exalted by God] king of Judah [a tribe and region in Israel] went down [descended, came down] to Jezreel to visit [to see, to look upon] Joram [a king of Israel, exalted by God] son of Ahab [a king of Israel, brother or father], because Joram had been wounded [had been struck, had been injured, was sick]. word study