2 Kings 8

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

ELISHA AND THE ARAMEANS

2 Kings 6:8 to 2 Kings 8:29

The focus in 2 Kings 6-8 is still on Elisha, but here a new dimension of his ministry comes into view. The Arameans, who had long been hostile to Israel, began to exert their power in the days of Jehoram the son of Ahab. Israel is definitely on the defensive in these Chapter s. Here the author of Kings treats (1) two patriotic miracles (2 Kings 6:8-23), and (2) three predictive miracles (2 Kings 6:24 to 2 Kings 8:15) of Elisha. To this material the author adds brief notes on the reigns of two contemporary kings of Judah (2 Kings 8:16-29).

REVIEW OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I. FACTS TO MASTER

A. Important names to identify in relation to this chapter:

1. Elisha

2. Benhadad

3. Gehazi

4. Hazael

5. Jehoram

6. Athaliah

7. Ahaziah

B. Important places to be identified in relation to this chapter:

1. Samaria

2. Philistia

3. Libnah

4. Jordan

5. Damascus

6. Ramoth-gilead

7. Dothan

8. Edom

9. Jezreel

C. Important Numbers 1.

Number of lepers who discovered the abandonment of the Aramean camp

Number of camel burdens Hazael brought as a gift to Elisha

Number of years Elisha predicted famine in Israel

Number of chariots sent forth from Samaria to investigate the flight of the Arameans

Price of a measure of flour and two measures of barley after the flight of the Arameans

Number of times Elisha revealed the whereabouts of Aramean ambushes

D. Words and phrases which should call to remembrance key events in this chapter:

1. chariots of fire

2. heavenly windows

3. blindness

4. famine

5. feast

6. donkey’s head

7. a wet cloth

8. sackcloth

9. a lamp

10. elders

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why did Elisha reveal the military plans of the Aramean raiding parties to King Jehoram? (Remember, Jehoram was quite wicked.)

How was Elisha able to know what Aramean plans were?

What is symbolized by the horses and chariots of fire on the hills about Dothan?

Why did the prophet order his Aramean captives to be Libnah Ramoth-gilead Jezreel heavenly windows famine donkey’s head sackcloth elders treated with kindness?

Why did Jehoram become so embittered against Elisha during the siege of Samaria?

What missionary lesson can the modern church observe in the actions of the four lepers? (2 Kings 7:8-9).

What is there in the opening verses of chapter 8 that would suggest these stories from the ministry of Elisha are not in chronological order?

Did the prophecy of Elisha in Damascus cause Hazael to kill his master?

In 2 Kings 8:10 is Elisha instructing Hazael to lie to Benhadad?

Of both Jehoram and Ahaziah of Judah it is said, he walked in the way of the house of Ahab. How did the house of Ahab come to have such an influence on the kings of Judah?

2 Kings 8:26 states Ahaziah was twenty-two when he began to reign; 2 Chronicles 22:2 states he was forty-two. If the Scriptures are inerrant, how can such a discrepancy be explained?

Cedars of Lebanon for Solomon’s Temple

Actual construction of the Temple Drawings by Horace Knowles from the British and Foreign Bible Society

2 Kings 8:1-6

C. PREDICTION OF FAMINE IN ISRAEL 8:1-6

**TRANSLATION

(1) Now Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had revived, saying, Arise, you and your household go, and sojourn wherever you may sojourn; for the LORD has called for a famine, and it shall also come upon the land seven years. (2) And the woman arose, and did according to the word of the man of God; and she went, she and her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. (3) Then the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, and went out to cry unto the king concerning her house and her land. (4) Now the king was speaking unto Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, Relate to me all the great things which Elisha has done. (5) And it came to pass as he was relating to the king how he had revived the dead, then behold the woman whose son he had revived was crying unto the king concerning her house and her field. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha revived. (6) And the king made inquiry of the woman and she answered him. And the king appointed for her an officer, saying, Restore all which belongs to her, and all the produce of her field from the day she left the land until now.

COMMENTS**

That a great famine had come about during the reign of Jehoram of Israel has been attested by 2 Kings 4:38. Prior to the approach of that famine Elisha had warned his wealthy Shunammite friend to leave her home and take up residence wherever she might choose in order that she might escape the pressure of the calamity. God had determined to bring a famine upon the land which would last for seven years (2 Kings 8:1). This faithful woman regarded the prophet as a spokesman for God, and she accepted his instructions as divine commands. The woman and her household migrated to the fertile Philistine plain which, though not totally exempt from famine, did not suffer from such natural calamities nearly as much as did Samaria or Judah. For seven years the Shunammite resided in that foreign land (2 Kings 8:2).

When the famine abated, the woman returned to her native land to discover that some neighbor had seized her unoccupied house and land and now refused to return it to its rightful owner. The woman had no recourse but to appeal to the king that her properties be restored (2 Kings 8:3). The king happened to be talking with Gehazi when the woman came into his presence to plead her case. It would seem that Jehoram had sent for Gehazi to satisfy his curiosity with regard to the miraculous deeds of Elisha (2 Kings 8:4). This king and the prophet himself had never been on particularly friendly terms, hence the best source for accurate information about the deeds of this man of God was his servant. The present episode must be chronologically prior to infliction of leprosy on Gehazi recorded in chapter 5.

It was just as Gehazi related the most stupendous of all Elisha’s miraclesthe resurrection of the Shunammite’s son that this woman began to cry for the attention of the king. Divine providence so ordered matters that just when the king’s interest in the woman was warmest, the woman appeared to press her claim. Gehazi was pleased to point out his old friend and her son, who by this time must have been a lad often years or more (2 Kings 8:5). The king made inquiry of the woman, not only about the miracle which had been wrought in her house, but also about her property claims. Convinced of the justness of her cause, the king appointed an officer of the court to expedite matters and to see that all the woman’s property was returned to her. In addition, he awarded her all the profits which the land had produced during the seven years of her absence (2 Kings 8:6).

2 Kings 8:7-15

D. PREDICTION CONCERNING THE CAREER OF HAZAEL 8:7-15

**TRANSLATION

(7) Now Elisha went to Damascus when Benhadad the king of Aram was sick. And it was told him, saying, The man of God has come here. (8) And the king said unto Hazael, Take in your hand a present, and go to meet the man of God, that you may inquire of the LORD from him, saying, Shall I recover from this disease? (9) And Hazael went to meet him, and took a present in his hand, even every good thing of Damascus, forty camel burdens, and he came and stood before him, and said, Your son Benhadad, the king of Aram, has sent me unto you, saying, Shall I recover from this sickness? (10) And Elisha said unto him, Go, say to him,[548] You shall surely recover; but the LORD has shown me that he will surely die. (11) And he stood before him, and settled his countenance, and set it until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept. (12) And Hazael said, Why is my lord weeping? And he said, Because I know the evil which you will do to the children of Israel. Their fortresses you will set afire, and their young men you will slay with the sword, and their little ones you will dash to pieces, and their pregnant women you will rip open. (13) And Hazael said, But what is your servant, a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha said, The LORD has shown me you as king over Aram. (14) So he went from Elisha, and came unto his master, and he said to him, What did Elisha say to you? And he said, He said to me that you will surely recover. (15) And it came to pass on the next day that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he died; and Hazael ruled instead of him.**

[548] The existing Hebrew text cannot be translated and the slight emendation of to-’ (not) to lo (to him) is accepted by almost all authorities.

COMMENTS

The reasons for Elisha’s visit to Damascus are not given. Some have attempted to link this visit to the commission given many years earlier to Elijah that he was to anoint Hazael. Others speculate that Jezebel was stirring up trouble for the prophet, and so he determined to leave the country temporarily. Still another possibility is that Elisha was spending part of the time of the national famine outside the land even as his predecessor had once done.[549] Whatever his reasons for going to Damascus, the move was most bold. Not too long previous to this visit, the king of Damascus had made a determined effort to arrest Elisha and punish him for revealing Aramean military plans to Jehoram (cf. 2 Kings 6:13-19). Probably the Lord directed Elisha to make this trip, and the prophet, putting his trust in the Lord, carried out the command.

[549] Gray, (OTL, p. 529) thinks Benhadad sent for Elisha. If this were the case, one would think that Elisha would have been taken directly into the presence of the king.

It so happened that the aged Benhadad was quite ill at the time Elisha visited the city. Since the prophet made no effort to conceal his presence, his coming was soon reported to the king (2 Kings 8:7). Benhadad, knowing of the reputation of this man of God, immediately dispatched his trusted servant Hazael with presents for the prophet. He was instructed to make inquiry of Yahweh through the prophet concerning the prognosis for the king (2 Kings 8:8). The miracles of Elisha had convinced even these idolaters that Yahweh was a great and powerful God. Hazael carried out the instructions of his king, taking with him the choice goods of Damascus carried by forty camels. Through his messenger, Benhadad referred to himself as your son thus indicating the respect he felt toward the prophet (2 Kings 8:9).

Elisha instructed Hazael to tell his master that he would surely recover from that illness. However God had revealed to Elisha that the king would die, not of his illness, but of another cause (2 Kings 8:10). After rendering this answer to Hazael, the prophet fixed a hard stare upon his visitor until Hazael became uncomfortable and ashamed. Hazael had already formed a plan to eliminate his master and the stare of the prophet made him realize that his plans were known.

As the prophet mentally observed what lay in store for his people at the hand of Hazael, he began to weep (2 Kings 8:11). Hazael inquired as to the reason for this unexpected outburst, and in so doing addressed the prophet with the respectful my lord. Elisha explained his emotional outburst by describing the brutal warfare which Hazael would launch against Israelthe burning of cities, slaughter of youth, dashing to pieces of little children, and ripping open of pregnant women (2 Kings 8:12). Hazael shrugged off the implications of this prediction by asking how he, a lowly servanta contemptible dogwould ever be able to launch war against Israel and do the great things Elisha predicted of him. Elisha responded that Hazael would not continue in his lowly position, for the Lord had revealed that he would one day be king of Aram (2 Kings 8:13).

Hazael returned to Benhadad and reported only the first half of Elisha’s answer to the king. He suppressed the part of the answer that announced that Benhadad would die, but not of the illness (2 Kings 8:14). On the very next day, Hazael made his move against the king. He took a thick piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and held it over the ailing king’s face until Benhadad died of suffocation.[550] Hazael then usurped the throne[551] (2 Kings 8:15).

[550] A few commentators have proposed that Benhadad committed suicide. But Hazael is the natural subject of the verbs in 2 Kings 8:15. Furthermore, 2 Kings 8:11 would be unintelligible if Hazael entertained no murderous intentions.

[551] Hazael’s usurpation is noted in Assyrian inscriptions, which refer to him as the son of nobody, the regular designation of a usurper.

2 Kings 8:16-24

III. CONTEMPORARY EVENTS IN JUDAH 8:16-29

At this point the author picks up the history of Judah from 1 Kings 22:50 and gives a brief resume of the reigns of (1) Jehoram (2 Kings 8:16-24), and (2) Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:25-29). These men are the fifth and sixth successors of Solomon on the throne of Judah.

A. THE REIGN OF JEHORAM OF JUDAH 8:16-24

**TRANSLATION

(16) Now in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. (17) He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and eight years he ruled in Jerusalem. (18) And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel according to all which the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife; and he did evil in the eyes of the LORD. (19) Yet the LORD did not desire to destroy Judah for the sake of David his servant as he promised him to give to him a lamp in respect to his children always. (20) In his days Edom rebelled 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 it came to pass that he arose by night, and smote the Edomites who were surrounding him, and the captains of the chariots and the people fled to their tents. (22) And Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day. Then Libnah rebelled at the same time. (23) And the rest of the deeds of Joram, and all which 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 he was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Ahaziah his son ruled instead of him.**

Fifth King of Judah JEHORAM (or JORAM) 848-841 B.C.* (Exalted by Yahweh)

1 Kings 22:50; 2 Kings 8:16-24; 2 Chronicles 21

Synchronism Jehoram 1 = Joram 5

Mother: ?

Appraisal: Bad

Give not your … ways to that which destroys kings. Proverbs 31:3

*coregent from 853 B.C.

COMMENTS

The reign of Jehoram (Joram) of Judah is somewhat confusing. In the seventeenth year of his father (853 B.C.), Jehoram was made coregent. This coregency lasted until the death of Jehoshaphat in 848 B.C.[552] The independent reign of Jehoram lasted eight years, 848-841 B.C. (2 Kings 8:17).

[552] The historian gives two synchronisms for the commencement of the reign of Jehoram son of Ahab. One is in terms of the reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Kings 3:1) and one in terms of his coregent Jehoram (2 Kings 1:17).

Jehoram departed from the godly paths of his father, and followed in the way of the house of Ahab in the North. This probably means that he introduced the Phoenician Baal and Asherah cults into Judah. This corrupt worship was the bitter fruit of the alliance with the Northern Kingdom forged by Jehoshaphat in which Jehoram had married the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.[553] The evil which this king did is amplified in 2Chronicles 21. Shortly after his accession, he put to death his six brothers in order to solidify his position. At the same time he executed many of the princes of the land, no doubt for the same reason. Soon afterwards he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit fornication (i.e., to become idolaters) and compelled Judah thereto (2 Chronicles 21:11). Such apostasy merited God’s rejection and destruction (cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-37). But God had made promises to David and to his seed after him which would not be fulfilled if Judah’s candlestick of national existence were now to be removed. The longsuffering of God with respect to David’s dynasty was demonstrated in that He bore with Judah for about three centuries longer until at last their cup of iniquity was full (2 Kings 8:19).

[553] In 2 Kings 8:18 Jehoram’s wife is stated to be the daughter of Ahab, in 2 Kings 8:26 the daughter of Omri. In the latter verse, daughter is used in the sense of female descendant.

Though God could not yet destroy Judah, in His providence He did bring about certain political chastisements during the wicked reign of Jehoram. For one thing, the Edomites revolted[554] and appointed for themselves an independent king (2 Kings 8:20). Naturally, Jehoram tried to crush this rebellion, but his efforts were not successful and were almost disastrous. Edomites surrounded his position at Zair.[555] Only by a daring night attack was Jehoram able to break through the enemy lines, especially the Edomite chariot forces, and extricate himself from annihilation. His army, however, was so alarmed by the near catastrophe that they dispersed to their homes (2 Kings 8:21). Jehoram was never in a position to make any further invasion of Edom, and the Edomites remained independent until the time of the writing of the annals from which the author of Kings derived his material. The Chronicler reports on a Philistine invasion during the days of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:16), and it may have been in connection with this invasion that Libnah, located in the lowlands of Judah on the edge of Philistia, revolted (2 Kings 8:22).

[554] Edom had been conquered by David’s general Joab (1 Kings 11:15-16). Solomon seems to have been able to maintain control of Edom during most of his reign, though he was constantly harassed by the nationalist Hadad. At Solomon’s death, Edom revolted, and it was not until the time of Jehoshaphat that the land was reconquered (1 Kings 22:47).

[555] Montgomery (ICC, p. 396) takes Zair to be the Zoar of Gen 13:10, in which case the place would be located at the southern end of the Dead Sea.

The brief resume of Jehoram’s reign ends with the standard formula used for most of the kings of Judah. Some of his numerous other acts have been selected from the prophetic annals for inclusion in the Biblical Book of Chronicles, e.g., his reception of a letter from Elijah the prophet (2 Chronicles 21:12-15); his wars with the Philistines and the Arabs (2 Chronicles 21:16); his loss of all his sons but one during his lifetime; his long illness and painful death (2 Chronicles 21:18-19). Jehoram died after an illness lasting two years of an incurable disease of his bowels. The king was buried in that portion of Jerusalem built by David but not, according to 2 Chronicles 21:20, in the royal tombs there. He was followed by his son Ahaziah, who is called Jehoahaz in 2 Chronicles 21:17 and Azariah in 2 Chronicles 22:6.

2 Kings 8:25-29

B. THE REIGN OF AHAZIAH OF JUDAH 8:25-29

**TRANSLATION

(25) In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. (26) Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Athaliah the daughter of Omri the king of Israel. (27) And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the eyes of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for he was related by marriage to the house of Ahab. (28) And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war with Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead; and the Arameans smote Joram. (29) And Joram the king returned to convalesce in Jezreel from the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram; and Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.**

Sixth King of Judah AHAZIAH (or JEHOAHAZ, or AZARIAH) 841 B.C. (Sustained by Yabweh)

2 Kings 8:24; 2 Kings 9:29; 2 Chronicles 22:1-9

Synchronism Ahaziah 1 = Joram 12

Mother: Arhaliah

Appraisal: Bad

For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. Psalms 48:4

COMMENTS

In the closing paragraph of chapter 8, the author continues the history of Judah through one more brief reign, that of Ahaziah. According to 2 Kings 8:25, Ahaziah began to reign in the twelfth year of Joram of Israel; but according to 2 Kings 9:29 it was the eleventh year. Such one year discrepancies result from the two systems of counting the regnal years of kings, one of which did not count the months of the accession year. A discrepancy between the text of Kings and Chronicles exists with regard to the age of Ahaziah when he assumed the throne, the former giving his age as twenty-two, and the latter as forty-two (2 Chronicles 22:2). The Chronicles figure is manifestly incorrect, for Ahaziah’s father was only forty years old when he died.[556]

[556] The scribal copying of Chronicles must be at fault here.

Ahaziah was married to the Jezebel of Judah, Athaliah the daughter of Ahab and granddaughter of Omri (2 Kings 8:26). Because of the marriage relationship with the Northern dynasty, Ahaziah followed the religious policy of the house of Ahab (2 Kings 8:27) during his one year reign, i.e., he continued to sanction the Baal worship which had been introduced into Judah by his father Jehoram (cf. 2 Kings 8:18).

From the brief reign of Ahaziah only two incidents are recorded. Following the example of his grandfather Jehoshaphat, Ahaziah joined in a military alliance with Joram of Israel to go to the relief of Ramoth-gilead (or Ramah) which was being attacked by Hazael, the new king of Damascus. It would appear that sometime after the death of Ahab at this same city, the Israelites had successfully wrested Ramoth-gilead from the hands of the Arameans. During the course of the defense of the city, Joram was severely, but not fatally, wounded (2 Kings 8:28). Thereafter Joram and his cousin from Judah returned to their respective capitals leaving a strong garrison under general Jehu to defend the city. King Joram stopped off at Jezreel in the plains to recuperate in the royal retreat there rather than make the more arduous ascent back to Samaria. After some time passed, Ahaziah of Judah decided to make a royal trip to Jezreel to visit his convalescing relative (2 Kings 8:29). As things turned out, Ahaziah never returned from that fateful visit.