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Hazael Anointed King
v. 7. And Elisha came to Damascus, the capital of Syria; and Benhadad, the king of Syria, was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither, he had reached tile district in which the city was located.
v. 8. And the king said unto Hazael, one of his high officers, perhaps even commander-in-chief of the army, Take a present in thine hand and go, meet the man of God, whose fame had been spread far and wide, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? The question was probably intended to convey the request as well that the prophet should pray for the restoration of his health.
v. 9. So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, the choicest products which the city afforded, forty camels' burden, thus making a very impressive display of tile proposed gift, 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?
v. 10. And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover, literally, "Not wilt thou live"; howbeit, the Lord hath showed me that he shall surely die, not, indeed, of this disease, but by violence.
v. 11. And he settled his countenance steadfastly until he was ashamed. If this is said of Elisha, it means that he fixed such a piercing look upon Hazael, showing that he knew of the ambition and treachery by which he intended to murder his master that Hazael shrank from the searching look. If Hazael is the subject, it means that he did not so much as move one muscle of his face, although he realized that Elisha knew his wickedness. And the man of God wept, since the prophetic Spirit revealed to him what would happen to his countrymen in the future.
v. 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, after his accession to the throne. Their strongholds 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, practicing all the cruelties of the most bitter wars. Cf 2Ki_10:32-33; 2Ki_13:3-4; 2Ki_13:7-22.
v. 13. And Hazael, a hypocrite and actor, said, But what, is thy servant a dog, a lowly, contemptible person, that he should do this great thing, wield such a mighty power? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath showed me that thou shalt be king over Syria, a statement which revealed the secret, ambitious plans of Hazael.
v. 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, an answer which did not accord with the truth and was purposely framed to lull Benhadad into security.
v. 15. And it came to pass on the morrow that he took a thick cloth, a heavy, woven coverlet, and dipped it in water, which increased its heaviness still more, and spread it on his face so that he died. And Hazael reigned in his stead, usurping the throne. Note: It is God who directs the affairs of this world, even when wickedness apparently is in power; for the punishments which strike the unrepentant sinners serve to emphasize the government of the one Lord on high.