Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.
II Kings 8
- Two Jehorams reign at the same time, one as Jehoram #28 king of Israel (son of Ahab) and one as Jehoram #4 king of Judah (son of Jehoshaphat).
- Both Jehorams are also called Joram.
- To make matters worse, there are also two Ahaziahs, one is Ahaziah #27 the brother of Jehoram #28 king of Israel (not mentioned in II Kings 8), and the other is Ahaziah #6 the son of Jehoram #4 king of Judah.
- Finally, there are also pronouns confusing which king Jehoram is which.
- Hopefully, all this becomes clear by the two (identical) charts (in two formats), notes, and specifying the exact king instead of just the pronouns.
The King Restores the Shunammite’s Land
II Kings 8:1 Then Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go, you and your household, and stay wherever you can; for the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) has called for a famine, and furthermore, it will come upon the land for seven years.”
II Kings 8:2 So the woman arose and did according to the saying of the man of God (‘ĕlōhîm), and she went with her household and dwelt in the land of the Philistines seven years.
II Kings 8:3 It came to pass, at the end of seven years, that the woman returned from the land of the Philistines; and she went to make an appeal to the king for her house and for her land.
II Kings 8:4 Then the king talked with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God (‘ĕlōhîm), saying, “Tell me, please, all the great things Elisha has done.”
II Kings 8:5 Now it happened, as he was telling the king how he had restored the dead to life, that there was the woman whose son he had restored to life, appealing 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.”
II Kings 8:6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him.
So the king appointed a certain officer for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, and all the proceeds of the field from the day that she left the land until now.”
Death of Ben-Hadad
II Kings 8:7 Then Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad (885-865 BC) king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, “The man of God (‘ĕlōhîm) has come here.”
- Side Note: Meaning of Ben-Hadad: See Topic: Idol gods of other nations
II Kings 8:8 And the king said to Hazael, “Take a present in your hand, and go to meet the man of God (‘ĕlōhîm), and inquire of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) by him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ”
II Kings 8:9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a present with him, of every good thing of Damascus, forty camel-loads; and he came and stood before him, and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this disease?’ ”
II Kings 8:10 And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover.’ However the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) has shown me that he will really die.”
- Did Elisha lie? … No…. God showed him the following:
“To this question Elisha replied that the illness of his master was not fatal, but that he would nevertheless die; and he added that Hazael himself was to become king of Syria and would be the perpetrator of monstrous cruelties against the children of Israel. The day after, Hazael reported to the king the results of his interview with Elisha (and then) he killed him by smothering him with a wet cloth; and Hazael became king in his stead (8:7-15).”
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Hazael
II Kings 8:11 Then he (Elisha) set his countenance (fixed his gaze) in a stare (toward Hazael because God had revealed what he would do) until he was ashamed (Elisha stared at Hazael in condemnation); and (then) the man of God (Elisha) wept.
II Kings 8:12 And Hazael said, “Why is my lord weeping?”
- Elisha did not reveal that he knew that Hazael would kill his master Ben-Hadad, king of Syria. He did, however, reveal the following:
He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel: Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.”
II Kings 8:13 So Hazael said, “But what is your servant—a dog, that he should do this gross thing?”
And Elisha answered, “The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) has shown me that you will become king over Syria.”
II Kings 8:14 Then he departed from Elisha, and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me you would surely recover.”
II Kings 8:15 But it happened on the next day that he took a thick cloth and dipped it in water, and spread it over his face so that he (Ben-Hadad) died; and Hazael reigned in his place.
- Hazael wanted Elisha to say that Ben-Hadad would NOT recover. But since he was told Ben-Hadad WOULD recover, then he had to take things into his own hands before Ben-Hadad became strong again.
Jehoram Reigns in Judah
II Kings 8:16 Now in the fifth year of Joram (Jehoram #28) the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat (#3) having been king of Judah, Jehoram (#4) the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king (Co-regent with his father) of Judah.
II Kings 8:17 He was thirty-two years old (#4) when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
II Kings 8:18 And he (#4) walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab (#25) had done, for the daughter of Ahab (Atahliah #5) was his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ).
II Kings 8:19 Yet the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ) would not destroy Judah, for the sake of His servant David, as He promised him to give a lamp (Jesus who will one day reign in Jerusalem at His second advent) to him and his sons forever.
II Kings 8:20 In his (Joram #4) days Edom revolted against Judah’s authority, and made a king over themselves.
II Kings 8:21 So Joram #4 (King of Judah) (aka Jehoram v16) went to Zair, and all his chariots with him. Then he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots; and the troops fled to their tents.
II Kings 8:22 Thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah’s authority to this day. And Libnah revolted at that time.
II Kings 8:23 Now the rest of the acts of Joram #4 (king of Judah), and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
II Kings 8:24 So Joram #4 (King of Judah) rested with his fathers (Died and joined his ancestors), and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Ahaziah #6 (aka or Azariah or Jehoahaz) his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Judah
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