2 Kings 8:7-15 | The Way of Scripture

2 Kings 8:7-15

Why does Elisha weep over the man who will become king?

Berean Standard Bible

7 Then Elisha came to Damascus while Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and the king was told, “The man of God has come here.” 8 So the king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand, go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’” 9 So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camel loads of every good thing from Damascus. And he went in and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, ‘Will I recover from this illness?’” 10 Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die.” 11 Elisha fixed his gaze steadily on him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the man of God began to weep. 12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 “But how could your servant, a mere dog, do such a monstrous thing?” said Hazael. And Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Aram.” 14 So Hazael left Elisha and went to his master, who asked him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he replied, “He told me that you would surely recover.” 15 But the next day Hazael took a thick cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over the king’s face. So Ben-hadad died, and Hazael reigned in his place.

What is the context?

While Elisha is in Damascus, the sick Ben-hadad sends Hazael to ask whether he will recover. Elisha tells Hazael to report recovery, yet says the Lord has shown him that the king will in fact die.

Elisha then weeps because he knows the violence Hazael will inflict on Israel, including against children and pregnant women. Hazael protests that he is too insignificant for such a thing, and Elisha tells him he will become king.

Hazael reports only the reassuring answer to Ben-hadad. The next day he puts a wet cloth over the king’s face, the king dies, and Hazael reigns. Foretelling his rise and atrocities is not a command approving the murder or the later cruelty.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Wesley distinguishes an illness from which recovery was possible from death by another cause. That explains how he reads Elisha’s apparently conflicting words. The narrative’s own sequence is essential: Hazael conceals the full message and then causes the king’s death, while Elisha’s tears oppose any reading that welcomes the predicted atrocities.

What is our position?

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