English Standard Version
2 Kings 8:13
13And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria."
2 Kings 8:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.
- New International Version (NIV)Hazael said, “How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?” “The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram,” answered Elisha.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Hazael said, “But what is your servant—a dog, that he should do this gross thing?” And Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will become king over Syria.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Hazael responded, “How could a nobody like me ever accomplish such great things?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are going to be the king of Aram.”
Context of 2 Kings 8:13
11And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women." And Hazael said, "What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria." 14Then 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 that you would certainly recover." 15But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
Read all of 2 Kings 82 Kings 8:13 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר חֲזָהאֵ֔ל כִּ֣י מָ֤ה עַבְדְּךָ֙ הַכֶּ֔לֶב כִּ֣י יַעֲשֶׂ֔ה הַדָּבָ֥ר הַגָּד֖וֹל הַזֶּ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֔ע הִרְאַ֧נִי יְהוָ֛ה אֹתְךָ֖ מֶ֥לֶךְ עַל־אֲרָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Hazaelחֲזָהאֵלchăzâ'êl chăzâh'êl · HazaelH2371
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- thy servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- a dogכֶּ֫לֶבkeleb · dogH3611
- that he should doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- this greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- thingדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
- And Elishaאֱלִישָׁע'ĕlîyshâ‛ · ElishaH477
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- hath shewedרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- over Syriaאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
Cross-references for 2 Kings 8:13
- 1 Samuel 17:43And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- 2 Samuel 9:8And he paid homage and said, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?"
- Psalms 22:16For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—
- Isaiah 56:10His watchmen are blind; they are all without knowledge; they are all silent dogs; they cannot bark, dreaming, lying down, loving to slumber.
- Matthew 7:6"Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
- Philippians 3:2Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
- Revelation 22:15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
- Jeremiah 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
- Matthew 26:33Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away."
- 2 Kings 8:10And Elisha said to him, "Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover,' but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die."
- 1 Kings 19:15And the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.
- Micah 2:1Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Commentaries on 2 Kings 8:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great things - I believe this verse to be wrongly interpreted by the general run of commentators. It is generally understood that Hazael was struck with horror at the prediction; that these cruelties were most alien from his mind; that he then felt distressed and offended at the imputation of such evils to him; and yet, so little did he know his own heart, that when he got power, and had opportunity…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13But what, is thy servant a dog? - This is a mistranslation, and conveys to the English reader a sense quite different from that of the original. Hazael‘s speech runs thus - “But what is thy servant, this dog, that he should do this great thing?” He does not shrink from Elisha‘s words, or mean to say that he would be a dog, could he act so cruelly as Elisha predicts he will. On the contrary, Elisha‘s prediction has raised his hopes, and his only doubt is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 7-15 Among other changes of men's minds by affliction, it often gives other thoughts of God's ministers, and teaches to value the counsels and prayers of those whom they have hated and despised. It was not in Hazael's countenance that Elisha read what he would do, but God revealed it to him, and it fetched tears from his eyes: the more foresight men have, the more grief they are liable to. It is possible for a man, under the convictions and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13a mere dog: In the ancient Near East, people viewed dogs as scavengers and held them in low regard. King Shalmaneser III of Assyria noted in his records, “Hazael, son of a nobody, seized the throne.”Read the comment
Topics related to 2 Kings 8:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 2 Kings 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries