2 Kings 8:13

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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."
• 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.”

Context of 2 Kings 8:13

11Elisha stared at Hazael with a fixed gaze until Hazael became uneasy. Then the man of God started weeping. 12“What’s the matter, my lord?” Hazael asked him. Elisha replied, “I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn their fortified cities, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women!” 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.” 14When Hazael left Elisha and went back, the king asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” And Hazael replied, “He told me that you will surely recover.” 15But the next day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and held it over the king’s face until he died. Then Hazael became the next king of Aram.

2 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 17:43“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.
• 2 Samuel 9:8Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”
• Psalms 22:16My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
• Isaiah 56:10For the leaders of my people— the Lord’s watchmen, his shepherds— are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming.
• Matthew 7:6“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.
• Philippians 3:2Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved.
• Revelation 22:15Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
• Jeremiah 17:9“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
• Matthew 26:33Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
• 2 Kings 8:10And Elisha replied, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But actually the Lord has shown me that he will surely die!”
• 1 Kings 19:15Then the Lord told him, “Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive there, anoint Hazael to be king of Aram.
• Micah 2:1What sorrow awaits you who lie awake at night, thinking up evil plans. You rise at dawn and hurry to carry them out, simply because you have the power to do so.

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

• Ben-Hadad
• Dog (Sodomite?)
• Elisha
• Falsehood
• Hazael
• Reproof

In the dictionaries

• Elisha
• Syria
• Benhadad
• Dog
• Elijah
• Hazael
• Oppression
• Restore
• Jehoahaz
• Jehoram; Joram

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