Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Kings 8

appeal for her house and her land: Her property might have been held in trust or taken away.

Gehazi used to be Elisha’s servant. He had risen in status to serve the king. Even though Joram often opposed Elisha, he seemed curious about the amazing things Elisha had accomplished.

Restore all: The woman not only got her land back, but Joram also ensured she received all the income from crops sold during her absence. Joram, who sometimes showed less noble traits (2 Kings 3:13–14; 6:31–33), demonstrated higher ethical standards than his father Ahab did with Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1–16).

Elisha's ability to visit Damascus showed the high respect Israel's enemies had for him. This visit completed the task first assigned to Elijah (1 Kings 19:15).

Will I recover? See 2 Kings 1:2.

forty camel loads of every good thing: While gifts were common when consulting a prophet (see 1 Samuel 9:6–8), Ben-hadad's gifts were extravagant. This showed his wealth and respect for Elisha.

Elisha told Hazael to inform the king that he would recover because his illness was not deadly. However, Elisha knew Ben-hadad would die.

Elisha began to cry because he saw the terrible acts Hazael would do to God's people when he became king (2 Kings 8:28; 9:14–15; 10:32–33; 12:17–18; 13:3, 22).

a 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.”

Hazael reigned in his place: Although he delivered Elisha’s message to Ben-hadad, the next day he sped up Elisha’s prophecy by killing the king and taking the throne. Hazael might have wrongly thought the prophecy gave him a divine right.

Jehoram ruled Judah with his father, Jehoshaphat, for five years. He became king on his own in the fifth year of Joram's reign in 848 BC.

Jehoram ruled from 853 to 841 BC. He shared the throne with his father, Jehoshaphat, for five of those years.

did evil in the sight of the LORD: He married Ahab's daughter, Athaliah, and followed the kings of Israel by worshiping idols. Some believe Psalm 45 was written for Jehoram and Athaliah's marriage, which united the royal families of Judah and Israel (see Psalm 45:12; Athaliah was Jezebel's daughter, the princess of Tyre).

Although the marriage temporarily united the kingdoms, it led to terrible spiritual consequences. Influenced by Athaliah, Jehoram introduced false worship practices (2 Chronicles 21:11), including Baal worship (2 Kings 11:17–18).

• Even though Jehoram was wicked, God did not destroy Judah. He honored his promise to David (2 Samuel 7:11–16).

• The Lord promised to keep David’s descendants on Judah's throne as a symbol of God's grace (1 Kings 11:36). God's promises to David are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus (Ezekiel 34:23–31), who is the light of the world (John 4:1–5).

• Libnah was a town in southwestern Judah, near the Philistine border. During Jehoram's rule, the Philistines and Arabians attacked Jerusalem. They killed all of Jehoram's sons except Ahaziah (2 Chronicl,es 21:16–17).

Jehoram died from a painful stomach disease and was not buried in the royal tombs (2 Chronicles 21:18–20).

the twelfth year of the reign of Joram: Ahaziah became king of Judah in 841 BC. This year was crucial in ancient Near Eastern history. By the end of the year, both Joram and Ahaziah were dead. Hazael became the confirmed king of Damascus, and Shalmaneser III of Assyria controlled the region.

• Once again, a king of Judah joined an Israelite king to fight the Arameans at Ramoth-gilead (see 1 Kings 22:1–40).

• Jezreel acted as a second capital for Israel during Ahab’s rule (1 Kings 21:1); he went there after seeing Elijah's challenge with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:46).