2 Kings 8:15

8:15 The next day Hazael ¹  took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s ²  face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.

2 Kings 8:28

8:28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram.

2 Kings 8:8-9

8:8 So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift ³  and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him, ⁴  ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. ⁵  He took along a gift, ⁶  as well as ⁷  forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, ⁸  King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, ⁹  ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”

2 Kings 8:12-13

8:12 Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, my master?” He replied, “Because I know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits, and rip open their pregnant women.” 8:13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?” ¹⁰  Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.” ¹¹ 

2 Kings 9:14-15

9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.

Jehu the Assassin

Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, ¹²  guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria. 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians ¹³  when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. ¹⁴  Jehu told his supporters, ¹⁵  “If you really want me to be king, ¹⁶  then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.”

2 Kings 13:25

13:25 Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from ¹⁷  Ben Hadad son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Joash defeated him three times and recovered the Israelite cities.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “his”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn The Hebrew text also has “in your hand.”

⁴ tn Heb “Inquire of the Lord through him, saying.”

⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”

⁷ tn Heb “and.” It is possible that the conjunction is here explanatory, equivalent to English “that is.” In this case the forty camel loads constitute the “gift” and one should translate, “He took along a gift, consisting of forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus.”

⁸ sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.

⁹ tn Heb “saying.”

⁷ tn Heb “Indeed, what is your servant, a dog, that he could do this great thing?” With his reference to a dog, Hazael is not denying that he is a “dog” and protesting that he would never commit such a dastardly “dog-like” deed. Rather, as Elisha’s response indicates, Hazael is suggesting that he, like a dog, is too insignificant to ever be in a position to lead such conquests.

⁸ tn Heb “The Lord has shown me you [as] king over Syria.”

⁹ tn Heb “he and all Israel.”

¹¹ tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”

¹² sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.

¹³ tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.

¹⁴ tn Heb “If this is your desire.” נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) refers here to the seat of the emotions and will. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 660-61 s.v.

¹³ tn Heb “from the hand of.”