Commentaria in IV Regum
Chapter 8. Synopsis of the Chapter
Eliseus foretells a seven years’ famine, and, verse 7, to Benadad king of Syria his death, and to Hazael his kingdom: then, verse 16, are described the deeds of Joram the son of Josaphat king of Juda, and, verse 25, the deeds of Ochozias the son of Joram.
1. And Eliseus spoke to the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying: Arise, go thou and thy household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst find: for the Lord hath called a famine, and it shall come upon the land seven years. 2. And she arose, and did according to the word of the man of God: and going with her household, she sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days. 3. And when the seven years were ended, the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to speak to the king for her house and for her lands. 4. And the king talked with Giezi the servant of the man of God, saying: Tell me all the great things that Eliseus hath done. 5. And when he was telling the king how he had raised a dead man to life, the woman appeared, whose son he had restored to life, crying to the king for her house and for her lands. And Giezi said: My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Eliseus raised to life. 6. And the king asked the woman, and she told him. And the king appointed her an eunuch, saying: Restore her all that is hers, and all the revenues of the lands from the day that she left the land until this present. 7. Eliseus also came to Damascus, and Benadad king of Syria was sick; and they told him, saying: The man of God is come hither.
8. And the king said to Hazael: Take with thee presents, and go to meet the man of God, and consult the Lord by him, saying: Shall I recover of this my illness? 9. So Hazael went to meet him, taking with him presents, and all the good things of Damascus, the burdens of forty camels. And when he stood before him, he said: Thy son Benadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying: Can I recover of this my illness? 10. And Eliseus said to him: Go, tell him: Thou shalt recover; but the Lord hath shewn me that he shall surely die. 11. And he stood with him, and was troubled so much that he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12. And Hazael said: Why doth my lord weep? And he said: Because I know the evil that thou wilt do to the children of Israel. Their strong cities thou wilt set on fire, and their young men thou wilt kill with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their pregnant women. 13. And Hazael said: But what am I, thy servant, a dog, that I should do this great thing? And Eliseus said: The Lord hath shewn me that thou shalt be king of Syria. 14. And when he was departed from Eliseus, he came to his master, who said to him: What said Eliseus to thee? And he answered: He told me: Thou shalt recover. 15. And on the next day he took a blanket, and poured water on it, and spread it upon his face: and he died, and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16. In the fifth year of Joram the son of Achab king of Israel, and of Josaphat king of Juda, reigned Joram the son of Josaphat king of Juda. 17. He was two and thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18. And he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Achab had walked: for the daughter of Achab was his wife: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19. But the Lord would not destroy Juda, for David his servant’s sake, as he had promised him to give him a light, and to his children always. 20. In his days Edom revolted from being under Juda, and made themselves a king. 21. And Joram came to Seira, and all his chariots with him: and he arose by night, and smote the Edomites that had surrounded him, and the captains of the chariots, but the people fled into their tents. 22. So Edom revolted from being under Juda unto this day. Then Lobna also revolted at that same time. 23. And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda? 24. And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with them in the city of David, and Ochozias his son reigned in his stead. 25. In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Achab king of Israel, reigned Ochozias the son of Joram king of Juda.
26. Ochozias was two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem: the name of his mother was Athalia the daughter of Amri king of Israel. 27. And he walked in the ways of the house of Achab, and did evil before the Lord, as did the house of Achab: for he was the son-in-law of the house of Achab. 28. He went also with Joram the son of Achab to fight against Hazael king of Syria in Ramoth Galaad, and the Syrians wounded Joram: 29. And he returned to be healed in Jezrahel; because the Syrians had wounded him in Ramoth, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ochozias the son of Joram, king of Juda, went down to visit Joram the son of Achab in Jezrahel, because he was sick there.
1. THE LORD HATH CALLED (by his voice, that is, by his command will bring) A FAMINE, AND IT SHALL COME UPON THE LAND SEVEN YEARS.—It is a hysterologia; for this prophecy of Eliseus about the seven years’ famine was made earlier, namely five or six years before; but it is here recounted with the events of verse 7. This is confirmed from the fact that the things related here, at verse 5 and following, befell the woman, his hostess, to whom Eliseus had foretold this famine, when after the seven years of famine she returned to her own land. The same is confirmed from the fact that Giezi here, verse 4, converses with the king.
Therefore he was not yet a leper; for lepers were barred from the commerce of men. Therefore these things happened before the coming and healing of Naaman; for then Giezi was struck with leprosy, as I said above. So Tornielli, Salianus and others;
7. ELISEUS ALSO CAME TO DAMASCUS (which was the capital of Benadad king of Syria), AND BENADAD KING OF SYRIA WAS SICK—in Damascus. Benadad, a little after the raising of the siege of Samaria, from terror and grief fell into this disease, in which he died. Hear Josephus, book IX, chapter iv: “The king of the Syrians, returned safe to Damascus, when he learned that by a divinely sent terror he had been put to flight with his army, and that what they believed of the coming of the enemy was vain, thinking that he certainly had God against him, through distress of mind fell also into sickness of body.” Evidently God willed to punish with sickness and death Benadad, who had inflicted so many disasters on Israel, and therefore sent Eliseus to Damascus, to foretell to Hazael his death, and declare him successor to the kingdom.