2Ki 8 | TNotes

8:3 ^a getting back her house and land: Her property might have been held in trust or confiscated.
Summary for 2Kgs 8:4-5: 8:4-5 ^b Gehazi, Elisha’s former servant, had gained sufficient social standing to serve the king. Although Joram had often been Elisha’s adversary, he apparently wanted to know more about the great things Elisha had done.
8:6 ^c everything ... was restored: Not only did the woman receive her land but Joram made sure that she received all income due to the selling of crops that had been harvested during her absence. Joram, who sometimes displayed less than noble characteristics (3:13-14 ^d; 6:31-33 ^e), on this occasion showed higher ethical standards than his father Ahab had regarding Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kgs 21:1-16 ^f).
8:7 ^g Elisha’s freedom to visit Damascus demonstrated the great respect that even Israel’s enemies had for him. The visit fulfilled the commission originally given to Elijah (1 Kgs 19:15 ^h).
8:8 ⁱ Will I recover? Cp. 1:2 ^j.
8:9 ^k forty camels with the finest products: Although gifts were not unusual when inquiring of a prophet (see 1 Sam 9:6-8 ^l), Ben-hadad’s gifts were lavish, testifying both to his wealth and to the esteem he had for Elisha.
8:10 ^m Elisha instructed Hazael to tell the king that he would surely recover because his illness was not life-threatening. Yet Elisha knew that Ben-hadad would surely die.
8:11 ⁿ Elisha started weeping because he foresaw the atrocities that Hazael would commit against God’s people when he became king (8:28 ^o; 9:14-15 ^p; 10:32-33 ^q; 12:17-18 ^r; 13:3 ^s, 22 ^t).
8:13 ^u a nobody like me: Literally a dog. As scavengers, dogs were held in low esteem in the ancient Near East. King Shalmaneser III of Assyria observed in his annals, “Hazael, son of a nobody, seized the throne.”
8:15 ^v Hazael became the next king of Aram: Although Hazael obediently delivered Elisha’s answer to Ben-hadad, the next day he hastened the fulfillment of Elisha’s prophecy by assassinating the king and taking the throne for himself. Perhaps Hazael falsely reasoned that the prophecy gave him a divine mandate.
8:16 ^w Jehoram was co-regent with his father, Jehoshaphat, for five years before becoming king of Judah on his own in the fifth year of the reign of Joram (848 BC).
8:17 ^x Jehoram reigned from 853 to 841 BC, including a five-year co-regency with his father, Jehoshaphat.
8:18 ^y evil in the Lord’s sight: Not only did Jehoram marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah but he followed the example of the kings of Israel in worshiping idols. Some have suggested that Ps 45 ^z was composed in honor of the marriage between Jehoram and Athaliah, which joined the royal houses of Judah and Israel (see Ps 45:12 ^aa; Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel, the princess of Tyre). While the marriage created temporary harmony between the kingdoms, it brought disastrous spiritual results. Under Athaliah’s influence, Jehoram instituted various false forms of worship (2 Chr 21:11 ^ab), including worship of Baal (2 Kgs 11:17-18 ^ac).
8:19 ^ad Despite Jehoram’s wickedness, God did not destroy Judah but honored his covenant with David (2 Sam 7:11-16 ^ae).

• The Lord had promised to preserve David’s descendants on the throne of Judah as a shining ... lamp of God’s grace (1 Kgs 11:36 ^af). God’s promises to David ultimately find fulfillment in Jesus (Ezek 34:23-31 ^ag), the light of the world (John 4:1-5 ^ah).
8:22 ^ai The town of Libnah was located in southwestern Judah, not far from the Philistine border. The Philistines and the Arabians also launched an attack against Jerusalem during Jehoram’s reign; all of Jehoram’s sons except Ahaziah were killed (2 Chr 21:16-17 ^aj).
8:24 ^ak Jehoram died of a painful disease of the bowels and was excluded from the royal tombs (2 Chr 21:18-20 ^al).
8:25 ^am twelfth year of the reign of Joram: The year of Ahaziah’s accession to the throne of Judah (841 BC) was pivotal in ancient Near Eastern history. Before the year was out, both Joram and Ahaziah lay dead, Hazael was confirmed as king of Damascus, and Shalmaneser III of Assyria dominated the region.
Summary for 2Kgs 8:28-29: 8:28-29 ^an Once again, a king of Judah joined an Israelite king in battle against the Arameans at Ramoth-gilead (see 1 Kgs 22:1-40 ^ao).

• Jezreel served as a second capital for Israel during Ahab’s reign (1 Kgs 21:1 ^ap); he retreated there after witnessing Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18:46 ^aq).