2 Kings 8

2 Kings 8:1

Ephrem the Syrian: “Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, ‘Get up and go with your household.’ ” This is the Shunammite woman who had received Elisha in her home. And [the prophet] had taken care of her son too, who had died, by reviving him. Elisha predicted to her that a seven-year famine would occur and invited her to find a new home by emigrating. He chose for her Palestine, a close and fertile region, whose inhabitants were rich thanks to their maritime commerce. For the land of the Philistines is entirely situated along the coast, and it had, at that time, some renowned harbors which were full of countless vessels, as is testified by the Scripture in many passages. That is why the patriarchs Abraham and Isaac had looked there for their refuge.From the allegorical point of view, Palestine, which received the righteous who were in exile and symbolically far from the Lord, was a figure of the world. And the people of Palestine detested the people of God and ill-treated the children of Israel who feared God. Later they were defeated by David and gave up their weapons of war, but they took them up again now and then. The world hates the saints and constantly persecutes them. And even after our Lord has defeated it and its prince [the devil] has been thrown out, these two never cease from fighting against his servants, grabbing and destroying the idle and the ignorant. — ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 8:1

2 Kings 8:7

Ephrem the Syrian: “Elisha went to Damascus while King Ben-hadad was ill.” His illness had derived from his unhappiness. For he had been deeply afflicted by the fact that, in the war of Samaria, his armies had been defeated and that, at the same time, his people had been chased from the city when he had hoped that his victory would occur immediately. His entire army had fled and sunk into shame and dishonor, and he was troubled in his mind because of this. In addition, the anguish of his thoughts was due to something that was not responsible for his fall: he had been deceived in believing that a countless and powerful army would march against him, whereas it was later shown that there was no army at all to oppress him.Therefore the king, when he heard of the coming of Elisha, sent Hazael, one of his noble men, to meet him. He ordered him to persuade the prophet to take care of his healing, and since he thought that this request must be accompanied with gifts and offerings, according to secular customs, he sent him, through his ambassador, all sorts of goods from Damascus and forty camels. But certainly the prophets refused, just as Elisha had refused and had not accepted the offerings of Naaman, the Aramean. — ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 8:7

Ephrem the Syrian: “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover;’ but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.” These were the words of Elisha to the king, who asked him, “Will I live after this illness?” But it seems that they do not agree with the truth of the events, and not even with each other. However, after the words reported above in the story of the prophet Micah, it is evident that they do not cancel each other out or contradict each other. In fact, both prophets answer in the same manner, and the words of their reply pursue the same aim in the fact that they announce to their interlocutor good and death at the same time. But in the reply of Micah a particular aspect must be considered, that is, the fact that Ahab could not escape from death, because he so ardently and savagely wanted to go to the war, which was the real cause of his fall.But the case of Ben-hadad is quite different: it would have been easy for him to get rid of his illness, because it was not serious or fatal. He would have recovered from his illness, as Elisha had said to him and as Ben-Hadad had asked him by saying, “Will I live after my illness?” However, he died in a natural course but by a hostile means: he was misled by Hazael, his ambassador, the one who spread the bed cover on his master, killed him and reigned in his place, as Elisha had predicted. — ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 8:10

2 Kings 8:10

Richard Challoner: Tell him: thou shalt recover: By these words the prophet signified that the king’s disease was not mortal: and that he would recover if no violence were used. Or he might only express himself in this manner, by way of giving Hazael to understand that he knew both what he would say and do; that he would indeed tell the king he should recover; but would be himself the instrument of his death.

2 Kings 8:16

Richard Challoner: And of Josaphat: That is, Josaphat being yet alive, who sometime before his death made his son Joram king, as David had done before by his own son Solomon.

2 Kings 8:26

Richard Challoner: Daughter: That is, grand-daughter; for she was daughter of Achab son of Amri, ver. 18.