John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And Elisha came to Damascus , etc.] On what account, and when, is not certain, whether to convert Gehazi, as say the Jews f102 ; or to confirm Naaman in the true religion he professed, for which he might be dismissed from his office, since another man was made general of the Syrian army; or on account of the famine; or rather it may be to anoint, or, however, to declare that Hazael would be king of Syria; (see 1 Kings 19:15), and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick ; at the time he came thither, where his palace was, and now a Mahometan temple; a very extraordinary building, according to Benjamin the Jew f103 : and it was told him, saying, the man of God is come hither ; the famous prophet in Israel, Elisha, through whom Naaman his general had been cured of his leprosy, of whom he had heard so much.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-15 - Among other changes of men's minds by affliction, it often gives othe thoughts of God's ministers, and teaches to value the counsels an prayers of those whom they have hated and despised. It was not in Hazael's countenance that Elisha read what he would do, but God revealed it to him, and it fetched tears from his eyes: the mor foresight men have, the more grief they are liable to. It is possibl for a man, under the convictions and restraints of natural conscience to express great abhorrence of a sin, yet afterwards to be reconcile to it. Those that are little and low in the world, cannot imagine ho strong the temptations of power and prosperity are, which, if ever the arrive at, they will find how deceitful their hearts are, how muc worse than they suspected. The devil ruins men, by saying they shal certainly recover and do well, so rocking them asleep in security Hazael's false account was an injury to the king, who lost the benefi of the prophet's warning to prepare for death, and an injury to Elisha who would be counted a false prophet. It is not certain that Hazae murdered his master, or if he caused his death it may have been withou any design. But he was a dissembler, and afterwards proved a persecuto to Israel.
Original Hebrew ויבא935 אלישׁע477 דמשׂק1834 ובן הדד1130 מלך4428 ארם758 חלה2470 ויגד5046 לו לאמר559 בא935 אישׁ376 האלהים430 עד5704 הנה׃2008
