1 Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years.
2 And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.
3 And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land.
4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done.
5 And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.
6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
7 And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.
8 And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the Lord by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
10 And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
11 And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
13 And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.
14 So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.
15 And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.
16 And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Je hoshaphat king of Judah began to reign.
17 Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.
18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
19 Yet the Lord would not destroy Judah for David his servant's sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.
20 In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves.
21 So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents.
22 Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the 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 chronicles of the kings of Judah?
24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
25 In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.
26 Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.
27 And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the Lord, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab.
28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram.
29 And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.
<html><b>Elisha spoke to the woman.</b> Seven years [before].1<i class=“footnote”>I.e., seven years before the incident described in this chapter. See above, 4:8-37.</i> <b>For Adonoy has proclaimed a famine.</b> This is the hunger during the days of Yoel the son of Pesuel.2<i class=“footnote”>See Yoel Chapter 1 and Maseches Taanis 5a.</i></html>
<html><b>About her house and her field.</b> Which robbers had occupied.3<i class=“footnote”>She had abandoned her estate for seven years and strangers had occupied it in the meantime.</i></html>
<html><b>Elisha came to Damesek.</b> To cause Geichazi to repent.4<i class=“footnote”>Maseches Sotah 47a. See also Rashi in Maseches Sanhedrin 107b.</i>5<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, to carry out God’s command stated in I Melochim 19:15—Radak Or, Geichazi went to Damesek to ask Na’amon for help.</i></html>
<html><b>‘You will surely live.’</b> Pertaining to Chazoeil he said that he would live instead of Ben-Hadad [and occupy] the throne.6<i class=“footnote”>It is read [=קְרִי] as ‘לוֹ’, meaning, “say to him, ‘you will surely recover,’” but it is written [=כְּתִיב] as ‘Gא’, and the meaning is “say, ‘you will surely not recover.’” According to Rashi the קְרִי pertains to Chazoeil, and the כְּתִיב pertains to Ben-Hadad; or Elisha meant that Ben-Hadad would not die of his illness, but he would die by assassination. Alternatively, the כְּתִיב reflects what was on Elisha’s mind and the קְרִי is what he said.—Radak</i></html>
<html><b>He [Elisha] kept his face emotionless.</b> [He held in] his expression of grief, for he wanted to cry; he held it in, so that he would not cry in front of Chazoeil. He made a concentrated effort to stand and control himself. <b>For a long time.</b> Like “בשש [=delay],”7<i class=“footnote”>See commentary on 2:17 above.</i> and he could not control himself [any longer] and he wept.</html>
<html><b>You will dash.</b> An expression of splitting the intestines.8<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, תְּרַטֵּשׁ means “dashing against a wall or the ground.”—Radak Or, “you will cause their infants to be abandoned” by killing their parents.—Ralbag</i> The original source9<i class=“footnote”>I.e., the conclusive evidence for this definition.</i> [for the meaning of תרטש is], “and bows will split [תְּרַטַּשְׁנָה] young men.”10<i class=“footnote”>Yeshayahu 13:18.</i> <b>And their pregnant women.</b> Their pregnant women.</html>
<html><b>A blanket.</b> [Targum] Yonoson renders גּוּנְכָא [=blanket],11<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, “a pillow.”—Radak Or, a thick garment.—Metzudas Tzion</i> and similarly, “and she covered him with a blanket [=[בַּשְּׂמִיכָה,”12<i class=“footnote”>Shoftim 4:18.</i> he renders, בְּגוּנְכָא [=a blanket], i.e., a garment. <b>He spread it over his [Ben-Hadad’s] face.</b> To cool off.13<i class=“footnote”>He told Ben-Hadad that he was doing this to give him some relief of his illness, but actually, Chazoeil intended to kill him.—Radak</i></html>
<html><b>In the fifth year, etc.</b> Yehoshophot crowned Yorom [who reigned] two years during his lifetime, when they returned from the war they had waged with the king of Mo’av;14<i class=“footnote”>See Radak’s commentary pertaining to Rashi’s calculation.</i> so it was taught in Seder Olam. In the fifth year of Yehorom[’s reign], which is the fiftieth15<i class=“footnote”>Perhaps the text should read “the <i>fifth</i> [חָמֵשׁ] year” as it appears in Rashi’s caption. Rashi explains the verse that Yehorom son of Yehoshophot, began his reign in the fifth year since it was decreed on Yehoshophot to be killed in Ramos-Gilod. The decree was reprieved for seven years, so Yorom thus ruled for two years during Yehoshophot’s lifetime. Alternatively, “the <i>fiftieth</i> year” [as our text reads] may refer to the year in which Yehoshophot finished his dual kingship with his son Yehorom. It was in the year 30<i>50</i>.</i> year of Yehoshophot, it was decreed for Yehoshophot to be killed in Ramos-Gilad, but [the decree] was reprieved for seven years because he cried out.16<i class=“footnote”>See above 1:17 and Rashi there.</i></html>
<html><b>A kingdom.</b> Kingdom.17<i class=“footnote”>Adonoy king shines like a light [=נֵר].—Metzudas Tzion See Targum in Bamidbar 21:30 who renders ‘וַנִּירָם’ as ‘וּמַלְכוּ’[=its kingdom].</i></html>
<html><b>And appointed a king over themselves.</b> From the time of Dovid they did not have a king, as it is stated, “There was no king in Edom,.”18<i class=“footnote”>I Melochim 22:48.</i> [and] “And he appointed governors in Edom.”19<i class=“footnote”>II Shmuel 8:14.</i> Eight kings reigned in Edom before a king reigned in Yisroel, they are listed in the Book of Bereishis.20<i class=“footnote”>See Bereishis 36:31-43, and Rashi there. The eight kings are listed in Bereishis Rabboh 83:2. However, Bereishis Rabboh lists Shaul as one of the eight and omits Yehorom because during Yehorom’s reign, Edom was ruled by a king.</i> Corresponding to them, eight kings reigned in Yisroel: Ish-Boshes, Dovid, Shlomo, Rechovom, Aviyom, Asa, Yehoshophot, and Yehorom, while Edom had no king.21<i class=“footnote”>See above 3:9.</i> What is written above that the king of Edom22<i class=“footnote”>I Melochim 22:48.</i> went with Yehorom son of Achov, and with Yehoshophot, to war against the king of Mo’av [can be explained that] he was not a real king, but a governor, who is also referred to as a king, as it is stated, “There was no king in Edom, the governor was king.”23<i class=“footnote”>I.e., Yorom attacked and struck the Edomites who were near the border.</i> The governor served instead of a king.</html>
<html><b>That were surrounding him. </b> Those near the border.24<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, “הַסֹּבֵיב אֵלָיו” refers to those Edomites who had not rebelled against Yehudah and “וַיַּכֶּה” refers to the King of Edom, i.e., the King of Edom struck and killed the Edomites who had not joined in the rebellion.—Radak</i></html>
<html><b>Livnoh rebelled.</b> The inhabitants of Livnoh rebelled, and they rebelled against the king. I do not know from what nation they were, because Livnoh is part of Eretz Yisroel.25<i class=“footnote”>Livnoh is listed as one of Yehudah’s cities that were located at the southern extremity of Yehudah’s territory at Edom’s border. See Yehoshua 15:21, 42.</i> But I say that they were of the tribe of Yehudah and they rebelled against the king.26<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, Livnoh was an Edomite town close to the border, but at first did not join in the rebellion with the rest of Edom. However, after the war, Livnoh joined the Edomite rebellion.—Radak</i></html>
<html><b>And was buried with his forefathers in the City of Dovid.</b> In Divrei Hayomim it states, “[They buried him] in the City of Dovid, but not in the graves of the kings.”27<i class=“footnote”>II Divrei Hayomim 21:20. </i></html>