Study notes

2 Kings 8

Introducing 2 KingsWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

1:1–8:15 Section

The story of Israel recorded in 1 Kings is continued in 2 Kings.

The nation of Israel had divided into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah.

In the northern kingdom, Elijah spoke messages from God against King Ahaziah. Both Ahaziah and Joram worshipped false gods like Jeroboam and Ahab had done.

Before God took Elijah to heaven, Elisha asked for a double share of Elijah’s spirit. Elisha wasn’t talking about the spiritual part of Elijah. He was talking about the power of the Holy Spirit in Elijah’s life and work. This was how Elisha showed that he wanted to serve God as a faithful prophet.

Like Elijah, Elisha served families in Israel and served the groups of prophets. He also served the leaders of Israel and of other nations. Elisha helped a woman from Shunem with her son and with her land. He helped the prophets with problems like debt, lost items and having enough food. He helped soldiers and officials from Aram. God did many miracles through Elisha. One of these was to heal Naaman of his skin disease. This showed Naaman that Israel’s God is the true God.

God protected Elisha from Aram’s soldiers by making them blind. Then Elisha protected Aram’s soldiers. Elisha had Israel’s king feed the soldiers instead of killing them. Elisha was very sad when he gave a message to an Aramean officer named Hazael. Later Hazael would do many evil things against the Israelites. Elisha served Israel’s king by warning him of where Aram’s army was going to attack. He also served the king by prophesying about how God would take care of the Israelites.

Elisha prophesied about this when Joram, Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom attacked Moab. God rescued the armies by sending water in the desert. Elisha also prophesied when the Israelites in Samaria were about to die of hunger. He made it clear that God would rescue the city by the next morning. God did this by making Aram’s army hear the noise of chariots and horses. The noise scared them and they ran away.

God used chariots and horses made of fire to protect Elisha. These were spiritual beings and people could only see them if God allowed them to. They were one way that God took care of his people (God’s people).

8:3

appeal for her house and her land: Her property might have been held in trust or taken away.

8:4–5

Gehazi used to be Elisha’s servant. He had risen in status to serve the king. Even though Joram often opposed Elisha, he seemed curious about the amazing things Elisha had accomplished.

8:6

Restore all: The woman not only got her land back, but Joram also ensured she received all the income from crops sold during her absence. Joram, who sometimes showed less noble traits (2 Kings 3:13–14; 6:31–33), demonstrated higher ethical standards than his father Ahab did with Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1–16).

8:7

Elisha's ability to visit Damascus showed the high respect Israel's enemies had for him. This visit completed the task first assigned to Elijah (1 Kings 19:15).

8:9

forty camel loads of every good thing: While gifts were common when consulting a prophet (see 1 Samuel 9:6–8), Ben-hadad's gifts were extravagant. This showed his wealth and respect for Elisha.

8:10

Elisha told Hazael to inform the king that he would recover because his illness was not deadly. However, Elisha knew Ben-hadad would die.

8:13

a mere dog: In the ancient Near East, people viewed dogs as scavengers and held them in low regard. King Shalmaneser III of Assyria noted in his records, “Hazael, son of a nobody, seized the throne.”

8:15

Hazael reigned in his place: Although he delivered Elisha’s message to Ben-hadad, the next day he sped up Elisha’s prophecy by killing the king and taking the throne. Hazael might have wrongly thought the prophecy gave him a divine right.

8:16

Jehoram ruled Judah with his father, Jehoshaphat, for five years. He became king on his own in the fifth year of Joram's reign in 848 BC.

8:16–10:36 Section

Jehoram and Ahaziah were kings of the southern kingdom who married women from Ahab’s family.

These kings followed the evil worship practices of Ahab. God brought judgement against Ahab, Jezebel and Ahab’s family line.

God used Jehu to punish them for their evil deeds and evil worship practices. Jehu made sure that everyone in Ahab’s family in the northern kingdom was killed. He also made sure that everyone who supported Ahab was killed. This fulfilled the prophecy that Elijah had spoken against Ahab (1 Kings 21:21–22).

Jehu also made sure that everyone who worshipped Baal was killed. This is how God stopped the sinful practices of Omri and Ahab. Those kings had led the northern kingdom in worshipping Baal instead of God.

Yet Jehu didn’t follow God faithfully. He continued to commit Jeroboam’s sins of worshipping statues of metal calves.

8:17

Jehoram ruled from 853 to 841 BC. He shared the throne with his father, Jehoshaphat, for five of those years.

8:18

did evil in the sight of the LORD: He married Ahab's daughter, Athaliah, and followed the kings of Israel by worshiping idols. Some believe Psalm 45 was written for Jehoram and Athaliah's marriage, which united the royal families of Judah and Israel (see Psalm 45:12; Athaliah was Jezebel's daughter, the princess of Tyre).

Although the marriage temporarily united the kingdoms, it led to terrible spiritual consequences. Influenced by Athaliah, Jehoram introduced false worship practices (2 Chronicles 21:11), including Baal worship (2 Kings 11:17–18).

8:19

  • Even though Jehoram was wicked, God did not destroy Judah. He honored his promise to David (2 Samuel 7:11–16).

  • The Lord promised to keep David’s descendants on Judah's throne as a symbol of God's grace (1 Kings 11:36). God's promises to David are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus (Ezekiel 34:23–31), who is the light of the world (John 4:1–5).

8:22

  • Libnah was a town in southwestern Judah, near the Philistine border. During Jehoram's rule, the Philistines and Arabians attacked Jerusalem. They killed all of Jehoram's sons except Ahaziah (2 Chronicl,es 21:16–17).

8:25

the twelfth year of the reign of Joram: Ahaziah became king of Judah in 841 BC. This year was crucial in ancient Near Eastern history. By the end of the year, both Joram and Ahaziah were dead. Hazael became the confirmed king of Damascus, and Shalmaneser III of Assyria controlled the region.

8:28–29

  • Once again, a king of Judah joined an Israelite king to fight the Arameans at Ramoth-gilead (see 1 Kings 22:1–40).

  • Jezreel acted as a second capital for Israel during Ahab’s rule (1 Kings 21:1); he went there after seeing Elijah's challenge with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:46).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources