2 Kings 13:22

2Ki 13:22 But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.

Ver. 22. All the days of Jehoahaz.] For about fifty years in all had this tyrant oppressed them. But God had promised them a saviour, viz., Joash, {2Ki 13:5} and this much about the time that Jehoahaz had besought the Lord, who was easily entreated to pity the low condition of his people. {2Ki 13:4}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

DELIVERANCE FROM THE SYRIAN OPPRESSION, 2Ki_13:22-25.

22. All the days of Jehoahaz — So, though the Lord heard the prayer of this king of Israel, he did not answer it by sending a saviour until after his death. See 2Ki_13:4-5, notes.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—

2Ki_13:25. Three times did Joash beat him—i.e., Benhadad, the son of Hazael; according to the number of arrows he shot (2Ki_13:19).—W. H. J.

HOMILETICS OF 2Ki_13:22-25

THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF THE DIVINE MERCY

I. Seen in commiserating the sufferings of His people.—“Hazael oppressed Israel; and the Lord was gracious unto them and had compassion” (2Ki_13:22-23). The Divine heart is moved with the sight of suffering and woe. It is impossible for Him to be callous and indifferent to the afflictions of His people; the more they suffer, the more they are endeared to Him. The tenderness of the Divine mercy is unspeakably exquisite. How great is our sin to treat that mercy with coldness and persistent unbelief! Suffering is often the first thing that opens our eyes to the enormity of our sin and the marvellous condescension of the Divine mercy.

II. Seen in His reluctance to inflict the extreme penalty of disobedience.—“The Lord would not destroy them, neither cast He them from His presence as yet” (2Ki_13:23). The sins of the Israelites cried for chastisement. The greatest chastisement would be to be abandoned by Jehovah to the fury of their enemies, as was ultimately done (2Ki_17:18; 2Ki_17:20). But, though their iniquities deserved it, this extreme punishment was delayed by the Divine mercy. That mercy was reinforced by the Divine faithfulness. The Lord remembered “His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The exercise of mercy is always in harmony with every attribute of the Divine nature. If God be slow to punish because of His mercy, His justice ensures the certainty of punishment.

III. Seen in His faithful fulfilment of the promise of deliverance (2Ki_13:25). The dying Elisha, as the mouth-piece of Jehovah, had promised Israel three victories over Syria, and the resuscitation of the corpse when it touched the bones of the buried prophet would tend to strengthen faith in the fulfilment of the promise. In this verse the fact of that fulfilment is recorded—another indication that the history was written, not to set forth the valour and prowess of the Hebrews, and the external glory of the kingdom, but to illustrate the dealings of God with them, and trace the true causes of their decline and extinction as a nation. Every page of the history bears testimony to both the mercy and faithfulness of God. Mercy rejoices in providing means of deliverance, and faithfulness in carrying them out.

LESSONS:—The Divine mercy.—

1. Is tender and long-suffering.

2. Gives no licence to wrong-doing.

3. Provides an opportunity for repentance and reform.

GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES

2Ki_13:22-23.—National suffering. I. A chastisement for national sin. II. Awakens the Divine compassion. III. Is alleviated by the Divine mercy.

2Ki_13:23.—When God turns Himself from us, then we are given over to wretchedness: when he turns back to us again, then we find salvation. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead for a thousand years, and yet their blessing was efficacious. God does not take pleasure in our ruin, but remembers, even in the midst of His anger, His promised grace and the covenant He has made.—Lange.

2Ki_13:25.—Property wrongfully acquired. I. Has no security in its possession. II. Acquired by violence, may be restored by violence. III. Is not worth the trouble it costs to acquire and keep.

—Tyrants are rods by means of which God chastises His people; but finally the tyrants themselves are chastised by God and cast into the fire.

—These cities were unjustly obtained and quickly lost. Unrighteous wealth rarely comes to the third generation.—Lange.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

(22) But Hazael . . . oppressed.—Rather, Now Hazael . . . had oppressed. The narrative returns to 2Ki_13:3.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

22–25. Hazael’s oppression of Israel. God has compassion on them. The victories of Jehoash over Ben-hadad (Not in Chronicles)

22. But [R.V. And] Hazael … oppressed Israel] In these four verses we have a recapitulation of the attitude of Syria toward the Israelites in the two reigns of Jehoahaz and his son. The oppression lasted all the days of the former king, but yet, as in answer to his prayer (verse 4), Israel was not allowed to be destroyed. In the next reign came a greater relief.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But Hazael King of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz; rather, now Hazael King of Syria had oppressed Israel, etc. The author, having parenthetically related the extraordinary miracle wrought by the instrumentality of Elisha"s corpse, returns to the subject of the Syrian oppression. He had, in vers. 14-19, dwelt upon the promises of victory given by the prophet to Joash. He is now bent on relating their fulfillment. But before doing so he recapitulates. Ver. 22 refers back to ver. 3, and ver. 23 to vers. 4 and 5.

Vers. 22-25. Joash"s victories.

We have in the closing verses a record of the fulfillment of the promise given through Elisha. Notice

I THE GROUND OF THESE VICTORIES. While God had respect to the prayer of Jehoahaz, there was a deeper ground for his interposition to save Israel. He was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and had respect to them, we are told, because of his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. More specifically, we have as grounds:

1. Love to the fathers. God remembered Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and would not hastily cast off their posterity (cf. Deu_4:37; Rom_11:28) Many of the blessings which sinners enjoy, the forbearance God shows them, etc., are due to the prayers of godly ancestors.

2. Regard for his own promise. God had made a covenant with the patriarchs, and had promised to be a God to them, and to their seed after them. That covenant was the main fact in the history of Israel. It underlies and governs all God"s dealings with them, past, present, and prospective. It was the remembrance of this covenant which led to the deliverance from; (Exo_2:24, Exo_2:25) to the settlement in Canaan; (Deu_9:3) and to God"s patient dealings with the nation amidst their various rebellious, and under their constant provocations. God saved them, not for their righteousness" sake, but for his own Name"s sake. He is the God of unchanging faithfulness.

3. Unwillingness to destroy the people. God casts off none hastily, for he has "no pleasure in the death of him that dieth". (Eze_18:32) He bears long with men, if haply they will repent. Wherefore it is said, "He would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.

There is a limit, however, to Divine forbearance. The time came when, still remaining impenitent, they were cast away, though even then not forever.

II THE EXTENT OF THESE VICTORIES. They amounted, as Elisha had predicted, only to three. Three times Joash beat the King of Syria, and recovered the cities of Israel from his hand. This was a great gain, but it might so easily have been greater, had Joash only fulfilled aright the conditions of success. How much blessing we often deprive ourselves of by our own unfaithfulness and shortcoming! It is reason for rejoicing that God does so much for us; but the joy must eternally be shaded by regret when we reflect that it is by our own doings that far more is not done. J.O.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The prophecy which Elisha uttered before his death is here followed immediately by the account of its fulfilment, and to this end the oppression of the Israelites by Hazael is mentioned once more, together with that turn of affairs which took place through the compassion of God after the death of Hazael and in the reign of his son Benhadad. לחץ is a pluperfect: "Hazael had oppressed" (for the fact itself compare Kg2 13:4 and Kg2 13:7). For the sake of the covenant made with the patriarchs the Lord turned again to the Israelites, and would not destroy them, and did not cast them away from His face עתּה עד ("till now"), as was the case afterwards, but delivered them from the threatening destruction through the death of Hazael. For in the reign of his son and successor Benhadad, Joash the son of Jehoahaz took from him again (ויּשׁב is to be connected with ויּקּה) the cities which he (Hazael) had taken from Jehoahaz in the war. These cities which Hazael had wrested from Jehoahaz were on this side of the Jordan, for Hazael had conquered all Gilead in the time of Jehu (Kg2 10:32-33). Joash recovered the former from Benhadad, whilst his son Jeroboam reconquered Gilead also (see at Kg2 14:25).

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

But Yahweh was gracious to Israel, and had compassion on them and concern for them

It may be helpful to divide this sentence into shorter parts. AT: "But Yahweh was very kind to the Israelite people. He helped them"

So Yahweh did not destroy them

Yahweh's covenant is the reason he did not destroy Israel. This can be made explicit. AT: "This is the reason that Yahweh did not destroy them" or "Because of his covenant, Yahweh did not destroy them" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

has not driven them away from his presence

Yahweh's rejection is spoken of as if he had physically driven Israel away from where he was. AT: "has not rejected them" (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

Aram

oppress

Yahweh

grace

compassion

covenant

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.