1Ki 19:15; 2Ki 8:8-13:25
Hazael (Heb. Jazâ’êl and Jazâh’êl, “God has seen” or “whom God sees”; asir. Hazâ’ilu; also appears in inscriptions arAmo_ King of Damascus and, before assuming office, a high official of Ben-hadad II, whom he succeeded to the throne. He was sent to Elisha, who was then in Damascus, to ask if the king would recover from an illness. He was told that his master would die, that he would become king of Damascus and that he would commit great atrocities against the people of Israel. By giving this answer, Elisha was fulfilling a divine mandate that had been given to him some time before by Elijah (2Ki 8:7-13; 1Ki 19:15). In the words of the prophet, Hazael returned to the palace, assassinated the king, and ascended the throne (2Ki 8:14, 15).His reign lasted from c842 to 805BC In his wars against Israel, Hazaei smote King Joram at Ramoth Gilead ( 2Ki 8:28, 29; 9:14,15), took from Jehu all his territories in Transjordan (10:32, 33) and fought against Jehoahaz (13:3, 22).It was not until after Haza’s death the when Israel was freed from the heavy yoke of the Arameans (vs 24, 25). Judah was also the target of Hazael’s military conquests, and Joash of Judah was able to save Jerusalem from siege and possible capture only by paying a huge tribute when the Arameans were campaigning against Gath (12:17,18). The prophet Amos calls Damascus “the house of Hazael” (Amos 1:4). 247. Ivory inlay piece from the couch of King Hazael of Damascus. The inscription bears his name. Hazael fought twice against King Shalmaneser III of Assyria, first in 841 BC and again in 838 BC Shalmaneser claims to have inflicted severe punishment on Damascus. When the city was attacked by Adad-nirari III of Assyria a few years later, Hazael (for some strange reason referred to as Mari in Assyrian records) paid a heavy tribute to prevent total destruction. Among its components was an “ivory (inlaid) bed,” according to the Assyrian record. The ivory inlays on that bed, inscribed with Hazael’s name, were found during excavations at Arslan Tash in northern Syria (fig 247). Bib.: ANET 280-282.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
(Heb., haza†™el, God sees). A high official of Ben-hadad, king of Syria, who was sent to inquire of Elisha regarding the king’s illness. Elisha responded to Hazael by telling him to tell the king that he would certainly recover, but that he would die anyway (2Ki 8:7-15). God had previously instructed Elisha to anoint Hazael as king of Syria (1Ki 19:15). Hazael pretended to be surprised at Elisha’s statement about the fact that he would become king. When he returned, he put down Ben-hadad and took over the kingdom during the period 844-841 (2Ki 8:7-15). He reigned until at least 798 (2Ki 13:22). He died soon after (2Ki 13:24). Hazael severely punished Israel (2Ki 8:29; 2Ki 10:32; 2Ki 12:17-18; 2Ki 13:3, 2Ki 13:22), just as Elisha had predicted (2Ki 8:12).
Source: Hispanic World Bible Dictionary
(God has taken note). Powerful king of Syria. He originally served as a general under the Syrian king † ¢ Ben-hadad. But God had commanded Elijah to anoint H. as king in his place. The one who finally fulfilled the task was Eliseo. On his visit to Damascus, Ben-hadad sent H. to ask him if he would be cured of an illness that he had. After answering that he would be healed, Elisha stared at H., blushed and wept, thinking in anticipation of the many cruelties that H. would commit against Israel (2 Kings 8: 7-15). After assassinating Ben-hadad and starting his own dynasty, H. defeated an alliance of † ¢ Ahaziah, king of Judah and † ¢ Joram, king of Israel, and the latter was badly wounded (2 Kings 8: 27-29 ; 2Ch 22: 5). He came after a series of H. victories over Israel, and came to conquer a lot of territory, especially E of the Jordan (2 Kings 10: 32-33). He even managed to take the city of Gath from the Philistines and attacked Jerusalem (2Ki 12:17). This city was spared thanks to the payment of a heavy tribute by King †¢Joash (2 Kings 12:17-18). The prediction of Amos 1:4 : “I will set fire to the house of H., and it will consume the palaces of Ben-hadad† , was fulfilled when the Assyrians invaded Syria. Jeremiah had predicted the same thing (Jer 49:27).
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
tip, BIOG FUNC REYE HOMB HOAT ARQU
vet, = “God has seen”. A Syrian courtier who was anointed king of Syria by Elisha in fulfillment of an order from Jehovah (1 Kings 19:15). Hazael killed Ben-hadad, and reigned in his place, between 845 and 843 BC. C. Salmansar III, King of Assyria, reduced Hazael and imposed tribute on him. Jehu, king of Israel, had previously submitted to the king of Assyria. In the year 838, Salmansar attacked him again. Towards the end of Jehu’s reign, Hazael dedicated himself to harassing the territories east of the Jordan (2 Kings 10:32); During the reign of Jehu’s successor, Hazael crossed the Jordan, imposed heavy oppression on the Israelites (2 Kings 13:4-7), invaded the country of the Philistines, took Gath, and did not lift the siege of Jerusalem until receive the sacred utensils dedicated to the worship of Jehovah and the treasure of the temple (2 Kings 12:17, 18). Hazael’s capital was Damascus (Am. 1:4). Finally, the Assyrian power returned to be felt on Syria. In 1905, the Saba’a Stele was discovered in which Adadnirari III, king of Assyria (807-782 BC) recounts: “I gave the order to march against Aram. I locked Mari’ (Hazael according to Albright and other researchers) inside Damascus, the royal city of his. I received…ten talents of gold, a thousand talents of silver” (DD Luckenbill, II, sec. 735). The same king wrote another tablet discovered in Nimrod (Cala), in which the list of other subjugated countries is found: “Tyre, Sidon, Humri (Omri’s country, Israel), Edom, Palastu (Philistia)… I have put them to my feet, exacting taxes and tribute from them” (Cf. Luckenbill’s cited work, sec. 739). Hazael died around the year 801 or shortly after.
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
(God Behold).
Prominent king of Syria who was to have ascended the throne during the reign of King Jehoram of Israel (c. 917-905 BCE). (2Ki 8: 7-16.) He died when King Jehoash of Israel reigned (c. 859-845 BCE). (2Ki 13:24, 25) Hazael was not of royal lineage. He had simply been a high official in the service of his predecessor, King Ben-hadad of Syria. (2Ki 8:7-9.)
Years before Hazael’s reign, Jehovah had commanded Elijah to “anoint Hazael as king over Syria” because Israel had sinned against God and Hazael would have to execute God’s punishment on the nation. (1Ki 19:15-18.)
Hazael was never anointed with oil, however, the commission Elijah received was fulfilled by the prophet Elisha, his successor, when the Syrian king Ben-hadad II, who had fallen ill, sent Hazael to the main city of Syria, Damascus . Hazael had to bring a gift to Elisha and ask him if Ben-Hadad would recover from his illness. Elisha said to Hazael: “Go, tell him, ‘You will positively revive’, but the prophet continued and said: † ‘And Jehovah has shown me that he will positively die.’ Afterwards he said to Hazael: † œJehovah has shown me to you as king over Syria †. Hazael returned, and when the king asked him about Elisha’s answer, he replied: “He said to me: † ˜You will positively revive † ™ †; but the next day Hazael drowned the king with a wet coverlet and began to rule in his place. (2Ki 8:7-15.)
Much has been conjectured about Elisha’s words to Hazael. According to the Masoretic text margin, as well as the Greek Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, the Syriac Peshitta Version, and eighteen Hebrew manuscripts, the text reads: Masoretic text reads: †œSay: †˜No †™† .
If the reading “You will positively revive” is accepted, Elisha may be thought to have used a riddle to indicate that even if the disease itself did not kill Ben-hadad, he would die (as it did at the hands of Hazael). What is certain is that Hazael reported to the king the first part of Elisha’s reply, “You will positively revive,” and the second he executed violently in person. (2Ki 8:10.)
Hazael oppresses Israel. Shortly after becoming king, Hazael waged war with the kings of Israel and Judah at Ramoth-gilead. At that time, King Jehoram of Israel was wounded at Ramah, but the account does not record the outcome of the battle. (2Ki 8:25-29; 2Ch 22:1-6) In the days of King Jehu of Israel—Jehoram’s successor—Hazael gradually began to occupy the land of Israel, taking Gilead and Bashan E of the Jordan . (2Ki 10:32, 33) This apparently paved the way for his later invasion of the kingdom of Judah. He took the city of Gath (Philistia) and then set out to go up against Jerusalem. However, King Jehoash of Judah bribed him by giving him valuable things from the temple and the palace, so that he withdrew harmlessly to Jerusalem. (2Ki 12:17, 18)
Hazael became a great oppressor of Israel, particularly during the reign of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, and in this way he fulfilled what the prophet Elisha had foreseen: Hazael would deliver the fortified places of Israel to the fire, he would kill his select men, he would smash their children and slash their women who were with child. (2Ki 13:3, 22; 8:12) However, God did not allow Syria to completely crush Israel. (2Ki 13: 4, 5) After Hazael’s death, King Jehoash reconquered from Hazael’s son Ben-hadad III the cities that Hazael had taken from his father King Jehoahaz. (2Ki 13:23-25) Later, King Jeroboam II of Israel “restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel.” (2Ki 14:28.)
in ancient inscriptions. In an inscription discovered at Aphis, about 40 km SW. of Aleppo, Hazael is mentioned, calling him: “king of Aram”. This inscription agrees with the Bible in mentioning that Ben-hadad III, here called † œBarhadad †, succeeded his father Hazael as king of Syria.
In the annals of Shalmaneser III his campaigns against Syria are recorded, in which his victories over Hazael are recounted. In these annals Hazael is called a commoner (literally, son of no one), probably because he was not of royal lineage, but rather he had usurped the throne of Damascus by assassinating King Ben-hadad II. One of these inscriptions reads: “In the eighteenth year of my rule I crossed the Euphrates for the sixteenth time. Hazael of Damascus (imerišu) relied on his large army and summoned his troops in great numbers, making Mount Senir (sa-ni-ru), a mountain facing Lebanon, his fortress. I fought with him and inflicted defeat on him, for I slew 16,000 of his expert soldiers with the sword. I took 1121 chariots, 470 riding horses and his camp from him. He disappeared to save his life, (but) I followed him and besieged him in Damascus (di-maš-qi), his royal residence. (There) I cut down his gardens (outside the city and left). I marched to the Haurán mountains (šadee…