1 Kings 19:17 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

Here the order of times seems to be perverted; for Elisha was prophet before Jehu or Hazael were kings, and Hazael was king before Jehu. But that is of no moment as to the substance of the thing threatened, which is only this, that one or other of these should infallibly execute God's judgments upon the apostatical Israelites. Elisha is said to slay them, either because he slew those forty-two children, 2 Kings 2:24, besides others whom upon like occasions he might destroy; or because he by God's appointment inflicted the famine, 2 Kings 6:31; or rather, by the sword which came out of his mouth, as Isaiah 49:2 Revelation 1:16, Revelation 19:15,21, by his cutting prophecies and threatenings of God's judgments; the prophets being said to pull down and to destroy what they only declare and foretell shall be pulled down, &c. Hazael began to slay them before Jehu was king, 2 Kings 8:28, though his cruelty was much increased afterward, 2 Kings 10:32, 2 Kings 13:1-3; and Jehu destroyed those whom Hazael did not, king Joram himself, and Ahaziah, and his forty-two brethren, 2 Kings 9:24,27 2 Kings 10:14, all the near relations of wicked Ahab.