And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?
The king said unto Hazael ... It is an interesting confirmation of the sacred history, that the names of king Ben-hadad and his minister Hazael, as inscribed on the famous obelisk of Nimroud, were first deciphered by the late Dr. Hincks. On the arrival of the prophet being known, Ben-hadad, who was sick, sent to inquire the issue of his disease; and, according to the practice of the pagans in consulting their soothsayers, ordered a liberal present in remuneration of the service. The consultation of Elisha by the pagan king of Syria needs occasion no surprise; for it is probable, or rather certain, from the time of Naaman's cure (2 Kings 5:1-27), that the fame of the Hebrew prophet was diffused throughout that country. But besides, among the Shemitish nations in particular, there was, with all the diversity of gods, a general community of religious sentiment. The people of one region never hesitated to realize the prophets or priests of another.