But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-ha'dad.
But I will send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad. A black marble obelisk found in the central palace of Nimroud, and now in the British Museum, is inscribed with the names of Hazael and Ben-hadad of Syria, as well as Jehu of Israel, mentioned as tributaries of 'Shalmanubar,' king of Assyria. The kind of tribute from Jehu is mentioned, gold, pearls, precious oil, etc. (George Vance Smith.) The Ben-hadad here is the son of Hazael (2 Kings 13:3) into whose hand the Lord in anger delivered Israel, not the Ben-hadad supplanted and slain by Hazael (2 Kings 8:7; 2 Kings 8:15). Hazael assumed the common title of the Syrian kings, in order to connect his house with the ancient dynasty. Ben-hadad means son or worshipper of the idol Hadad, or 'the sun.' The name Hazael means 'whom God looks on.' and implies that he originally owned the true God. The phrase, "I will send a fire," etc. - i:e., the flame of war (Psalms 78:63, "The fire consumed their young men"), occurs a lso Amos 1:7; Amos 1:10; Amos 1:12; Amos 1:14, and Amos 2:2; Amos 2:5; Jeremiah 49:27; and seems to be derived from Hosea 8:14.