2 Kings 8:10
in 2 Kings 8Elisha answered, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But the LORD has shown me that in fact he will die.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou shalt surely recover; howbeit Jehovah hath showed me that he shall surely die.
KJV
And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
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This verse in 2 Kings 8
Commentary
9 notes on this verseThou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath showed me that he shall surely die - That is, God has not determined thy death, nor will it be a necessary consequence of the disease by which thou art now afflicted; but this wicked man will abuse the power and trust thou hast reposed in him, and take away thy life. Even when God has not designed nor appointed the death of a person, he may nevertheless die, though not without the permission of God.
This site's exposition
took a present with him
on 2 Kings 8:9-10
Hazael arrives with forty camels' burden of Damascus's wealth and puts Ben-hadad's own question in Ben-hadad's own words, shall I recover of this disease. Elisha's answer carries two truths at once: go, say unto him, thou mayest certainly recover, the message Hazael is to deliver, and the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die, the fact behind it, which the disease itself will not produce. The two clauses are not a contradiction; the king's sickness is simply not what will kill him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Go, say to him, 'You shall certainly recover;' but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die." These were the words of Elisha to the king, who asked him, "Will I live after this illness?" But it seems that they do not agree …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Howbeit - Here is no contradiction: for the first words contain an answer to Benhadad's question, shall I recover? To which the answer is, thou mayest, notwithstanding thy disease, which is not mortal.
), not a natural but a violent death. There are many ways out of the world, and sometimes, while men think to avoid one, they fall by another. He looked Hazael in the face with an unusual concern, till he made Hazael blush and himself weep,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
), but he unfairly and unfaithfully concealed that, either because he was loth to put the king out of humour with bad news or because hereby he might the more effectually carry on that bloody design which he conceived when he was told he should be his successor.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Elisha said unto him, go, say unto him, thou mayest certainly recover,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Thou mayest certainly recover--There was no contradiction in this message. This part was properly the answer to Ben-hadad's inquiry [2Ki 8:9]. The second part was intended for Hazael, who, like an artful and ambitious courtier, reported only as much of the prophet's statement as suited his own views (compare 2Ki 8:14).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Translate - “Go, say unto him, Thou shalt certainly live: howbeit the Lord hath showed me that he shall certainly die.” i. e.,” Say to him, what thou hast already determined to say, what a courtier is sure to say (compare 1Ki 22:15), but know that the fact will be otherwise.”
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
‘You will surely live.’ Pertaining to Chazoeil he said that he would live instead of Ben-Hadad [and occupy] the throne.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
He [Elisha] kept his face emotionless. [He held in] his expression of grief, for he wanted to cry; he held it in, so that he would not cry in front of Chazoeil. He made a concentrated effort to stand and control himself.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָיו֙ | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֱלִישָׁ֔ע | ʾelisha' | Elisha | H477 → | 58 times |
| לֵ֥ךְ | lekh | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אֱמָר־ | ʾemor- | say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֖וֹ | lo | to him | ||
| חָיֹ֣ה | chayoh | certainly <to live> | H2421 → | 282 times |
| תִחְיֶ֑ה | tichyeh | you will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| וְהִרְאַ֥נִי | vehirani | and he has shown me | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מ֥וֹת | mot | certainly <to die> | H4191 → | 839 times |
| יָמֽוּת׃ | yamut | he will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֵלָיו֙to him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
אֱלִישָׁ֔עElisha
ʾelisha'H477 →58 times
לֵ֥ךְgo
lekhH1980 →1546 times
אֱמָר־say
ʾemor-H559 →5305 times
ל֖וֹto him
lo
חָיֹ֣הcertainly <to live>
chayohH2421 →282 times
תִחְיֶ֑הyou will live
tichyehH2421 →282 times
וְהִרְאַ֥נִיand he has shown me
vehiraniH7200 →1300 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מ֥וֹתcertainly <to die>
motH4191 →839 times
יָמֽוּת׃he will die
yamutH4191 →839 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 2:17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
it leads to
- Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- James 1:15
Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
- Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:56
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
- Galatians 3:10
All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
- Romans 6:23
Through
Amos 7:7This is what He showed me: Behold, the Lord was standing by a wall true to plumb, with a plumb line in His hand.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 21:13
I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab, and I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes out a bowl—wiping…
- 2 Kings 21:13
Through
Ezekiel 18:13He engages in usury and takes excess interest. Will this son live? He will not! Since he has committed all these abominations, he will surely die; his blood will be on his own head.
it leads to
- Exodus 22:25
If you lend money to one of My people among you who is poor, you must not act as a creditor to him; you are not to charge him interest.
- Exodus 22:25
Through
Ezekiel 11:25I told the exiles everything the LORD had shown me.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 3:4
Then He said to me, “Son of man, go now to the house of Israel and speak My words to them.
- Ezekiel 3:4
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 8:10; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.