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Prophecy

Elisha announces Hazael as king of Syria (2 Kings 8)

Aramaic stela from Tel Dan (9th c. BC, Israel Museum), often attributed to Hazael: it attests a king of Damascus victorious over Israel; his name is not preserved on it.
Archaeological object Aramaic stela from Tel Dan (9th c. BC, Israel Museum), often attributed to Hazael: it attests a king of Damascus victorious over Israel; his name is not preserved on it. — Gary Todd, Wikimedia Commons · CC0

○ Written after the events, according to historians; tradition dates it before

Written c. 845–842 BC according to tradition; c. 640–560 BC according to historians. Event: 845–841 BC.

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

In short

The announcement. The prophet Elisha, in the second book of Kings, around 845–842 BC, announces to Hazael, a servant of the king of Syria, that he himself will become king of Syria and will do much harm to Israel.

What happened. Between 845 and 841 BC, Hazael takes the throne of Damascus. An Assyrian inscription calls him “son of nobody”, meaning he was not of royal blood, which agrees with the biblical account. He then dominates Israel.

What is still debated. the text was written after Hazael's reign, and the name of the king he replaces is not the same in the Bible and in the Assyrian source.

What would be striking if the text came first

The confirmation comes from the Assyrian enemy, which had no reason to support the biblical account. But according to historians, the text was written after Hazael’s reign; only tradition dates it earlier.

Main objection (in French for now)

Le texte est rédigé après le règne d’Hazaël : connaître son usurpation et ses guerres ne demandait aucune prédiction.

The text (World English Bible)

Elisha said to him, “Go, tell him, ‘You will surely recover;’ however the LORD has shown me that he will surely die.” He settled his gaze steadfastly on him, until he was ashamed. Then the man of God wept. Hazael said, “Why do you weep, my lord?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, and will dash their little ones in pieces, and rip up their pregnant women.” Hazael said, “But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he could do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you will be king over Syria.”

2 Kgs 8:10-13

Sources