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King of Syria. When an officer of Ben-hadad, he was sent to Elisha (who was visiting Damascus) to know whether Ben-hadad should recover of his sickness. Elisha's answer was indefinite: "Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath showed me that he shall surely die." Elisha then wept and explained it was in view of the cruelty that Hazael would do to Israel. Hazael repudiated this imputation, whereupon Elisha told him that he would be king over Syria. Elijah had been bidden to anoint Hazael as king of Syria, but we do not read that he ever anointed him, neither is there any word of Elisha's doing this on the above occasion. Hazael returned to his master and told him that the message was that he should surely recover; but the next day he smothered him and reigned in his stead.
For some time Hazael was attacked by Assyria, and his kingdom
suffered severely; but when these hostilities ceased, he turned his arms against Israel, and was the instrument God used to punish His guilty people, and 'to cut Israel short.' Hazael smote all the coasts of Israel. This antagonism he continued to the end of his life. From time to time God gave His people relief, but they turned not from their evil ways, and the oppression was renewed with varying success by Hazael's son, Ben-hadad III. 2 Kings 19: 15, 17; 2 Kings
8: 8-29; 2 Kings 9: 14, 15; 2 Kings 10: 32; 2 Kings 12: 17, 18; 2
Kings 13: 3, 22-25; 2 Chr. 22: 5, 6; Amos 1: 4. The name of Hazael has been identified on one of the obelisks of Assyria.