Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 8
Elisha did not often stay for a long time in any particular place. He would go to different towns and villages across Israel to do his work for God. However, he rarely left northern and central Israel, the country that Joram ruled. In fact, normally he seems, from the Bible’s account, to have remained in the central part of Israel.
So it was extraordinary when Elisha went north, beyond the borders of Israel, to Damascus. Dan, the city furthest north in Israel, was 80 miles (120 kilometres) north of the capital, Samaria. Damascus was 50 miles (80 kilometres) north-east of Dan.
Damascus was the capital city of Aram, also called Syria. Aram was a powerful country at this time, and it had gained power over many small countries in that region (1 Kings 20:1). It had become Israel’s principal enemy; there were many wars between Aram and Israel during the rules of Ahab and his son Joram. In one of those wars, Ahab freed Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, who had become Ahab’s prisoner (1 Kings 20:30-34). Ben-Hadad caused much trouble for Israel after that; and he was still the king of Aram when Elisha went there.
God is especially called the God of Israel, but the whole world belongs to him. He cares about people in every nation. He even cared about the people in Aram when they were Israel’s enemies. Elisha’s work in Israel had made many people in Aram aware of the true God; and some of them had begun to serve the true God (2 Kings chapter 5; 2 Kings 6:8-23). It seems likely that Elisha went to Damascus to teach those people. However, God had a special task for him there, which showed God’s authority even over the kings of Aram (1 Kings 19:15).
Next part: Ben-Hadad tries to pay Elisha to cure him (2 Kings 8:8-9)
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