2 Kings 8:9

8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. 1  He took along a gift, 2  as well as 3  forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, 4  King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, 5  ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”

2 Kings 14:9

14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal 6  of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. 7 

1 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

2 tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”

3 tn Heb “and.” It is possible that the conjunction is here explanatory, equivalent to English “that is.” In this case the forty camel loads constitute the “gift” and one should translate, “He took along a gift, consisting of forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus.”

4 sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.

5 tn Heb “saying.”

6 tn Heb “the animal of the field.”

7 sn Judah is the thorn in the allegory. Amaziah’s success has deceived him into thinking he is on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he is not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).