- Hazael
Hazael (Hebrew "Hazael," meaning "
God has seen") was a court official and later anAramean king who appeared in theBible . He was first referred to by name in 1 Kings 19 when God told theprophet Elijah to anoint him king over Syria.Years after this, the Syrian king
Hadadezer was ill and sent his court official Hazael with gifts to Elijah's successorElisha . Elisha asked Hazael to tell Hadadezer that he would recover, but he revealed to Hazael that the king would die. The day after he returned to Hadadezer inDamascus , Hazael suffocated him and seized power himself.During his approximately 37-year reign (c. 842 BC-805 BC), King Hazael led the Arameans in battle against the forces of King
Jehoram of Israel and KingAhaziah of Judah. After defeating them atRamoth-Gilead , Hazael repelled two attacks by theAssyria ns, seized Israelite territory east of the Jordan, thePhilistine city of Gath, and sought to takeJerusalem as well (2 Kings 12:17). A monumental Aramaic inscription discovered atTel Dan is seen by most scholars as having being erected by Hazael, after he defeated the Kings ofIsrael andJudah . Recent excavations atTell es-Safi /Gath have revealed dramatic evidence of the siege and subsequent conquest of Gath by Hazael. The destruction of the settlement atTell Zeitah during the ninth century may also be the result of Hazael's campaign. KingJoash ofJudah forestalled Hazael's invasion by bribing him with treasure from the royal palace and temple, after which he disappears from the Biblical account.References
* Biran, A., and Naveh, J. 1995. The Tel Dan Inscription: A New Fragment. "Israel Exploration Journal" 45(1):1–18.
* Ephal, I., and Naveh, J. 1989. Hazael’s Booty Inscriptions. "Israel Exploration Journal" 39(3–4):192–200.
* Lemaire, A. 1991. Hazaël, de Damas, Roi d’Aram. Pp. 91–108 in "Marchands, Diplomates et Empereurs, Etudes sur la civilisation mésopotamienne offertes à P. Garelli". Paris: Editions Recherche sur la Civilisations.
* Maeir, A. 2004. The Historical Background and Dating of Amos VI 2: An Archaeological Perspective from Tell es-Safi/Gath. "Vetus Testamentum" 54(3):319–34.External links
* [http://gath.wordpress.com Tell es-Safi/Gath Excavation Project Blog]
* [http://www.dig-gath.org Tell es-Safi/Gath Excavation Project website]
* [http://www.kchanson.com/ANCDOCS/westsem/teldan.html Tel Dan Inscription Webpage]
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