2-kings 12:17

Hazael - fought against Gath, and took it - This city, with its satrapy or lordship, had been taken from the Philistines by David, (see 2 Samuel 8:1, and 1 Chronicles 18:1); and it had continued in the possession of the kings of Judah till this time. On what pretense Hazael seized it, we cannot tell; he had the ultima ratio regum, power to do it, and he wanted more territory.

There was probably a considerable interval between the conclusion of the arrangement for the repairs and the Syrian expedition related in these verses. For the events which had happened, see 2 Chronicles 24:15-22.

2 Kings 12:17

This is the first and last time that we hear of the Damascene Syrians undertaking so distant an expedition. Gath (see Joshua 13:3 note) could only be reached from Syria through Israel or Judah. It was not more than 25 or 30 miles from Jerusalem. It is uncertain whether the city belonged at this time to Judah or to the Philistines.

Hazael set his face ... - This is a phrase for determination generally, but especially for determination to proceed somewhere (compare Jeremiah 42:15; Luke 9:51). Jerusalem can scarcely have been the primary object of this expedition, or it would have been attacked by a less circuitous route. Perhaps the Syrians were induced to make a sudden march against the Jewish capital, by learning, while at Gath, that a revolution had occurred there (compare 2 Chronicles 24:18-23).