Neville Goddard on 2 Kings 8:7-14 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 2 Kings 8 in context

Scripture Focus

7And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither.

8And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

9So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?

10And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die.

11And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.

12And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

13And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

14So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover.

2 Kings 8:7-14

Biblical Context

Elisha arrives in Damascus as Benhadad lies sick; Hazael comes to inquire about recovery. Elisha declares Benhadad will recover yet die, weeps for the coming cruelty, and reveals that Hazael will become king over Syria.

Neville's Inner Vision

Observe this scene as a drama of inner states rather than a history in stone. Elisha, herein, is the awareness that sees both the apparent recovery and the higher, inevitable consequence. Benhadad's illness stands for a mental stagnation—fear, power, and the urge for conquest—presented to the mind's eye. When the king instructs Hazael to inquire, what is asked is not medical verdict but alignment with a larger law. Elisha's line that the king may recover even though the Lord shows he will die reveals two possible futures coexisting within the same moment, until one is chosen by an inner state. The weeping expresses compassionate recognition of the harm such power sews in the hearts of the people; it is not a wish for cruelty, but an understanding of cause and effect. The pronouncement that Hazael shall be king, then, is a reminder that the true sovereignty begins within—the inner kingdom that governs Damascus's fate. Your life, too, is governed by what you accept and hold in mind as real, not by outward appearances alone.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: In a quiet moment, assume you are the inner Elisha; declare the outcome you desire for your Damascus and feel it as now; revise any doubt until it feels certain.