2 Kings 8:13

13. But what, is thy servant a dog There are two explanations of this verse. One makes it the language of horror; the other, that of delight and exulting surprise. The former is the one conveyed by the English version, and most generally adopted. Hazael expresses his horror and indignation at the thought that he should be such a mean dog as to perpetrate such wickedness as Elisha specified. And yet, according to this view, this showing of horror, and pretending to loathe such deeds of crime, might have been feigned and hypocritical. The other interpretation, less natural, supposes that if Hazael was horrified at the thought of such wickedness, he would not call it a great thing, and urges that a dog is an epithet of contempt, not of cruelty. Assuming that Hazael was delighted with the prospect of a crown, it makes him say, What is thy servant, the dog, that he should do this great thing! We prefer the former view, which makes Hazael repudiate the very thought of doing such base deeds. He would be at such a moment as likely to apply to himself a term of contempt as one of cruelty, and it must not be overlooked that Elisha had not yet informed him he would be king of Syria.

Thou shalt be king over Syria Until the prophet uttered these winds Hazael did not know his destiny, and therefore did not understand how he could perpetrate such deeds as Elisha mentioned. This thought excludes the view that Hazael’s words above were an exclamation of delighted surprise at the unexpected prospect of the throne. The command to Elijah a command now binding on Elisha was to anoint Hazael king over Syria, (1 Kings 19:15,) and this anointing was probably done by Elisha on this occasion though the fact is not recorded.