[9] Upon occasion of this stratagem of Elisha, in Josephus, we may take
notice, that although Josephus was one of the greatest lovers of truth
in the world, yet in a just war he seems to have had no manner of
scruple upon him by all such stratagems possible to deceive public
enemies. See this Josephus's account of Jeremiah's imposition on the
great men of the Jews in somewhat like case, Antiq. B. X. ch. 7. sect.
6; 2 Samuel 16:16, &c.

[10] This son of a murderer was Joram, the son of Ahab, which Ahab slew,
or permitted his wife Jezebel to slay, the Lord's prophets, and Naboth,
1 Kings 18:4; 21:19; and he is here called by this name, I suppose,
because he had now also himself sent an officer to murder him; yet is
Josephus's account of Joram's coming himself at last as repenting of his
intended cruelty, much more probable than that in our copies, 2 Kings
6:33, which rather implies the contrary.

[11] This law of the Jews, for the exclusion of lepers out of the camp
in the wilderness, and out of the cities in Judea, is a known one,
Leviticus 13:46; Numbers 5:14.

[12] Since Elijah did not live to anoint Hazael king of Syria himself,
as he was empowered to do, 1 Kings 19:15, it was most probably now done,
in his name, by his servant and successor Elisha. Nor does it seem to me
otherwise but that Benhadad immediately recovered of his disease, as the
prophet foretold; and that Hazael, upon his being anointed to succeed
him though he ought to have staid till he died by the course of nature,
or some other way of Divine punishment, as did David for many years in
the like case, was too impatient, and the very next day smothered or
strangled him, in order to come directly to the succession.

[13] What Mr. Le Clerc pretends here, that it is more probable that
Hazael and his son were worshipped by the Syrians and people of Damascus
till the days of Josephus, than Benhadad and Hazael, because under
Benhadad they had greatly suffered, and because it is almost incredible
that both a king and that king's murderer should be worshipped by the
same Syrians, is of little force against those records, out of which
Josephus drew this history, especially when it is likely that they
thought Benhadad died of the distemper he labored under, and not by
Hazael's treachery. Besides, the reason that Josephus gives for this
adoration, that these two kings had been great benefactors to the
inhabitants of Damascus, and had built them temples, is too