2 Kings 8:13Hazael said, "But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?" Elisha answered, "Yahweh has shown me that you will be king over Syria."
The setting
Damascus, Syria, ~841 BC. Hazael uses self-deprecating language ('I'm just a dog') while secretly plotting to murder his master Ben-Hadad...
The emotion here: feigning humility while plotting murder
The original word
keleb (כלב) — dog, used as ultimate self-deprecation in ancient Near East culture
Why it matters
Hazael killed Ben-Hadad the next day by suffocating him with a wet cloth
Read with care
What most readers miss in 2 Kings 8:13
Hazael's 'humble' protest was likely calculated — he was already planning the assassination
Common misconceptionPeople think Hazael was genuinely shocked and humble, but he was likely already planning Ben-Hadad's murder and testing how much Elisha knew.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 2 Kings 8:13
Bible Genome reading
2 Kings 8:13 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
2 Kings 8:13 comes from the book of 2 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Hazael. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the dialogue genre of biblical literature. Key themes include humility, destiny, divine revelation. Notable phrases: but a dog; this great thing; Yahweh has shown me.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does 2 Kings 8:13 mean to you, today?
A short note. A question. A prayer. Saved privately to your Soul Garden, dated, and tied to this verse forever.
Speak your heart →Get 3 verses for "anxious"
Delivered to your inbox right now. Free.