Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Kings 8:12

"And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strongholds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their women with child." — 2 Kings 8:12 (ASV)

The evil that you will do—The intention is not to accuse Hazael of special cruelty, but only to enumerate the ordinary horrors of war as it was conducted among the Near Eastern nations of the time. Compare the marginal references.