Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 12:17

"Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem." — 2 Kings 12:17 (ASV)

Then. — At that time, namely, after the events just related. Hazael’s invasion of the south followed his successes against Jehoahaz, who became king of the northern kingdom in the very year when Jehoash undertook the restoration of the Temple (Compare 2 Kings 12:6 with 2 Kings 13:1; 2 Kings 13:3). It appears from 2 Chronicles 24:23 that the high priest Jehoiada was dead, and Jehoash had already departed from his counsel.

Fought against Gath. — This implies that Gath, at the time, either belonged to Judah or was in league with it. Rehoboam had included this town in his system of national defenses (2 Chronicles 11:8), and it was perhaps at this time the only important outpost of the capital on the western side.

Ewald assumes that the petty Philistine states had invited Hazael’s intervention between themselves and their suzerain, the king of Judah. Gaza, Ashdod, Ascalon, and Ekron—but not Gath—appear as Philistine kingdoms in the annals of Sennacherib and Esarhaddon a century later. This agrees with what is stated in 2 Chronicles 26:6 about Uzziah destroying the walls of Gath .

Set his face. — Compare Luke 9:51.

To go up to. — Or, against.