Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 13:4

"And Jehoahaz besought Jehovah, and Jehovah hearkened unto him; for he saw the oppression of Israel, how that the king of Syria oppressed them." — 2 Kings 13:4 (ASV)

Besought. — Literally, stroked the face of; a metaphor that occurs in Exodus 32:11 and 1 Kings 13:6.

And the Lord hearkened unto him. — Not, however, immediately (see 2 Kings 13:7). The Syrian invasions, which began under Jehu, were renewed again and again throughout the reign of Jehoahaz (2 Kings 13:22), until the tide of conquest began to turn in the time of Joash (2 Kings 13:15), whose incomplete victories (2 Kings 13:17, 2 Kings 13:19, 2 Kings 13:25) were followed by the permanent successes of his son Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25–28).

The parenthetical statement in 2 Kings 13:5, therefore, really begins with the words, And the Lord hearkened. The historian added it to point out that although the prayer of Jehoahaz did not meet with an immediate response, it was not ultimately ineffectual.

For he saw the oppression. — Compare with Exodus 3:7 and Deuteronomy 26:7.

The king of Syria. — Intentionally general, to include both Hazael and Ben-hadad III, his son (2 Kings 13:24).