In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

In those days the Lord began to he weary of Israel: and Hazael ravaged them in all the coasts of Israel,

In those days Jehovah began to cut Israel short; and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel;

In those days hath Jehovah begun to cut off some in Israel, and Hazael smiteth them in all the border of Israel,

In those days the Lord was angry first with Israel; and Hazael made attacks on all the land of Israel,

In those days, the Lord began to be weary of Israel. And Hazael struck them throughout all the parts of Israel,

To cut Israel short - literally, "to cut off in Israel," i. e., to take away from Israel portions of its territory (see the marginal reference).

The Lord began to cut Israel short - The marginal reading is best: The Lord cut off the ends; and this he did by permitting Hazael to seize on the coasts, to conquer and occupy the frontier towns. This was the commencement of those miserable ravages which Elisha predicted; see 2-Kings 8:12. And we find from the next verse that he seized on all the land of Gilead, and that of Reuben and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh; in a word, whatever Israel possessed on the east side of Jordan.

In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short,.... To bring their dominions into a narrower compass; this was done in the days of Jehu, though he was so active and courageous, wherefore the hand of God was the more seen in it:
and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; which bordered on his country, when he did what Elisha foretold he would, 2-Kings 8:12.

Therefore (this link of connection follows from the actual fact, though it is not distinctly mentioned in the text) Hazael had now to inflict chastisement upon faithless Israel. In Jehu's days Jehovah began "to cut off in Israel," i.e., to rend away certain portions from the kingdom. "Hazael smote them (the Israelites) on the whole of the border of Israel," i.e., of the kingdom, "from Jordan to the sun-rising (i.e., on the eastern side of the Jordan), the whole of the land of Gilead (כּל־ארץ את is dependent upon יכּה which must be supplied from יכּם), namely, the territory of the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Half-Manasseh, from Aroer on the brook Arnon (now Araayr, a ruin on the northern border of the Mojeb (Arnon) valley; see at Numbers 32:34), the southern border of the Israelitish land to the east of the Jordan (Deuteronomy 2:36; Deuteronomy 3:12), both Gilead and Bashan," the two countries into which Gilead in the broader sense was divided (see at Deuteronomy 3:8-17). - These conquests took place during the twenty-eight years' reign of Jehu, since Hazael began to reign before Jehu, viz., while Joram was king, and had already fought successfully against the Israelites at Ramoth in Joram's reign (2-Kings 8:28-29), but not in the later part of Jehu's reign, as Thenius supposes.