2 Kings 13 Study Notes: Elisha’s Last Prophecy and Death
Israel’s kings Jehoahaz and Jehoash keep Jeroboam’s sins and Aram oppresses Israel, yet the LORD shows mercy for His covenant with the patriarchs. The dying Elisha foretells three wins over Aram through the arrows, a dead man revives at his bones, and Jehoash then defeats Aram three times.
General
What did Elisha say the arrow shot through the east window meant (2 Kings 13:15-17)?
Answer: The LORD would give Jehoash victory over Aram at Aphek
Elisha told the king to take up a bow and arrows and to grip the bow, and then the prophet placed his own hands over the king’s. He had the east window opened and told Jehoash to shoot. Then Elisha announced that this arrow stood for the victory the LORD would give over Aram (Syria): Jehoash would defeat the Arameans at Aphek until he had finished them off (13:15-17). The victory was called the LORD’s, not the king’s. Scripture teaches that people may prepare for battle, but victory comes from the LORD (Proverbs 21:31), and that God’s people rely on Him rather than on their own bows (Psalm 44:6-7).
- 2 Kings 13:16-17 (BSB)“Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So the king put his hand on the bow, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. “Open the east window,” said Elisha. So he opened it and Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And Elisha declared: “This is the LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.””Elisha lays his hands on the king’s, has him shoot east, and calls it the LORD’s arrow of victory over Aram.
- Proverbs 21:31 (BSB)“A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.”Preparation is made for battle, but victory belongs to the LORD.
- Psalm 44:6-7 (BSB)“For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me. For You save us from our enemies; You put those who hate us to shame.”God’s people trust Him, not their bow, to save them from their enemies.
Theological
How did Elisha interpret the arrow shot from the east window (2 Kings 13:15-17)?
Answer: The LORD would give Jehoash victory over Aram at Aphek
Through a prophetic sign act, Elisha places his hands over the king’s, has the east window opened, and commands the shot; he then interprets it as the LORD’s own triumph over Aram, promising defeat of the Arameans at Aphek (13:15-17). The victory is explicitly the LORD’s. Human preparation is real, but deliverance belongs to the LORD (Proverbs 21:31), and His people trust Him rather than their weapons (Psalm 44:6-7).
- 2 Kings 13:16-17 (BSB)“Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” So the king put his hand on the bow, and Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands. “Open the east window,” said Elisha. So he opened it and Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And Elisha declared: “This is the LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.””Elisha lays his hands on the king’s, has him shoot east, and calls it the LORD’s arrow of victory over Aram.
- Proverbs 21:31 (BSB)“A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.”Preparation is made for battle, but victory belongs to the LORD.
- Psalm 44:6-7 (BSB)“For I do not trust in my bow, nor does my sword save me. For You save us from our enemies; You put those who hate us to shame.”God’s people trust Him, not their bow, to save them from their enemies.
General
True or False: After the LORD rescued Israel from Aram, the people abandoned Jeroboam’s sins and removed the Asherah pole from Samaria.
Answer: False
This is false. Even after God rescued them, the Israelites did not give up the sins of Jeroboam’s house but kept living in them, and the Asherah pole was still standing in Samaria (13:6). An Asherah pole was a wooden pole used in the worship of a Canaanite goddess; Ahab had set up such a pole during his reign (1 Kings 16:33). Rescue did not produce lasting repentance. The psalmist describes the same pattern in Israel’s history: under God’s discipline they turned to Him, yet their hearts were not loyal and they broke faith with His covenant (Psalm 78:34-37).
- 2 Kings 13:6 (BSB)“Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but they continued to walk in them. The Asherah pole even remained standing in Samaria.”Israel continues in Jeroboam’s sins, and the Asherah pole remains in Samaria.
- 1 Kings 16:33 (BSB)“Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.”Ahab had set up an Asherah pole, provoking the LORD to anger.
- Psalm 78:34-37 (BSB)“When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God. And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues. Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.”Israel turned to God under discipline but their hearts stayed disloyal to His covenant.
Theological
True or False: Israel’s deliverance from Aram under Jehoahaz led the people to forsake Jeroboam’s sins and remove the Asherah pole in Samaria.
Answer: False
This is false. The deliverance produces no reformation: Israel continues in the sins of Jeroboam’s house, and the Asherah pole still stands in Samaria (13:6), the kind of idol Ahab had set up (1 Kings 16:33). The episode illustrates the recurring pattern the psalmist laments, in which Israel sought God under discipline while their hearts remained disloyal and faithless toward His covenant (Psalm 78:34-37).
- 2 Kings 13:6 (BSB)“Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but they continued to walk in them. The Asherah pole even remained standing in Samaria.”Israel continues in Jeroboam’s sins, and the Asherah pole remains in Samaria.
- 1 Kings 16:33 (BSB)“Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.”Ahab had set up an Asherah pole, provoking the LORD to anger.
- Psalm 78:34-37 (BSB)“When He slew them, they would seek Him; they repented and searched for God. And they remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouths, and lied to Him with their tongues. Their hearts were disloyal to Him, and they were unfaithful to His covenant.”Israel turned to God under discipline but their hearts stayed disloyal to His covenant.
General
What happened when Israelites, frightened by raiders, threw a corpse into the grave where Elisha lay (2 Kings 13:20-21)?
Answer: On touching Elisha’s bones, the man revived and rose
After Elisha’s death and burial, bands of raiders from Moab used to invade the land each spring. Once, during a funeral, some Israelites spotted a raiding party, so they hurriedly threw the body into the grave where Elisha lay. As soon as the dead man touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life and got up (13:20-21). Scripture is clear that the LORD alone holds the power of life and death (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6). During his lifetime, Elisha had called on the LORD, and the Shunammite woman’s son was restored to life (4:33-35).
- 2 Kings 13:21 (BSB)“Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.”A dead man thrown into Elisha’s tomb revives when he touches the prophet’s bones.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”The LORD declares that He brings death and gives life.
- 1 Samuel 2:6 (BSB)“The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.”Hannah confesses that the LORD brings death and gives life.
- 2 Kings 4:33-35 (BSB)“So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm. Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.”Elisha prayed to the LORD, and the Shunammite’s son was restored to life.
Theological
What took place when a corpse was thrown into Elisha’s grave (2 Kings 13:20-21)?
Answer: On touching Elisha’s bones, the man revived and rose
After Elisha’s death, an Israelite burial party, surprised by a raiding party, throws a corpse into the prophet’s grave, and on contact with Elisha’s bones the man revives and stands (13:20-21). Scripture ascribes the power over life and death to the LORD alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6), the same LORD to whom Elisha had prayed when the Shunammite’s son was restored (4:33-35).
- 2 Kings 13:21 (BSB)“Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.”A dead man thrown into Elisha’s tomb revives when he touches the prophet’s bones.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (BSB)“See now that I am He; there is no God besides Me. I bring death and I give life; I wound and I heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”The LORD declares that He brings death and gives life.
- 1 Samuel 2:6 (BSB)“The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.”Hannah confesses that the LORD brings death and gives life.
- 2 Kings 4:33-35 (BSB)“So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the LORD. Then Elisha got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, and hand to hand. As he stretched himself out over him, the boy’s body became warm. Elisha turned away and paced back and forth across the room. Then he got on the bed and stretched himself out over the boy again, and the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.”Elisha prayed to the LORD, and the Shunammite’s son was restored to life.
General
According to 2 Kings 13:23, why was the LORD gracious to Israel during Hazael’s oppression?
Answer: Because of the covenant He had sworn to Israel’s forefathers
Hazael kept oppressing Israel all through Jehoahaz’s reign (13:22). Yet the LORD showed Israel grace and compassion and turned toward them for the sake of the covenant (binding promise) He had made with the nation’s forefathers: Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob. He still refused to wipe them out or drive them out of His sight (13:23). The reason for God’s kindness lay in His own promise, not in Israel’s faithfulness. In the same way, He had heard Israel’s groaning in Egypt and called to mind the covenant sworn to the patriarchs (Exodus 2:24). He had chosen Israel not because they were many but because He loved them and was faithful to His sworn promise to their fathers (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), and He never forgets His covenant (Psalm 105:8-10).
- 2 Kings 13:22-23 (BSB)“And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence.”Though Hazael oppresses Israel, the LORD shows compassion because of His covenant with the patriarchs.
- Exodus 2:24 (BSB)“So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when Israel groaned in Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God’s love for Israel rested on His oath to the fathers, not on Israel’s greatness.
- Psalm 105:8-10 (BSB)“He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations— the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:”The LORD remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob forever.
Theological
On what basis does 2 Kings 13:23 say the LORD showed compassion to Israel?
Answer: Because of the covenant He had sworn to Israel’s forefathers
Hazael’s oppression continues throughout Jehoahaz’s reign (13:22), yet the LORD is gracious, has compassion, and turns toward Israel for the sake of the covenant sworn to the patriarchs, and up to that day He had not destroyed or banished them (13:23). The ground of His mercy is His own sworn promise, not Israel’s merit, as at the exodus (Exodus 2:24). His electing love rests on His oath to the fathers (Deuteronomy 7:7-8), and He remembers that covenant forever (Psalm 105:8-10).
- 2 Kings 13:22-23 (BSB)“And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence.”Though Hazael oppresses Israel, the LORD shows compassion because of His covenant with the patriarchs.
- Exodus 2:24 (BSB)“So God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when Israel groaned in Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (BSB)“The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”God’s love for Israel rested on His oath to the fathers, not on Israel’s greatness.
- Psalm 105:8-10 (BSB)“He remembers His covenant forever, the word He ordained for a thousand generations— the covenant He made with Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:”The LORD remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob forever.
General
When Jehoahaz sought the LORD’s favor, why did the LORD listen to him (2 Kings 13:4)?
Answer: He saw how harshly Aram’s king was crushing the Israelites
Jehoahaz, an evil king, pleaded with the LORD for help, and the LORD heard him, for He saw how cruelly the Arameans were treating Israel (13:4). The LORD then provided a rescuer whom the text does not name, so that the people escaped Aram’s grip and lived safely in their homes again (13:5). This is pure mercy. Israel had not turned from its sin, yet God took pity on His suffering people, just as He had seen His people’s misery in Egypt (Exodus 3:7) and had raised up rescuers in the days of the judges when He was moved by their groaning (Judges 2:18). The psalmist celebrates this same pattern: though Israel rebelled again and again, God heard their cry and remembered His covenant (Psalm 106:44-45).
- 2 Kings 13:4-5 (BSB)“Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel. So the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes as they had before.”Jehoahaz seeks the LORD, who sees Israel’s oppression and gives them a deliverer.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”The LORD saw His people’s affliction in Egypt, as He sees Israel’s oppression here.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”The LORD raised up deliverers when He was moved by His people’s groaning under oppressors.
- Psalm 106:44-45 (BSB)“Nevertheless He heard their cry; He took note of their distress. And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.”Despite Israel’s rebellions, God heard their cry and remembered His covenant.
Theological
What reason does the text give for the LORD heeding Jehoahaz’s plea (2 Kings 13:4)?
Answer: He saw how harshly Aram’s king was crushing the Israelites
The LORD heeds the plea of an unfaithful king because He sees the affliction Aram is inflicting on Israel (13:4), and He provides an unnamed deliverer so that Israel escapes Aram and dwells securely again (13:5). The grace is unmerited, grounded not in Israel’s repentance but in God’s compassion for His afflicted people, the same compassion seen at the exodus (Exodus 3:7) and in the period of the judges (Judges 2:18). The psalmist traces the pattern to the LORD’s covenant faithfulness and loving devotion (Psalm 106:44-45).
- 2 Kings 13:4-5 (BSB)“Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him because He saw the oppression that the king of Aram had inflicted on Israel. So the LORD gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel lived in their own homes as they had before.”Jehoahaz seeks the LORD, who sees Israel’s oppression and gives them a deliverer.
- Exodus 3:7 (BSB)“The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.”The LORD saw His people’s affliction in Egypt, as He sees Israel’s oppression here.
- Judges 2:18 (BSB)“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”The LORD raised up deliverers when He was moved by His people’s groaning under oppressors.
- Psalm 106:44-45 (BSB)“Nevertheless He heard their cry; He took note of their distress. And He remembered His covenant with them, and relented by the abundance of His loving devotion.”Despite Israel’s rebellions, God heard their cry and remembered His covenant.
General
Because Jehoahaz king of Israel followed Jeroboam’s sins, what did the LORD do (2 Kings 13:2-3)?
Answer: He handed Israel again and again to Hazael and Ben-hadad
Jehoahaz, Jehu’s son, displeased the LORD by clinging to the sins of Jeroboam, the first king of the northern tribes, who had led Israel astray (13:2). Those sins centered on the golden calves Jeroboam had set up at Bethel and Dan as substitutes for worship at Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:28-30). The LORD’s anger burned, and He repeatedly gave Israel into the power of Hazael, Aram’s ruler (Aram is Syria), and later Ben-hadad, Hazael’s son (13:3). Israel’s army was reduced to a small remnant, crushed like dust on a threshing floor (13:7). This continued what had begun in Jehu’s day, when God started to cut Israel’s territory down through Hazael (10:32).
- 2 Kings 13:2-3 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.”Jehoahaz follows Jeroboam’s sins, and the LORD gives Israel into Aram’s hand.
- 2 Kings 13:7 (BSB)“Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.”Aram reduces Israel’s army to a small remnant.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.”Jeroboam set up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan, the sin the northern kings continued.
- 2 Kings 10:32 (BSB)“In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory”Under Jehu the LORD had already begun reducing Israel through Hazael.
Theological
What was the LORD’s response to Jehoahaz’s persistence in Jeroboam’s sins (2 Kings 13:2-3)?
Answer: He handed Israel again and again to Hazael and Ben-hadad
Jehoahaz perpetuates Jeroboam’s sins (13:2), the calf worship at Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28-30). The LORD’s anger burns, and He repeatedly delivers Israel into the hand of Hazael and then Ben-hadad (13:3), until Israel’s forces are reduced to a remnant, trampled like threshing dust (13:7). Aram’s oppression is the LORD’s covenant discipline, continuing the shrinking of Israel begun under Jehu (10:32).
- 2 Kings 13:2-3 (BSB)“And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them. So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.”Jehoahaz follows Jeroboam’s sins, and the LORD gives Israel into Aram’s hand.
- 2 Kings 13:7 (BSB)“Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.”Aram reduces Israel’s army to a small remnant.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.”Jeroboam set up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan, the sin the northern kings continued.
- 2 Kings 10:32 (BSB)“In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory”Under Jehu the LORD had already begun reducing Israel through Hazael.
General
True or False: Israel’s King Jehoash, Jehoahaz’s son, was judged evil in the LORD’s sight and kept walking in Jeroboam’s sins.
Answer: True
This is true. Jehoash, Jehoahaz’s son and Jehu’s grandson, took Israel’s throne in Samaria. The narrator says his conduct was evil in the LORD’s sight and that he refused to leave any of Jeroboam’s sins but kept practicing them (13:10-11). He stands in contrast to Joash king of Judah, who did right while Jehoiada taught him (12:2). Jehoash belonged to the dynasty of Jehu, to whom the LORD had promised that his sons would sit on Israel’s throne for four generations (10:30). Like the kings before him, he clung to the calf worship Jeroboam had begun (1 Kings 12:28-30).
- 2 Kings 13:10-11 (BSB)“In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.”Jehoash son of Jehoahaz becomes king of Israel and does evil, continuing Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 12:2 (BSB)“And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.”Joash of Judah, by contrast, did right while Jehoiada instructed him.
- 2 Kings 10:30 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.””The LORD promised Jehu four generations on Israel’s throne, which includes Jehoash.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.”Jeroboam’s calves at Bethel and Dan are the sins Jehoash would not abandon.
Theological
True or False: Jehoash of Israel, Jehoahaz’s son, is judged as evil for continuing in Jeroboam’s sins.
Answer: True
This is true. Jehoash, Jehoahaz’s son and Jehu’s grandson, reigns in Samaria and receives the standard northern verdict: evil in the LORD’s sight, unwilling to depart from Jeroboam’s sins (13:10-11). He stands in contrast to Joash king of Judah, approved during Jehoiada’s instruction (12:2). His reign falls within the four generations promised to Jehu (10:30), yet he maintains the calf worship of Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28-30).
- 2 Kings 13:10-11 (BSB)“In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash over Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not turn away from all the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit, but he walked in them.”Jehoash son of Jehoahaz becomes king of Israel and does evil, continuing Jeroboam’s sins.
- 2 Kings 12:2 (BSB)“And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.”Joash of Judah, by contrast, did right while Jehoiada instructed him.
- 2 Kings 10:30 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel.””The LORD promised Jehu four generations on Israel’s throne, which includes Jehoash.
- 1 Kings 12:28-30 (BSB)“After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves.”Jeroboam’s calves at Bethel and Dan are the sins Jehoash would not abandon.
General
When Elisha lay sick with his final illness, what did King Jehoash cry out as he wept over him (2 Kings 13:14)?
Answer: He called Elisha his father and Israel’s chariots and riders
As Elisha lay dying, Israel’s King Jehoash visited him and wept, calling him father and crying that he was Israel’s chariots and horsemen (13:14). These were the very words Elisha had cried out when he watched Elijah taken up to heaven (2:12). The cry honors the prophet, through whom the LORD’s word came, as Israel’s real protection, worth more than any army. Scripture teaches that safety does not finally rest in chariots and horses but in the LORD (Psalm 20:7; Psalm 33:16-17).
- 2 Kings 13:14 (BSB)“When Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!””King Jehoash weeps over the dying Elisha and calls him Israel’s chariots and horsemen.
- 2 Kings 2:12 (BSB)“As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.”Elisha cried the same words when Elijah was taken up.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people trust in the LORD rather than chariots and horses.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”No king is saved by his vast army, and a horse is a vain hope for salvation.
Theological
What does Jehoash cry as he weeps over the dying Elisha (2 Kings 13:14)?
Answer: He called Elisha his father and Israel’s chariots and riders
Jehoash weeps over the dying prophet and addresses him as father and as Israel’s chariots and horsemen (13:14), echoing Elisha’s own cry at Elijah’s departure (2:12). The title honors the prophet, through whom the LORD’s word came, as Israel’s real defense, more than its depleted cavalry (compare 13:7). Scripture repeatedly locates security in the LORD rather than in horses and chariots (Psalm 20:7; Psalm 33:16-17).
- 2 Kings 13:14 (BSB)“When Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!””King Jehoash weeps over the dying Elisha and calls him Israel’s chariots and horsemen.
- 2 Kings 2:12 (BSB)“As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.”Elisha cried the same words when Elijah was taken up.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people trust in the LORD rather than chariots and horses.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (BSB)“No king is saved by his vast army; no warrior is delivered by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for salvation; even its great strength cannot save.”No king is saved by his vast army, and a horse is a vain hope for salvation.
General
Why was Elisha angry after Jehoash struck the ground with the arrows (2 Kings 13:18-19)?
Answer: He stopped after three, so he would win just three victories
Elisha told Jehoash to take the arrows and strike the ground. The king struck three times and then stopped. Elisha grew angry and told him that five or six strikes were needed; then he would have beaten Aram until it was destroyed, but now he would win just three victories over Aram (13:18-19). The text does not say why Jehoash stopped, but stopping at three limited the victory God was offering. The prophecy came true exactly: after Hazael died, Jehoash beat Hazael’s son Ben-hadad in three battles and took back the towns of Israel that Aram had captured (13:24-25). God does not lie or fail to do what He has said (Numbers 23:19), and His word accomplishes what He sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11).
- 2 Kings 13:18-19 (BSB)“Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to it. But now you will strike down Aram only three times.””Jehoash strikes the ground three times, and Elisha says he will defeat Aram only three times.
- 2 Kings 13:24-25 (BSB)“When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad reigned in his place. Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times, and so recovered the cities of Israel.”After Hazael’s death Jehoash defeats Ben-hadad three times and recovers Israel’s cities.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not fail to do what He has spoken, as the three victories show.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word accomplishes what He sends it to do.
Theological
What provoked Elisha’s anger at Jehoash in the sign of the arrows (2 Kings 13:18-19)?
Answer: He stopped after three, so he would win just three victories
Told to strike the ground, Jehoash stops after three blows, and Elisha rebukes him: five or six strikes would have meant Aram’s complete defeat, but now there will be only three victories (13:18-19). The text does not give the king’s reason, but the limited response sets the limit of the victory. The word is fulfilled precisely when Jehoash beats Ben-hadad in three battles and recovers Israel’s cities (13:24-25). God does what He promises (Numbers 23:19), and His word does not return empty (Isaiah 55:11).
- 2 Kings 13:18-19 (BSB)“Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” So he took them, and Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” So he struck the ground three times and stopped. But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to it. But now you will strike down Aram only three times.””Jehoash strikes the ground three times, and Elisha says he will defeat Aram only three times.
- 2 Kings 13:24-25 (BSB)“When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad reigned in his place. Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times, and so recovered the cities of Israel.”After Hazael’s death Jehoash defeats Ben-hadad three times and recovers Israel’s cities.
- Numbers 23:19 (BSB)“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?”God does not fail to do what He has spoken, as the three victories show.
- Isaiah 55:11 (BSB)“so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.”God’s word accomplishes what He sends it to do.