2 Kings 13

This is the thirteenth chapter of 2 Kings. 2 Kings 12 covered the reign of King Joash of Judah; this chapter records two kings of the northern kingdom of Israel during the same period, as well as the death of Elisha.

Outline

• Verses 1–9: Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, reigns for seventeen years. Because he does not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, Israel is oppressed by Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad. When Jehoahaz pleads with the LORD, the LORD gives Israel a deliverer, yet the people leave the Asherah pole standing in Samaria. All that remains of Jehoahaz's army is fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers.
• Verses 10–13: His son Jehoash reigns for sixteen years and does evil. His war with King Amaziah of Judah is mentioned, and after Jehoash dies, Jeroboam succeeds him on the throne.
• Verses 14–19: When Elisha falls mortally ill, Jehoash comes to him and weeps. Elisha has the king shoot an arrow out of the east window, calls it "the arrow of deliverance from Syria" (that is, Aram), and declares that the king will defeat Aram at Aphek. He then tells the king to strike the ground with the arrows, but the king strikes only three times and stops. Elisha is angry and says that the king will now defeat Aram only three times.
• Verses 20–21: Elisha dies and is buried. The following year, when Moabite raiding bands invade the land, some men who are burying a man throw the body into Elisha's tomb; when the body touches Elisha's bones, the man comes back to life.
• Verses 22–25: Hazael oppresses Israel, but the LORD is gracious to Israel because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Hazael dies, and Ben-hadad becomes king. Jehoash defeats Ben-hadad three times and recovers the cities his father had lost.

Key Verses

• 2 Kings 13:14 "O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof": the king acknowledges the prophet as the nation's true strength.
• 2 Kings 13:19 "Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times": the victory is limited because the king stopped partway.
• 2 Kings 13:23 "because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob": the text finds in the covenant the reason Israel was not destroyed despite its sin.

People and Places

• Jehoahaz: son of Jehu and king of the northern kingdom of Israel.
• Jehoash (king of Israel): son of Jehoahaz. The chapter's chronology is reckoned by the reign of his namesake, King Joash of Judah.
• Jeroboam: refers to "Jeroboam the son of Nebat" in verses 2, 6, and 11. The Jeroboam who succeeds Jehoash in verse 13 is a different person, commonly called Jeroboam II.
• Hazael and Ben-hadad: father and son, both kings of Aram.
• Amaziah: the king of Judah who fought against Jehoash.
• Samaria is the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. Aphek is where Elisha prophesied victory, and Moab is where the raiding bands came from.

Points for Reflection

• The text does not identify the "deliverer" of verse 5. Some interpreters identify him as Jehoash, others as Jeroboam II (compare 2 Kings 14:27), and still others see a reference to Assyria, which put pressure on Aram.
• Verse 13 records Jehoash's death first, and then from verse 14 onward the narrative recounts events from his lifetime.
• The cry in verse 14 echoes Elisha's own words when Elijah was taken up into heaven (2 Kings 2:12).
• The account of Elisha's bones has been cited in the Catholic and Orthodox churches as a basis for the veneration of the relics of saints. Protestants generally read it as a testimony to God's power and a confirmation of Elisha's ministry.
• The New Testament does not directly quote this chapter.

In the Korean Church

The story of the king who struck the ground three times and stopped is frequently used in sermons on persevering to the end in prayer and faith.