Chapter Text
Jehoahaz King of Israel
Jehoash King of Israel
The Death of Elisha
Summary
Jehoahaz son of Jehu reigns over Israel and does evil, continuing in Jeroboam's sins. The Lord delivers Israel repeatedly into the hands of Hazael and Ben-hadad of Syria. Jehoahaz prays, and God provides a deliverer, though the identity is debated.
Jehoash (Joash) succeeds his father and also does evil. Elisha falls sick with his final illness, and King Joash weeps over him. Elisha instructs him to shoot an arrow eastward as a symbol of victory over Syria, then to strike the ground with arrows. Joash strikes only three times, and Elisha angrily declares he will defeat Syria only three times, not completely. Elisha dies, and a dead man touching his bones is restored to life.
Meaning
Jehoahaz's prayer, though offered from a wicked king, still receives God's compassionate response. This demonstrates that God's mercy is not limited by the worthiness of the petitioner. Even in the midst of judgment, the Lord remembers the covenant.
The arrow-striking episode teaches that half-hearted obedience produces half-hearted results. God's offer of complete victory was limited by the king's tepid response. The miracle at Elisha's tomb confirms that the prophetic power he carried was not merely personal but divine, extending even beyond death.
Background
The deliverer God raised for Israel may have been the Assyrian king Adad-nirari III, whose campaigns against Syria around 805 BC weakened Damascus and relieved pressure on Israel.
Elisha's ministry spanned approximately sixty years and the reigns of six Israelite kings, making him one of the longest-serving prophets in Israel's history.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-9Reign and repentance of Jehoahaz
- vv. 10-13Reign of Joash king of Israel
- vv. 14-19Elisha's final prophecy of the arrows
- vv. 20-21Death of Elisha and the raised man
- vv. 22-25God's covenant mercy and Israel's recovery
Key Verses
“Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”— 13:14
Joash echoes the very words Elisha once spoke at Elijah's ascension (2 Kings 2:12), acknowledging the prophet as Israel's true defense. It marks the passing of the prophetic era that had sustained the northern kingdom.
“And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.”— 13:19
A sobering lesson on the measure of faith and zeal: half-hearted obedience yields half-measured victory. The verse is often cited to warn against spiritual complacency in seizing God's promises.
“And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.”— 13:23
A pivotal theological statement: God's mercy toward unworthy Israel is grounded in His ancient covenant with the patriarchs, not their merit. It anticipates Paul's argument in Romans 11 concerning Israel's preservation.
“And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.”— 13:21
The only posthumous miracle recorded in Scripture, sealing Elisha's ministry with a final sign of resurrection power. It testifies that the God of the prophet remains the God of life even beyond the grave.
People & Places
People
- Jehoahaz — Son of Jehu and king of Israel for seventeen years, who did evil yet sought the LORD under Syrian oppression.
- Joash (Jehoash) of Israel — Son of Jehoahaz who succeeded his father, wept over the dying Elisha, and recovered cities from Syria.
- Joash of Judah — Son of Ahaziah whose regnal years date the events; reigning king of Judah during this period.
- Jehu — Father of Jehoahaz, founder of the dynasty then ruling the northern kingdom.
- Hazael — King of Syria who oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz's reign before dying late in the chapter.
- Benhadad — Son of Hazael who succeeded him as king of Syria and lost cities back to Joash of Israel.
- Jeroboam (son of Nebat) — The first king of the northern kingdom whose idolatrous sins continued to define Israel's apostasy.
- Jeroboam II — Son of Joash who succeeded him on Israel's throne at the chapter's close.
- Amaziah — King of Judah against whom Joash of Israel fought, mentioned in passing.
- Elisha — The aged prophet who delivers a final prophecy to Joash, dies, and whose bones raise a dead man.
Places
- Samaria — Capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, where these kings reigned and were buried.
- Syria (Aram) — The neighboring kingdom whose armies repeatedly oppressed Israel under Hazael and Benhadad.
- Aphek — Site east of the Sea of Galilee prophesied as the place of Israel's victories over Syria.
- Moab — Trans-Jordanian nation whose raiding bands invaded Israel at the year's turn.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Elisha's final prophetic act in verses 15-19 enacts a symbolic prophecy: the eastward-shot arrow declares 'the arrow of the LORD'S deliverance' against Syria at Aphek, and the three strikes upon the ground determine three corresponding victories. Verse 25 records the immediate fulfillment as Joash defeats Benhadad three times and recovers lost cities. The chapter also reaches back to the patriarchal covenant (v. 23), showing how God's earlier promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob continue to govern history by sparing apostate Israel from destruction.
Devotional
This chapter holds together two uncomfortable truths: God answers prayer even from those who do not fully turn to Him, and partial faith reaps partial blessing. Jehoahaz cried out under oppression and was heard; Joash struck the ground three times and received only three victories.
God's mercy is wider than we deserve, anchored in His covenant rather than our consistency. Yet His invitations still ask for boldness. When Scripture stirs you to pray, to repent, to act—do not stop at three strikes. Strike five, strike six. The arrow of the Lord's deliverance is in your hand.
Literary Style
Hebrew historical narrative in the Deuteronomistic mold, framed by regnal formulas and citations of the royal chronicles. The center features a vivid prophetic sign-act with dialogue, followed by a brief miracle account, all woven around theological commentary on covenant and judgment.