2 Kings 13 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

2 Kings 13

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel

13:1 In the twenty-third year of Joash the son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years. 2 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin; he did not depart from them. 3 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them continually into the hand of Hazael king of Syria and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael. 4 Then Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw the oppression of Israel, how the king of Syria oppressed them. 5 (Therefore the LORD gave Israel a savior, so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians, and the people of Israel lived in their homes as formerly. 6 Nevertheless, they did not depart from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin, but walked¹ in them; and the Asherah also remained in Samaria.) 7 For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 9 So Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Joash his son reigned in his place.

Jehoash Reigns in Israel

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash king of Judah, Jehoash² the son of Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned sixteen years. 11 He also did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin, but he walked in them. 12 Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, and the might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 13 So Joash slept with his fathers, and Jeroboam sat on his throne. And Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

The Death of Elisha

14 Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” 15 And Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. 16 Then he said to the king of Israel, “Draw the bow,” and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. 17 And he said, “Open the window eastward,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. And he said, “The LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them.” 18 And he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

20 So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.

22 Now Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz. 23 But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now.

24 When Hazael king of Syria died, Ben-hadad his son became king in his place. 25 Then Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again from Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities that he had taken from Jehoahaz his father in war. Three times Joash defeated him and recovered the cities of Israel.

Footnotes

[1] 13:6 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, Vulgate; Hebrew he walked
[2] 13:10 Jehoash is an alternate spelling of Joash (son of Jehoahaz) as in verses 9, 12–14; also verse 25

Commentary

v1-3: Jehoahaz was of the dynasty of Jehu, but he followed the bad example of Jeroboam. Israel suffered under Hazael and Ben-Hadad, his son. In 8.7-15, Hazael had killed the king of Aram, also called Ban-Hadad, and had become a cruel king. It seems possible that his son had followed his example.

v4: Jehoahaz, suffering under Aram, turned to the Lord. We see that the Lord remained faithful to His own; see also Ahab's prayers in 1 Kings 21.27-28.

v5: The Lord God provided a deliverer, although we are not told who.

v6: Although there was deliverance, the people persisted in their sins. Here is the fickleness of the human heart, seeking deliverance from God, but not honouring the God who gave it.

v7: Although there was deliverance for Israel, their army had been decimated; they were humbled that they might turn again to God.

v8-9: The reign of Jehoahaz was largely uneventful; his achievements are not remembered.

v10-11: Comparing the dates with v1, Jehoash reigned for 3-4 years with Jehoahaz. This was not uncommon, as it ensured succession.

v12-13: Jehoash was remembered for his fighting against Amaziah, king of Judah. This is not commendable, as we are not to fight against brethren (see 14.15).

v14: Elisha continued to have an influence in Israel. Even the ungodly kings respected him. As with Elijah, just a few of his works are recorded.

The prophets were sent to a rebellious people, principally in Israel, but also in Judah; they were sent when things were spiritually at a low ebb, and they stemmed the tide of sin and idolatry.

v15-17: Deliverance from Aram. Aram had oppressed Israel for years, since 1 Kings 20.1, around 80 years, coinciding with the ministry of Elijah and Elisha. For Jehoash there was a call to commitment, and to become involved in what God had planned.

v18-19: Whole hearted commitment encouraged; Jehoash failed here, and victory was not complete; see v25, "Three times Jehoash defeated Ben-Hadad". Usually, scripture does not tell us what would have happened, but here, God tells the king what would have happened.

v20-21: Even after he was dead, Elisha had a ministry in Israel. This reminds us that the word of God remains true, even after the messenger has gone. We must not depend on some eloquent speaker to teach us, but on God who remains faithful.

v22-25: God was faithful to His people, fulfilling the promise given through Elisha, so the army of Aram was defeated.