2 Kings 13

2 KINGS CHAPTER 13

Israel’s King Jehoahaz

        • ESV Study Bible writes, “The reader is now updated on what has been happening in Israel during the reigns of those two kings whose accessions took place within Joash of Judah’s lifetime.”

      • In the 23rd year of the reign of Judah’s King Joash, Ahaziah’s son, Jehu’s son Jehoahaz began to reign over Israel in Samaria. He reigned for 17 years. He did what is evil in Yahweh’s eyes and followed the sins that Nebat’s son Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, and didn’t turn away from them. Yahweh’s anger was kindled against Israel and He repeatedly handed them over to King Hazael of Syria and his son Ben Hadad during their reigns.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible notes, “Jehoahaz (814-798 BC) began his reign in Israel in the year that King Joash of Judah assumed direction of repairs on the Temple (12:6). Because Jehoahaz perpetuated the state religion instituted by Jeroboam I (1 Kgs 12:26-33), his spiritual evaluation was negative. Hazael, who had seized the throne of Aram in Damascus by assassinating his predecessor Ben-hadad II (8:15), continued the oppression of the northern kingdom. Ben-hadad apparently served as a commander in Hazael’s forces until he succeeded his father as king in 802 BC.”

        • ESV Study Bible says, “Under normal circumstances, one might expect the appearance of a prophet to announce the end of Jehu’s house because of its sins (v. 2, cf 1 Kgs 14:6-16). The divine promise to Jehu, however, is functioning like the earlier promise to David (2 Sam 7:1-17; 2 Kgs 10:30), and the Israelite royal house is for the moment being treated like the Judean royal house. The anger of the Lord is thus expressed only in the form of Syrian oppression.”

      • Then Jehoahaz asked for Yahweh’s mercy and Yahweh listened to him because He saw how severely the king of Syria was oppressing Israel. Therefore Yahweh provided a deliverer for Israel so that they escaped from the hand of the Syrians. So the Israelites lived in their own tents as they had before. But they didn’t turn away from the sins that Jeroboam’s house had caused them to commit, they continued in them. The Asherah pole remained standing in Samaria. Jehoahaz didn’t have an army left except for 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest and made them like dust at threshing time.

        • Guzik writes, “Jehoahaz was an ungodly man, and this prayer did not mark a lasting or real revival in his life. Yet God listened to his prayer because of His great mercy and because of His care for Israel.”

        • ESV Study Bible notes, “The language throughout vv. 3-5 is reminiscent of the book of Judges, where Israel’s recurring idolatry was followed by divine anger, expressing itself in oppression by foreigners. When Israel cried out under this oppression, God sent a savior (2 Kgs 13:5; cf Jdg 3:9, 15) to rescue them. It seems likely that the ‘savior’ in question here is Assyria, whose interest in Syria-Palestine was rekindled in the closing years of the ninth century BC, resulting in a measure of relief for Israel as the attention of Damascus necessarily returned north.”

        • On the Asherah pole, NET Bible’s notes remind us, “Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4).”

        • On the troops being made as dust at threshing time, NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible remarks, “This simile is drawn from agricultural practice. In separating the grain from the remainder of the crop, the crop was threshed and then winnowed…The threshed material was thrown into the air to allow the breeze to blow away the chaff, or ‘dust.’ Jehoahaz’s armed forces have been scattered just like chaff on the breeze.”

      • The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the book, “Annals of the Kings of Israel.” Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash succeeded him as king.

Israel’s King Jehoash

      • In the 37th year of the reign of Judah’s King Joash, Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash began to reign over Israel in Samaria. He reigned for 16 years. He did what is evil in Yahweh’s eyes. He didn’t turn away from the sins that Nebat’s son Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but continued in them. The rest of the events of Jehoash’s reign, including all of his accomplishments and the war he fought against Judah’s King Amaziah, are recorded in the book, “Annals of the Kings of Israel.” Jehoash rested with his fathers and Jeroboam succeeded him on the throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

        • NLT Illustrated Study Bible notes, “The narrator atypically combines the accession statement for Jehoash with the usual closing notice concerning his reign. This arrangement allows him to focus attention on some final details about Elisha (13:14-21) and Israel’s continuing problem with Aram (13:22-25) before returning to Jehoash’s war with King Amaziah of Judah in 14:8-14.”

        • HCSB writes, “The ‘thirty-seventh year’ was 798 BC. He reigned for 16 years, until 782 BC.”

The Death of Elisha

      • When Elisha became sick with the illness that he died from, Israel’s King Jehoash went down and cried over him saying, “My father, my father! The chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha told him, “Get a bow and some arrows.” So he did. Then Elisha said to him, “Draw the bow.” When he had drawn it, Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands and said, “Open the east window.” So he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. Elisha continued, “Yahweh’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! You will strike down the Syrians in Aphek until you have completely destroyed them.” Then Elisha said to him, “Take the arrows.” When the king had taken them, Elisha said, “Strike the ground with them.” The king struck the ground three times then stopped. The man of God was angry at him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times! Then you would have completely destroyed Syria. Now you will only defeat Syria three times.”

        • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges writes, “It is manifest from this history that though Jehoash continued the worship of the calves, the worship of Jehovah can have met with no opposition from him, and Jehovah’s prophet was held in the highest esteem. Indeed the picture presented of the king leaving his palace to visit the house of the dying prophet, and weeping over the approaching loss which Israel was to suffer makes us wonder that Elisha’s influence had not the effect of banishing the calves. The political significance of these objects must have been very great to have outweighed the counsels which we cannot doubt Elisha gave for their abolition.”

        • On Jehoash’s words to Elisha Guzik says, “Elisha said these words to Elijah at the end of the elder prophet’s days on this earth. When he said this to Elijah in 2 Kings 2:12, he recognized the true strength of Israel. He knew that the strength of Israel was really in the presence of the prophet of God. Now Joash sees the same strength slipping from this earth and mourns it.”

        • If you’re like me, the entire interaction between the king and Elisha with shooting arrows, striking the ground, etc is, well, odd and confusing. Elisha didn’t tell Jehoash how many times to strike the ground, so why is he angry that he only struck the ground three times? Why did whether or not Jehoash would completely destroy Syria depend on the number of times he hit the ground with arrows? It sounds more like some kind of scene from a pagan divination than an encounter with a prophet of Yahweh. Research yields results that I find less than satisfactory, but I’ll list a couple of sources below that seem to at least make some sense even if certain elements may be a bit unsettling to ponder:

          • First, NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible points out that there actually was precedent in the ancient Near East for arrows being used as omens in divination. Like I said, this makes a lot of Christians uncomfortable (and understandably so), but at this juncture it wouldn’t even be the first occurrence of such a correlation. Recall the ritual employed by both Elijah and Elisha in resurrecting deceased boys on two separate occasions (1 Kgs 17:17-24 and 2 Kgs 4:32-35). The source explains:

            • “Perhaps in the background of this part of the story lie ancient beliefs about omens and their importance as conveyors of divine messages. These beliefs gave rise to the widely practiced art of divination. The diviner would attempt to read significance out of unusual natural phenomena or out of divinatory rituals. One form of divination, known as belomancy, involved arrows that could be used in various ways. For example, a number of different instructions might be attached to a set of arrows, which were then fired. The instruction on the arrow that flew the farthest, or was found first, would be obeyed. Alternatively, the instructions on the first arrow drawn from a quiver would be taken, or the arrows could be thrown to the ground and the practitioner would travel in the direction they pointed as they settled.”

            • The interested reader may refer to this Wikipedia entry on “belomancy.”

          • “Thenius well remarks on the manifestly historical character of the entire scene. It may be added that, to appreciate it fully, we must remember that…soothsaying by means of arrows, was a practice of unknown antiquity in the Semitic world. Shooting an arrow, and observing where and how it fell, was one method of trying to fathom the secrets of that Power which overrules events and foreknows the future. The proceedings of David and Jonathan, recorded in 1Samuel 20:35, seq., appear to have been an instance of this sort of divination, which in principle is quite analogous to casting lots, a practice so familiar to readers of the Bible. The second process—that described in 2Kings 13:18—seems equally to have depended upon chance, according to modern ideas. The prophet left it to the spontaneous impulse of the king to determine the number of strokes; because he believed that the result, whatever it was, would betoken the purpose of Jehovah. ‘The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord’ (Proverbs 16:33). Elisha’s anger was the natural anger of the man and the patriot, disappointed at the result of a divination from which he had hoped greater things. In conclusion, it cannot be too often or too forcibly urged upon students of the true religion that the essential differences which isolate it from all imperfect or retrograde systems are to be found not so much in matters of outward organisation, form, and ritual, such as priesthoods and sacrifices, prophets and modes of divination, which were pretty much the same everywhere in Semitic antiquity; but in the inward spirit and substance of its teaching, in the vital truths which it handed on through successive ages, and, above all, in its steady progress from lower to higher conceptions of the Divine character and purposes, and of the right relations of man to God and his fellow-creatures.”

            • I completely disagree with the above commentary that the instance between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20 looks anything at all like belomancy. It is quite clear from the text that the entire exercise was a pre-arranged signaling system between the two men. However, the other points seem to have some merit, particularly in light of the other Scriptural instances we’ve mentioned.

        • I also believe Charles Spurgeon’s comment on the king’s striking the ground three times instead of five or six highlights the fact that consistent Calvinism is not a mystery, it’s a consistent logical contradiction. Spurgeon writes: “It is a fact that God has purposed all things both great and little; neither will anything happen but according to his eternal purpose and decree. It is also a sure and certain fact that, oftentimes, events hang upon the choice of men. Their will has a singular potency.”

        • I cannot fathom how Spurgeon would answer my New Age friend who insists that “my truth is true for me and his truth is true for him,” even though my view that there is objective truth is mutually exclusive to his statement. Spurgeon certainly could not appeal to reason or logic, much less mystery. A mystery is not unreasonable or illogical. The Trinity is a mystery. Calvinism is holding two mutually exclusive statements as simultaneously true in exactly the same way my New Age friend holds that he can have his truth, I can have mine, and we can both be correct.

      • Elisha died and was buried. Now groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land in the spring of the year. One day some men were burying a man when they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. When the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man came to life and stood up on his feet.

        • NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible notes, “Tombs in ancient Israel were often dug out of soft rock or located in caves. They did not present to people in a hurry the difficulties of access that more modern, Western forms of burial do…”

        • The Catholic Church lists this Scripture as support for their doctrine of veneration of relics. The interested reader can refer to the New Advent article, “Relics,” for a better understanding of the doctrine.

        • Note: I do not support the Catholic doctrine of veneration of relics, but I also don’t appreciate most Protestant descriptions of it since they tend to be misleading an inaccurate in their representation. Early church history is littered with very well respected and honorable men, such as Ambrose and Augustine for example, attesting miracles at tombs of martyrs, etc. Furthermore, Craig Keener’s encyclopedic 2-volume work “Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts” (which I highly recommend) provides astounding evidence for a multiplicity of miracles pertaining to all sorts of scenarios from history all the way up to recent modern times that Protestants would deny and have denied merely because said miracle doesn’t align with a particular Protestant view. Personally, I prefer to leave my mind open to the possibility that God can and does perform any number of miracles that don’t have to fit in any particular theological box.

Jehoash and Hazael

      • King Hazael of Syria oppressed Israel throughout Jehoahaz’s life, but Yahweh had mercy on them and showed them compassion. He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To this very day He has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them from His presence.

        • ESV Study Bible says, “Here is a deeper reason given than the one in 10:30 for Israel’s survival during Jehoahaz’s reign. Long before he made promises to Jehu about kingship and a covenant with David, God was dealing with Israel’s ancestors (e.g., Gen 15:1-21; 17:1-27). That is why he kept the Syrians at bay during the reign of Jehoahaz, in spite of Israel’s sin; and that is why the equally sinful Jehoash was later able to lead Israel to something of a recovery (in a period when Hazael’s successor Ben-hadad III was preoccupied with the Assyrian threat to his north). Even until now (2 Kgs 13:23), in the time that the authors are writing (after Israel’s exile), Israel remains in God’s presence.”

      • When Syria’s King Hazael died, his son Ben Hadad succeeded him as king. Then Jehoahaz’s son Jehoash took back from Hazael’s son Ben Hadad the cities that he had taken from his father Jehoahaz in war. Jehoash defeated Ben Hadad three times and recovered the cities of Israel.

        • NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible notes, “It was during the reign of Hazael’s successor Ben-Hadad III that Israel began to recover territory, as Ben-Hadad was preoccupied by the Assyrian threat to his north. At the same time, it is evident that Israel by itself did not entirely escape Assyrian attention. Both the Calah and the Tell er-Rimah inscriptions of Adad-nirari claim that tribute passed from Israel to Assyria in this period, and the Rimah inscription explicitly mentions Jehoash of Israel as a tribute-payer. Yet the Assyrian threat and the infighting among the various Syrian kingdoms nevertheless allowed for a limited Israelite recovery vis-a-vis Damascus. Jehoash’s successes were later spectacularly exceeded by his son Jeroboam II, once the Assyrian threat had entirely (if temporarily) receded.”

        • ESV Study Bible adds, “Three times Jehoash defeated him, fulfilling the prophecy of Elisha (v. 19).”

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