2 Kings 13:14-21

2 Kings 13:14-21

[14] 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,  the chariot  of Israel,  and the horsemen  thereof. [15] And Elisha  said  unto him, Take  bow  and arrows.  And he took  unto him bow  and arrows.  [16] And he said  to the king  of Israel,  Put  thine hand  upon the bow.  And he put  his hand  upon it: and Elisha  put  his hands  upon the king's  hands.  [17] And he said,  Open  the window  eastward.  And he opened  it. Then Elisha  said,  Shoot.  And he said,  The arrow  of the LORD'S  deliverance,  and the arrow  of deliverance  from Syria:  for thou shalt smite  the Syrians  in Aphek,  till thou have consumed  [18] And he said,  Take  them. And he said  unto the king  of Israel,  Smite  upon the ground.  And he smote  thrice,  and stayed.  [19] 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.  [20] And Elisha  died,  and they buried  him. And the bands  of the Moabites  invaded  the land  at the coming in  of the year.  [21] 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  and touched  the bones  of Elisha,  he revived,  and stood up  on his feet. 

What does 2 Kings 13:14-21 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jehoash of Israel had respect and affection for Elisha. He anticipated the loss that the death of God"s spiritual warrior would be to Israel ( 2 Kings 13:14). He recognized that Israel"s real defense lay in Yahweh"s angelic army and in Elisha"s spiritual warfare for her ( 2 Kings 13:14; cf. 2 Kings 2:12).
"The prophet is the man whose prayer is better than chariots and horsemen. Trust in the words of the prophet means that horses and chariots can be abandoned." [1]
Elisha gave the king a prophecy of Israel"s future deliverance because Jehoash had humbled himself before God ( 2 Kings 13:15-19).
"Elisha instructed Israel"s king to pick up his bow ( 2 Kings 13:15). When he had done Song of Solomon , the prophet placed his own hands on those of the king, thereby indicating that what he was about to do would be full of spiritual symbolism ( 2 Kings 13:16)." [2]
The bow and arrows were symbols of the strength and victory God would give Jehoash. By taking them in hand the king was symbolically becoming God"s agent of power. Elisha put his own hands on the king"s to illustrate that the king"s power would come from Yahweh, whom Elisha represented. The east window opened toward Aram from Israel. By shooting the first arrow Jehoash was appropriating the victory symbolized by the arrow. As he shot, Elisha explained to him that the arrow represented victory over Aram at Aphek (cf. 1 Kings 20:30). The prophet then instructed Jehoash to shoot the remaining arrows at the ground. The Hebrew makes this translation preferable. He was to strike the ground by shooting the arrows at it.
"It is ... a symbolic action, like that of Joshua thrusting with a spear at Ai ( Joshua 8:18)." [3]
Elisha was angry when Jehoash shot only three more arrows because in doing so the king was demonstrating weak faith. Jehoash knew what shooting the arrows signified ( 2 Kings 13:17). Perhaps the king did not believe God could or would give him as much victory as Elisha had implied. He failed to trust God even though he knew what God had promised.
Elisha"s ministry spanned at least56 years. [4] When he died, friends evidently buried him in a cave or rock tomb, as was customary then. Apparently the men who placed the body of their dead friend in Elisha"s tomb observed his resuscitation. Undoubtedly they told their story everywhere, and probably King Jehoash heard it. Such a sign of God"s power, working even through His prophet"s corpse, would have encouraged the king as he looked forward to meeting Aram in battle. It would also have rebuked him for his lack of faith. The story would have impressed on everyone who heard it the great power of Yahweh that brought blessing (life) to others through His faithful servants. Since Elisha was dead there was no question that the power was Yahweh"s, not the prophet"s.
"As he was a man of power in life (chaps2-7), moving and persuasive even in stories told about him ( 2 Kings 8:1-6), so now his awesome powers continue working in death, confirming the prophet and foreshadowing the victory to come." [5]