21 And it came to pass, as they were burying H6912 a man, H376 that, behold, they spied H7200 a band H1416 of men; and they cast H7993 the man H376 into the sepulchre H6913 of Elisha: H477 and when the man H376 was let down, H3212 and touched H5060 the bones H6106 of Elisha, H477 he revived, H2421 and stood up H6965 on his feet. H7272
The hand H3027 of the LORD H3068 was upon me, and carried me out H3318 in the spirit H7307 of the LORD, H3068 and set me down H5117 in the midst H8432 of the valley H1237 which was full H4392 of bones, H6106 And caused me to pass H5674 by them round about: H5439 and, behold, there were very H3966 many H7227 in the open H6440 valley; H1237 and, lo, they were very H3966 dry. H3002 And he said H559 unto me, Son H1121 of man, H120 can these bones H6106 live? H2421 And I answered, H559 O Lord H136 GOD, H3069 thou knowest. H3045 Again he said H559 unto me, Prophesy H5012 upon these bones, H6106 and say H559 unto them, O ye dry H3002 bones, H6106 hear H8085 the word H1697 of the LORD. H3068 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD H3069 unto these bones; H6106 Behold, I will cause breath H7307 to enter H935 into you, and ye shall live: H2421 And I will lay H5414 sinews H1517 upon you, and will bring up H5927 flesh H1320 upon you, and cover H7159 you with skin, H5785 and put H5414 breath H7307 in you, and ye shall live; H2421 and ye shall know H3045 that I am the LORD. H3068 So I prophesied H5012 as I was commanded: H6680 and as I prophesied, H5012 there was a noise, H6963 and behold a shaking, H7494 and the bones H6106 came together, H7126 bone H6106 to his bone. H6106 And when I beheld, H7200 lo, the sinews H1517 and the flesh H1320 came up H5927 upon them, and the skin H5785 covered H7159 them above: H4605 but there was no breath H7307 in them. Then said H559 he unto me, Prophesy H5012 unto the wind, H7307 prophesy, H5012 son H1121 of man, H120 and say H559 to the wind, H7307 Thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 Come H935 from the four H702 winds, H7307 O breath, H7307 and breathe H5301 upon these slain, H2026 that they may live. H2421 So I prophesied H5012 as he commanded H6680 me, and the breath H7307 came H935 into them, and they lived, H2421 and stood up H5975 upon their feet, H7272 an exceeding H3966 H3966 great H1419 army. H2428
And G2532 the graves G3419 were opened; G455 and G2532 many G4183 bodies G4983 of the saints G40 which G3588 slept G2837 arose, G1453 And G2532 came G1831 out of G1537 the graves G3419 after G3326 his G846 resurrection, G1454 and went G1525 into G1519 the holy G40 city, G4172 and G2532 appeared G1718 unto many. G4183
Marvel G2296 not G3361 at this: G5124 for G3754 the hour G5610 is coming, G2064 in G1722 the which G3739 all G3956 that are in G1722 the graves G3419 shall hear G191 his G846 voice, G5456 And G2532 shall come forth; G1607 they that have done G4160 good, G18 unto G1519 the resurrection G386 of life; G2222 and G1161 they that have done G4238 evil, G5337 unto G1519 the resurrection G386 of damnation. G2920
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 2 Kings 13
Commentary on 2 Kings 13 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 13
2Ki 13:1-7. Jehoahaz's Wicked Reign over Israel.
1-3. Jehoahaz … reigned seventeen years—Under his government, which pursued the policy of his predecessors regarding the support of the calf-worship, Israel's apostasy from the true God became greater and more confirmed than in the time of his father Jehu. The national chastisement, when it came, was consequently the more severe and the instruments employed by the Lord in scourging the revolted nation were Hazael and his son and general Ben-hadad, in resisting whose successive invasions the Israelitish army was sadly reduced and weakened. In the extremity of his distress, Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and was heard, not on his own account (Ps 66:18; Pr 1:28; 15:8), but that of the ancient covenant with the patriarchs (2Ki 13:23).
4. he saw the oppression of Israel—that is, commiserated the fallen condition of His chosen people. The divine honor and the interests of true religion required that deliverance should be granted them to check the triumph of the idolatrous enemy and put an end to their blasphemous taunts that God had forsaken Israel (De 32:27; Ps 12:4).
5. a saviour—This refers neither to some patriotic defender nor some signal victory, but to the deliverance obtained for Israel by the two successors of Jehoahaz, namely, Joash, who regained all the cities which the Syrians had taken from his father (2Ki 13:25); and Jeroboam, who restored the former boundaries of Israel (2Ki 14:25).
6. there remained the grove—Asherah—the idol set up by Ahab (1Ki 16:33), which ought to have been demolished (De 7:5).
7. made them like the dust in threshing—Threshing in the East is performed in the open air upon a level plot of ground, daubed over with a covering to prevent, as much as possible, the earth, sand, or gravel from rising; a great quantity of them all, notwithstanding this precaution, must unavoidably be taken up with the grain; at the same time the straw is shattered to pieces. Hence it is a most significant figure, frequently employed by Orientals to describe a state of national suffering, little short of extermination (Isa 21:10; Mic 4:12; Jer 51:33). The figure originated in a barbarous war custom, which Hazael literally followed (Am 1:3, 4; compare 2Sa 18:31; Jud 8:7).
2Ki 13:8-25. Joash Succeeds Him.
8. his might—This is particularly noticed in order to show that the grievous oppression from foreign enemies, by which the Israelites were ground down, was not owing to the cowardice or imbecility of their king, but solely to the righteous and terrible judgment of God for their foul apostasy.
12, 13. his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah—(See on 2Ki 14:8-14). The usual summary of his life and reign occurs rather early, and is again repeated in the account given of the reign of the king of Judah (2Ki 14:15).
14-19. Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died—Every man's death is occasioned by some disease, and so was Elisha's. But in intimating it, there seems a contrast tacitly made between him and his prophetic predecessor, who did not die.
Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face—He visited him where he was lying ill of this mortal sickness, and expressed deep sorrow, not from the personal respect he bore for the prophet, but for the incalculable loss his death would occasion to the kingdom.
my father, my father! &c.—(See on 2Ki 2:12). These words seem to have been a complimentary phrase applied to one who was thought an eminent guardian and deliverer of his country. The particular application of them to Elisha, who, by his counsels and prayer, had obtained many glorious victories for Israel, shows that the king possessed some measure of faith and trust, which, though weak, was accepted, and called forth the prophet's dying benediction.
15-18. Take bow and arrows—Hostilities were usually proclaimed by a herald, sometimes by a king or general making a public and formal discharge of an arrow into the enemy's country. Elisha directed Joash to do this, as a symbolical act, designed to intimate more fully and significantly the victories promised to the king of Israel over the Syrians. His laying his hands upon the king's hands was to represent the power imparted to the bow shot as coming from the Lord through the medium of the prophet. His shooting the first arrow eastward—to that part of his kingdom which the Syrians had taken and which was east of Samaria—was a declaration of war against them for the invasion. His shooting the other arrows into the ground was in token of the number of victories he was taken to gain; but his stopping at the third betrayed the weakness of his faith; for, as the discharged arrow signified a victory over the Syrians, it is evident that the more arrows he shot the more victories he would gain. As he stopped so soon, his conquests would be incomplete.
20, 21. Elisha died—He had enjoyed a happier life than Elijah, as he possessed a milder character, and bore a less hard commission. His rough garment was honored even at the court.
coming in of the year—that is, the spring, the usual season of beginning campaigns in ancient times. Predatory bands from Moab generally made incursions at that time on the lands of Israel. The bearers of a corpse, alarmed by the appearance of one of these bands, hastily deposited, as they passed that way, their load in Elisha's sepulchre, which might be easily done by removing the stone at the mouth of the cave. According to the Jewish and Eastern custom, his body, as well as that of the man who was miraculously restored, was not laid in a coffin, but only swathed; so that the bodies could be brought into contact, and the object of the miracle was to stimulate the king's and people of Israel's faith in the still unaccomplished predictions of Elisha respecting the war with the Syrians. Accordingly the historian forthwith records the historical fulfilment of the prediction (2Ki 13:22-25), in the defeat of the enemy, in the recovery of the cities that had been taken, and their restoration to the kingdom of Israel.