Study notes

2 Kings 13

Introducing 2 KingsWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

11:1–16:20 Section

Athaliah was from Ahab’s family but hadn’t been killed by Jehu. She ruled over the southern kingdom until Joash was seven years old.

Joash’s aunt Jehosheba and his uncle Jehoiada had kept Joash safe from Athaliah. Jehoiada taught Joash the Law of Moses. Jehoiada led the king and the people to commit themselves again to the Mount Sinai covenant.

In the northern kingdom, kings continued to be compared to Jeroboam. The rest of Israel’s kings committed Jeroboam’s sins of worshipping false gods. This included Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam the second and Zechariah. Zechariah was the last king in Jehu’s family line.

When Jehoash was king, Aram’s kings Hazael and Ben-Hadad treated the Israelites very badly. Elisha had prophesied about this. Even though Jehoash wasn’t faithful to God, God had mercy on the Israelites. Elisha had Jehoash shoot arrows. These were a sign of how God would save the Israelites. Jehoash was very sad when Elisha died.

Later, the kings Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah and Hoshea ruled in the northern kingdom. They all did evil and worshipped false gods. In the southern kingdom, the kings Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah and Jotham were faithful to God’s covenant. But none of Judah’s kings followed God with all their heart like David had done.

When Ahaz was king of Judah he didn’t follow God at all. He followed the examples of the northern kingdom and of the people groups around them. Ahaz didn’t trust God to protect the southern kingdom. Instead, he trusted the king of Assyria. This led Ahaz to make changes to how people worshipped God in the temple. He made these changes to honour Assyria's king and false gods.

13:1–2

Jehoahaz ruled from 814 to 798 BC. He started ruling Israel when King Joash of Judah began repairing the Temple (2 Kings 12:6). Jehoahaz continued the state religion started by Jeroboam I (1 Kings 12:26–33), so his spiritual evaluation was negative.

13:3

Hazael, who took the throne of Aram in Damascus by killing the previous king Ben-hadad II (2 Kings 8:15), kept oppressing the northern kingdom.
Ben-hadad likely worked as a commander in Hazael’s army until he became king in 802 BC after his father.

13:4–5

Jehoahaz sought the favor of the LORD, and the LORD listened: Despite Jehoahaz's poor spiritual state, God kindly answered his prayer. The Lord kindly answers the sincere prayers of His people (see also 2 Kings 4:32–35; 6:17–20; 19:14–28; 20:2–6; 1 Kings 3:8–14; 13:4–6; 17:21–23; 18:36–39; Psalm 34:4–7; James 5:16).
the LORD gave Israel a deliverer (compare Judges 3:9, 15): Scholars have suggested many possibilities for Israel’s rescuer. The most likely is King Adad-nirari III of Assyria, whose westward campaigns led to the capture of Damascus in 802 BC.

13:6

Even after God saved them, Israel kept sinning. This led to the fall of the northern kingdom (2 Kings 17:21–23; 1 Kings 14:15–16).
This Asherah pole (a Canaanite fertility symbol set up by Ahab, 1 Kings 16:33) was apparently not destroyed during Jehu’s removal of Baal worship (2 Kings 10:26–29).

13:7

Years of Aramean attacks weakened Israel's army. Only God could prevent Israel's destruction (2 Kings 13:4–5). In the end, only God can save humanity when it is helpless and lost (Psalm 35:10; Romans 5:6–8).

13:10–13

The narrator unusually combines Jehoash's accession statement with the usual closing notice about his reign. This setup lets him highlight final details about Elisha (2 Kings 13:14–21) and Israel's ongoing issue with Aram (2 Kings 13:22–25) before returning to Jehoash's war with King Amaziah of Judah in 2 Kings 14:8–14.
in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel: See study note on 1 Kings 14:19–20.

13:14

Jehoash cried over Elisha, showing he still had some spiritual awareness.
the chariots and horsemen of Israel: Jehoash's tribute to Elisha echoes Elisha's words when Elijah left (2 Kings 2:12).

13:15–17

Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands: This gesture gave spiritual strength for the upcoming battle with the Arameans at Aphek.
Aphek was east of the Sea of Galilee (1 Kings 20:26), so the eastern window faced the battle site.

13:18–19

Jehoash knew the arrows symbolized victory over Aram (2 Kings 13:17), but he did not act on it. By striking the ground only three times, he unknowingly limited his success against the Arameans. His son Jeroboam II achieved final victory later (2 Kings 14:25–28).

13:20–21

Elisha’s death offers a chance to share one last story about the prophet.
The Moabite raiders seemed to plan their attacks on Israel during the early harvest, before the summer heat.
The dead man came back to life when his body touched Elisha’s bones, showing that Elisha’s prophecy would come true. Weakened Israel (2 Kings 13:7) would recover and drive away the Aramean invaders (2 Kings 13:25; 14:25; compare Ezekiel 37:1–14).

13:23

Even though Israel often broke its promises, God stayed true to his covenant with Abraham (Genesis01 12:1–3; 13:15–17; 15:18–20; 17:6–8). By mentioning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the writer highlights Israel’s spiritual connection with the Lord and its right to the promised land (see Genesis 50:24; Exodus 3:6, 15–16; 6:3, 6–8; Deuteronomy 6:10; 9:5; 34:4).

13:24–25

Ben-hadad, son of Hazael, became the king of Aram in Damascus in 802 BC. He ruled for 22 years over a weakening kingdom.
Adad-nirari III of Assyria caused significant damage to the Arameans from 805 to 802 BC. This allowed King Jehoash of Israel to further weaken them. As the prophet Elisha predicted, Israel defeated Ben-hadad three times and regained its towns. Jehoash's limited success set the stage for Jeroboam II's major victories over the Arameans (2 Kings 14:25).

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources