Elisha’s Final Prophecy
Jehoash visits dying Elisha in tears, and Elisha stages a sign with bow and arrows that promises victory over Aram. When the king strikes the ground only three times, Elisha’s anger reveals that Israel’s deliverance will be real but incomplete.
W14hen Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he would die, Jehoash king of Israel came down to him and wept over him, saying, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” 15Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows.” 16Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” 17“Open the east window,” said Elisha. 18Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” 19But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to it. But now you will strike down Aram only three times.”
Elisha dies and is buried, yet even after his death life breaks out from his tomb when a dead man revives at the touch of his bones.
20And Elisha died and was buried. 21Now the Moabite raiders used to come into the land every spring. Once, as the Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders, so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. And as soon as his body touched the bones of Elisha, the man was revived and stood up on his feet.
The chapter recalls Aram’s oppression under Hazael, then explains that the LORD remains gracious to Israel because of His covenant with the patriarchs. After Hazael’s death, Jehoash defeats Ben-hadad three times and recovers Israel’s cities, just as Elisha had said.
22And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence. 24When Hazael king of Aram died, his son Ben-hadad reigned in his place. 25Then Jehoash son of Jehoahaz took back from Ben-hadad son of Hazael the cities that Hazael had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Ben-hadad three times, and so recovered the cities of Israel.