2 Kings 13:20 records the death of Elisha, a prophet of God. Elisha’s death came during the reigns of Joash, a king of Israel, who is also referred to as Jehoash (in verse 25). 2 Kings 13:10-13 provides a brief overview of Joash. Joash did “evil in the sight of Jehovah” (verse 11), meaning Joash led the nation of Israel into idol worship instead of faithful worship to God.
Verse 14-21 describes an event that took place during the reign of Joash. Throughout the sriptures, there are many descriptions of God using foreign armies to overtake Israel as a punishment for their idolatry (Judges 3-4, as examples). The invasion of Israel by the Moabites, briefly described in verse 20, may have been just such a punishment for the idolatry practiced by Israel under Joash’s reign.
Verse 21 opens with a burial scene. The burial scene takes place near the sepulcher of Elisha, who had died some short time prior to the events in verse 21. The party performing the burial service is identified only as “they.” The scriptures do not clearly identify who the “they” are. A reasonable interpretation, though, is that the burial party is a group of Israelites. Verse 20 describing Elisha’s death indicates “they” buried him. This clearly refers to the Israelites, adding strength to the interpretation that the “they” in verse 21 also refers to the Israelites.
As verse 21 continues, the burial party is interrupted by an approaching group. The party aborts the burial and instead lowers the body into Elisha’s sepulcher. Once lowered, the body touched Elisha’s bones, and the man was “revived” and “stood up on his feet.”
One interpretation of this account is that the revival of the man may have been facilitated by God as a reminder to Israel of His power in an attempt to draw the nation’s collective mind from idols back to God. Elisha’s death occurred a relatively short time before the events in verse 21, so the connection of Elisha as being one of God’s prophets was undoubtedly fresh in the minds of the Israelites. By causing one who was dead to be revived upon touching the bones of one of His recognized prophets, God may have been reminding the Israelites of His power.
Another possible interpretation of this account may be as a picture of future events. Elisha is sometimes thought of as a picture of the “ancient worthies” as described in Hebrews 11. The ancient worthies are a class of God’s faithful ones from the days of the Old Testament. This class is anticipated to have a special interaction with Israel in God’s future kingdom, and will assist with bringing Israel as a nation back to full obedience to God.
Today, Israel has been re-established as a full and thriving nation. However, the nation as a whole still does not fully recognize God as the architect of their re-establishment. During the coming years, biblical prophecy indicates that Israel will be forced to see God as their salvation and return fully to Him in all things (Ezekiel 38,39).
Consider 2 Kings 13:21 in this context. A group of Israelites attempting to bury one of their own could picture the nation of Israel attempting to “bury” a part of their national identity that recognizes God as their true leader and salvation. In the scripture, the man revives back to life after coming into contact with Elisha’s bones. This may picture that “buried” part of Israel reviving to full vigor after coming in direct contact with God’s power. The thought of Elisha as a picture of the Ancient Worthies, with whom Israel will have a special relationship, seems to have a special appropriateness. Contact with the actual David or Abraham from the Bible, once dead but then resurrected to full human perfection, would serve as a powerful sign to Israel. Just as in the original scene where God may have used the revival of the man in an attempt to remind Israel of His power and bring them back to Him, a greater picture of the later Israel being drawn back to God by a display of His power could possibly be applied to this scene.
Interpreting any events in the Bible as a “picture” – unless the scriptures themselves specifically call out events as representing something else – should always be done with an extreme degree of caution. Although the two interpretations of the events in 2 Kings 13:21 presented here seem to be in harmony with the greater scriptural testimony, these suggested pictures should be viewed as just that – suggestions. The certainty is that as the sure plan of God unfolds in front of us, both Israel and all mankind will surely find more and more reason to be drawn back to our all-loving, all-wise and all-powerful Creator.