1 IN the three and twentieth year of Joash the son of Ahaziah king of Judah Jehoahaz the son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned seventeen years.
2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.
3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael, all their days.
4 And Jehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened unto him: for he saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.
5 (And the Lord gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.
6 Nevertheless they departed not from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, who made Israel sin, but walked therein: and there remained the grove also in Samaria.)
7 Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 And Jehoahaz slept with his fathers; and they buried him in Samaria: and Joash his son reigned in his stead.
10 In the thirty and seventh year of Joash king of Judah began Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz to reign over Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteen years.
11 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord; he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin: but he walked therein.
12 And the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might wherewith he fought against Amaziah king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
13 And Joash slept with his fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
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, 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 shot. 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 them.
18 And he said, Take the arrows. And he took 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 was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
22 But Hazael king of Syria oppressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz.
23 And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.
24 So Hazael king of Syria died; and Ben-hadad his son reigned in his stead.
25 And Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz took again out of the hand of Ben-hadad the son of Hazael the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war. Three times did Joash beat him, and recovered the cities of Israel.

1In the three and twentieth yeere of Ioash the sonne of Ahaziah king of Iudah, Iehoahaz the sonne of Iehu beganne to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, and reigned seuenteene yeeres.

2And hee did that which was euill in the sight of the Lord, and followed the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne, he departed not there from.

3 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and hee deliuered them into the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and into the hand of Benhadad the sonne of Hazael, all their dayes.

4And Iehoahaz besought the Lord, and the Lord hearkened vnto him: for hee saw the oppression of Israel, because the king of Syria oppressed them.

5(And the Lord gaue Israel a sauiour, so that they went out from vnder the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents as before-time.

6Neuerthelesse, they departed not from the sinnes of the house of Ieroboam, who made Israel sinne, but walked therein: and there remained the groue also in Samaria.)

7Neither did he leaue of the people to Iehoahaz, but fiftie horsemen, and tenne charets, and tenne thousand footmen: for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

8 Nowe the rest of the actes of Iehoahaz, and all that he did, and his might, are they not written in the booke of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel?

9And Iehoahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria, and Ioash his sonne reigned in his stead.

10 In the thirty and seuenth yeere of Ioash king of Iudah, beganne Iehoash the sonne of Iehoahaz to reigne ouer Israel in Samaria, and reigned sixteene yeeres.

11And hee did that which was euill in the sight of the Lord; hee departed not from all the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, who made Israel sinne: but hee walked therein.

12And the rest of the actes of Ioash, and all that hee did, and his might, wherewith hee fought against Amaziah king of Iudah, are they not written in the booke of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

13And Ioash slept with his fathers, and Ieroboam sate vpon his throne: and Ioash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.

14 Nowe Elisha was fallen sicke, of his sicknesse whereof he died, and Ioash the king of Israel came downe vnto him, and wept ouer his face, and said, O my father, my father, the charet of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.

15And Elisha said vnto him, Take bowe and arrowes. And he tooke vnto him bowe and arrowes.

16And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand vpon the bowe. And he put his hand vpon it: and Elisha put his hands vpon the kings hands.

17And he sayd, Open the window Eastward. And hee opened it. Then Elisha sayd, Shoote. And he shot. And he said; The arrowe of the Lords deliuerance, and the arrowe of deliuerance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou haue consumed them.

18And he sayd, Take the arrowes. And he tooke them. And hee said vnto the king of Israel, Smite vpon the ground. And he smote thrise, and stayed.

19And the man of God was wroth with him, and saide, Thou shouldest haue smitten fiue or sixe times, then haddest thou smitten Syria till thou haddest consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

20 And Elisha died, and they buried him: And the bands of the Moabites inuaded the land at the comming in of the yeere.

21And it came to passe as they were burying a man, that behold, they spyed a band of men, and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let downe, and touched the bones of Elisha, he reuiued, and stood vp on his feete.

22 But Hazael king of Syria, oppressed Israel all the dayes of Iehoahaz.

23And the Lord was gracious vnto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect vnto them, because of his couenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Iacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast hee them from his presence as yet.

24So Hazael the king of Syria dyed, and Benhadad his sonne reigned in his stead.

25And Iehoash the sonne of Iehoahaz tooke againe out of the hand of Benhadad the sonne of Hazael, the cities which he had taken out of the hand of Iehoahaz his father, by warre: three times did Ioash beat him, and recouered the cities of Israel.

 

III == Judg 2:14 ; 2nd Kings 8:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IV == Ez 3:7 ; 2nd Kings 14:26 ; Ps 78:34

 

V == 2nd Kings 13:25 ; 14:25 , 27

 

VI == 1st Kings 16:33

 

 

VII == Amos 1:3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IX == 2nd Kings 13:10

 

X == 2nd Kings 14:1

 

 

 

 

 

XII == 2nd Kings 13:14 , 25 ; 14:9 , 15 ; 2nd Chr 25:17

 

 

 

XIV == 2nd Kings 2:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == 1st Kings 20:26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIX == 2nd Kings 13:25

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXII == 2nd Kings 8:12

 

XXIII == Ex 2:24-25 ; 32:13 ; 2nd Kings 14:27

 

 

 

 

XXV == 2nd Kings 13:18-19

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 In the twenty-third year of Joash, son of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, began his seventeen-year reign over Israel in Samaria.

2 He did evil in the LORD'S sight, conducting himself like Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and not renouncing the sin he had caused Israel to commit.

3 The LORD was angry with Israel and for a long time left them in the power of Hazael, king of Aram, and of Ben-hadad, son of Hazael.

4 Then Jehoahaz entreated the LORD, who heard him, since he saw the oppression to which the king of Aram had subjected Israel.

5 So the LORD gave Israel a savior, and the Israelites, freed from the power of Aram, dwelt in their own homes as formerly.

6 Nevertheless, they did not desist from the sins which the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but persisted in them. The sacred pole also remained standing in Samaria.

7 No soldiers were left to Jehoahaz, except fifty horsemen with ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, since the king of Aram had destroyed them and trampled them like dust.

8 The rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, with all his valor and accomplishments, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

9 Jehoahaz rested with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Joash succeeded him as king.

10 In the thirty-seventh year of Joash, king of Judah, Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, began his sixteen-year reign over Israel in Samaria.

11 He did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not desist from any of the sins which Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had caused Israel to commit, but persisted in them.

12 (The rest of the acts of Joash, the valor with which he fought against Amaziah, king of Judah, and all his accomplishments, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

13 Joash rested with his ancestors, and Jeroboam occupied the throne. Joash was buried with the kings of Israel in Samaria.)

14 When Elisha was suffering from the sickness of which he was to die, King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. "My father, my father!" he exclaimed, weeping over him. "Israel's chariots and horsemen!"

15 "Take a bow and some arrows," Elisha said to him. When he had done so,

16 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." As the king held the bow, Elisha placed his hands over the king's hands

17 and said, "Open the window toward the east." He opened it. Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. The prophet exclaimed, "The LORD'S arrow of victory! The arrow of victory over Aram! You will completely conquer Aram at Aphec."

18 Then he said to the king of Israel, "Take the arrows," which he did. Elisha said to him, "Strike the ground!" He struck the ground three times and stopped.

19 Angry with him, the man of God said: "You should have struck five or six times; you would have defeated Aram completely. Now, you will defeat Aram only three times."

20 Elisha died and was buried. At the time, bands of Moabites used to raid the land each year.

21 Once some people were burying a man, when suddenly they spied such a raiding band. So they cast the dead man into the grave of Elisha, and everyone went off. But when the man came in contact with the bones of Elisha, he came back to life and rose to his feet.

22 King Hazael of Aram oppressed Israel during the entire reign of Jehoahaz.

23 But the LORD was merciful with Israel and looked on them with compassion because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He was unwilling to destroy them or to cast them out from his presence.

24 So when King Hazael of Aram died and his son Ben-hadad succeeded him as king,

25 Joash, son of Jehoahaz, took back from Ben-hadad, son of Hazael, the cities which Hazael had taken in battle from his father Jehoahaz. Joash defeated Ben-hadad three times, and thus recovered the cities of Israel.

v 1,2. The first of Jehu’s sons, Jehoahaz, followed his example in repeating the sins of Jeroboam.

 

v 3-7. Jehoahaz (of Israel) was at least able to recognize God’s judgment in allowing Hazael to come in and oppress them, and he called out to God. Hazael was apparently doing the destruction Elisha predicted, 2 Ki. 8:12, and left Israel practically defenseless, v 7. God was merciful to Israel and restored them to peace, but they continued idol worship as Jeroboam had done. Their deliverer, v 5, was probably King Adad-nirari 3rd of Assyria who conquered nations from Damascus to Edom and Egypt. Israel had to pay him tribute, but were freed from the oppressions of Syria.

 

v 8-13. When Jehoahaz died, his son Jehoash reigned, but he continued following the sinful path laid down by Jeroboam. Jehoash of Israel began his reign when Joash of Judah was reigning, and in the second year of Jehoash of Israel, Amaziah began to reign over Judah.  Wars between them are described in 2 Ki. 14.

 

 

 

 

 

 

v 14-19. Even though Jehoash lived sinfully, he still had great respect for Elisha and wept over him on his death bed. The way he addressed Elisha showed that he considered him superior to himself, and that Elisha’s power came from God. Elisha gave him an illustration of victory over Syria by having him shoot an arrow out an east window, the direction which the Syrians controlled. By putting his hands on the kings hands, v 16, Elisha was showing that the power would come from the Lord. Elisha commanded him to smite the ground with the arrows, which probably meant as a bundle, not to shoot them out into the ground as he did the first one. Elisha had already explained that this was the arrow of deliverance, so he was angry that he only struck the ground three times. This had been a test of belief of beating the Syrians into the ground. His lack of belief meant he would only have three victories over Syria instead of beating them entirely.

v 20,21. After Elisha’s death, God still chose to work a miracle through him, no doubt for Jehoash’s benefit . Pall bearers were hurrying to escape Moabite raiders and the man whose body they tossed onto Elisha’s body was restored to life.

 

 

 

v 22-25. Even though Hazael had his hands full with Assyria, he still managed to be an irritation to Israel. In God’s mercy he allowed Jehoash to defeat Syria three times, as Elisha had promised, and was able to regain the captured cities.