“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.”
My Notes
What Does 2 Kings 13:14 Mean?
"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." Elisha, the prophet who healed lepers and raised the dead, dies of illness. There's no miraculous healing for the healer. The man who cured Naaman's leprosy, purified poison water, and restored a dead boy to life — dies in bed from sickness. King Joash weeps over him using the same words Elisha used when Elijah departed (2:12).
The detail that Elisha dies of illness rather than being translated like Elijah is theologically significant: even the most powerful prophets are mortal. The gifts operating through Elisha were God's, not his own. When God's purpose for Elisha's ministry was complete, the prophet died like any other human being.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How does the healer dying of sickness challenge your theology of miracles and divine healing?
- 2.What does Elisha's ordinary death teach about the difference between God's power and the vessels he uses?
- 3.Who has been a 'chariot of Israel' in your life — and what will you do when they're gone?
- 4.How do you maintain faith in God when the people who represented him to you are no longer present?
Devotional
The healer dies of sickness. The man who raised the dead dies in bed. Elisha — through whom God cured leprosy, multiplied oil, purified water, made iron float, blinded armies, and brought a boy back to life — gets sick and dies.
There's no miracle this time. No whirlwind to heaven. No chariot of fire. Just a sick old man and a weeping king. The prophet who channeled more supernatural power than almost anyone in the Old Testament dies the most natural death possible.
This should dismantle every theology that treats miracle workers as exempt from ordinary human limitations. Elisha's power was never his own. It was God's power flowing through a human vessel. And when the vessel's purpose was complete, the vessel broke — just like every other human vessel does. The miracles didn't make Elisha immortal. They made him useful. And usefulness has a lifespan.
King Joash's lament — "the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof" — is the same cry Elisha made when Elijah was taken. The words travel from generation to generation, each time acknowledging that Israel's real defense isn't its army but its prophets. The chariot of Israel isn't a military vehicle. It's a man who hears God. And when that man dies, the nation is genuinely less protected.
If you've been placing your hope in the strength or gifts of a spiritual leader — if you've been treating any human vessel as if they're permanent — Elisha's deathbed says: the vessel is temporary. The God who filled the vessel isn't. Mourn the prophet. Trust the God who made him.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And Elisha said unto him, take bow and arrows,.... The usual instruments of war in those days: and he took unto him bow…
The closing scene of Elisha’s life. It was now at least sixty-three years since his call, so that he was at this time…
Now Elisha was fallen sick - This is supposed to have taken place in the tenth year of Joash; and if so, Elisha must…
We have here Jehoash, or Joash, the son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu, upon the throne of Israel. Probably the house…
The visit of Joash to Elisha on his deathbed. Elisha's prediction of victory over Syria. A dead body brought to life on…
Cross References
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