2 Kings 13: A Cluster of Hope in God

2 Kings 13 has a cluster of theological vocabulary and motifs that occur only here in Kings (and sometimes only here in all the Former Prophets): the cycle of Judges, the description of Yahweh as ‘gracious and compassionate’ and reference to the covenant with ‘Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’. The cluster, including the narration of the unusual interaction between Jehoash and Elisha and of the corpse that came to life on touching Elisha’s bones, points to a message of hope for Israel. The message is reinforced by similarly unusual features in 2 Kgs 14.23-29, the account of Jeroboam II and mention of the prophet Jonah. The future, even beyond the death of exile, depends not on a change of behaviour by Israel, but on the grace of God who delivers.