A Summary of Elisha’s Life

The Early Life and Call of Elisha (1 Kings 19:16-21)

We know little of the early life of Elisha. The son of Shaphat, he was evidently born into a prosperous farming family. He lived in the region of Abel-Meholah, an obscure location, but probably a small agricultural town near the dense forests of the Jordan River valley.

The great prophet Elijah, after laying out the covenant-sins of Israel, was commissioned by God to anoint Elisha as his prophetic successor. Elijah headed north from the desert-mountain of Horeb and found Elisha plowing a field with twelve yoke of oxen. Elijah threw his cloak on him – a sign of commissioning – and the yeoman promptly left his plough to follow the prophet, asking leave only to “kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” Elijah permitted, and the newfound prophet marked the beginning of his ministry by slaying the oxen. The communal feast signified Elisha’s unshakeable renunciation of his previous way of life.

Elisha Witnesses Elijah’s Departure (2 Kings 2:1-13)

Elisha’s first days of ministry were evidently marked, not by profound miracles, but by simple service to his superior. Elisha was known as one “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” Yet it was a time of preparation. Elijah – the most famous prophet of the Divided Period – would soon be gone.

On a winding journey from the highlands of interior Israel, Elijah and Elisha wound their way down the steep slopes to the Jordan River Valley. They passed through scenes of national significance: Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and ultimately the Jordan River. Elisha was expectant, knowing that his mentor would soon be taken. Elijah asked Elisha to stay behind several times, but Elisha refused. Finally, having crossed the river, Elijah asks what Elisha would like. Elisha responds that he wants “a double portion of your spirit on me.” The request is evidently challenging – Elijah says that it is difficult, but it can be accomplished if Elisha observes Elijah’s departure.

The pleasant conversation and walk were suddenly interrupted by a chariot and horses of fire which separate the two men; Elijah is lifted toward heaven by a divine whirlwind. The distraught Elisha cried after him, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” At this, Elijah is gone. Elisha tears his clothes in distress, then picks up the fallen cloak of Elijah.

First Miracles (2 Kings 2:14-25)

Walking back to the Jordan River, Elisha strikes it with Elijah’s cloak, and the waters miraculously part. On the other side, he is greeted by prophets who announce that “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” Though Elisha is convinced that Elijah is gone for good, the other prophets are not so certain. Despite his hesitancy, they convince him to send search parties for the missing prophet, without success.

Back in the city of Jericho, Elisha is notified that the city water source is undrinkable, probably the result of an ancient curse placed on the city. Acting as Yahweh’s representative, he takes a bowl of new salt and throws it in the water, solving the problem and removing the ancient curse.

Elisha, however, has not been commissioned only to remove curses, but also to place them. He heads toward Bethel, the location of the national bull-cult and a site of anti-Yahweh sentiment. While on the way, he is met by a gang of youths, who insult him and pressure him to leave, displaying their hatred for the traditional religion. Elisha turns and curses them, and shortly, two ravenous bears maul forty-two of the youth.

The Moabite Campaign (2 Kings 3:1-27)

Though uneasy allies, the two kings of divided Israel – Jehoram of Israel and Jeshoshaphat of Judah – planned a joint campaign with the king of Edom against their common enemy, Moab. The campaign soon turns into a disaster, as the allied armies soon find themselves deep in the desert, without any prospect of water. In turmoil, they turn to Elisha, who has evidently come along for the whole march.

Elisha initially expresses disdain at the anti-Yahweh kings of Israel and Edom, but eventually agrees to prophesy. After listening to music, he declares that the desert will soon flow with water; more than that, he declares that the campaign was successful.

The very next day, vast quantities of water begin to roll in from the direction of Edom. The waiting Moabite hoards, observing the distant water, have difficulty distinguishing the color and misidentify it as pools of blood, leading them to conclude that the allied armies have engaged in self destruction. When the Moabites arrive to gather the spoil, they find that they are mistaken, and are quickly routed in battle. The campaign continues, and the land of the Moabites is devastated.

Wondrous Works in the Land of Israel (2 Kings 4:1 – 6:7)

The following years of Elisha’s life contain some of the most astonishing miracles performed by a prophet during Israel’s history. Approached by a desperate widow whose two sons are about to be sold to pay for a debt, Elisha instructs her to borrow empty vessels from her neighbors, then pour oil into the vessels. Miraculously, the oil continues to flow until all the vessels are filled, and the profit from the oil is sufficient to cover the debt.

Elisha and his servant Gehazi eventually gain the favor of a rich couple, who make a small apartment for them which they use when they pass through the area. In exchange for her kindness, the prophet promises that she will bear a son, as she is childless. The woman bears a son the next year. Some time later, however, the son dies suddenly from a pain in his head. The woman rushes to find Elisha, who, after a significant period of time in prayer, presents her son to her alive.

During a famine, Elisha is present when a group of prophets prepares to enjoy a pot of stew. Suddenly, however, the men become aware that poisonous gourds are present in the stew. Elisha calmly throws flour into the pot, and the stew becomes edible. Later, a man who brings loaves of barley and ears of grain comes to Elisha. The prophet tells him to divide the food among a crowd, but the man protests that it is insufficient. Following Elisha’s command, he divides it and find that the food is more than enough for the crowd.

Word of Elisha’s miracles travels so far that Naaman, a commander of the Syrian army, finds him in a quest to be healed of his leprosy. Elisha dismisses him to wash seven times in the lowly Jordan River, which the commander considers an insult. However, when he obeys the prophet, his leprosy is miraculously cured. Naaman wants to reward Elisha, but the prophet will have none of it. Elisha’s servant Gehazi, however, takes some of the reward in Elisha’s place. The prophet pronounces that the leprosy of Naaman will come upon Gehazi, and the servant is struck with a serious case of the disease.

Elisha goes with some of the prophets who are building a new home near the Jordan river. In the middle of their wood-cutting, the head of a borrowed axe suddenly flies off and sinks in the nearby water. Elisha throws in a stick and the iron floats to the top.

The Syro-Israelite Wars (2 Kings 6:8 – 7:20)

Elisha begins to send prophecies to the king of Israel about the military movements of the enemy Syrians. While the Syrian king at first considers this the work of a spy, he eventually realizes that it is supernatural prophecy given to Elisha. He sends an army to seize the prophet. When Elisha’s servant sees the army surrounding the city, he is filled with fear, but Elisha prays that his eyes would be opened. Suddenly, he sees a marvelous things: the area is teeming with angelic horses and chariots of fire. The men are struck with blindness, and Elisha leads them tamely to the king of Israel. Then, with their sight restored, they partake of a great feast prepared by the Israelite king and return to their Syrian commander. The incident was evidently successful: the Syrians no longer sent raiding parties into Israel.

Later, the Syrians besiege the capital city, Samaria. A desperate famine ensues, and the king blames Elisha. After sending messengers to take him, the prophet predicts that the famine will end the following day with an over-abundance of food. In the meantime, four lepers at the city gate decide to seek refuge from the Syrian camp. When they arrive, they are astonished to find that the Syrians are gone, but the camp is fully provisioned. They return and notify the king, who is wisely suspicious. Scouts who go to observe find that it is true: the entire region is littered with the loot of the Syrians, who threw it away after hallucinating the sounds of a vast army coming to destroy them. The siege is lifted and bread is plentiful.

Involvement in Syrian and Israelite Politics (2 Kings 8:1 – 9:14)

Knowing that a great famine would arise, Elisha had sent his rich benefactress and her family to live temporarily in the land of Philistia. When she returned after seven years, she found that her home had been confiscated by the government. Coming to the king to plead for her property, she arrives at the very moment when Gehazi is notifying the king of all Elisha’s past miracles. His intervention restores her property.

Elisha then heads to Damascus, capital of the Syrian kingdom. The current king, Ben-Hadad, is ill and sends to know whether he will recover. Elisha provides Hazael, the message-bearer, with a puzzling answer: “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die.” He then explains, amid great grief, what he means: Hazael shall soon be the next king of Syria.

Hazael returns, promises Ben-Hadad that he will recover, and promptly assassinates him.

Elisha then commissions one of the prophets to secretly anoint Jehu as king of Israel. The commission comes with strings attached: Jehu is to wipe out the house of Ahab, which had done so much evil in the days of Elijah. Jehu promptly launches a bloody coup and annihilates both Ahab’s house and the cult of Baal in the land of Israel.

The Death of Elisha (2 Kings 13:14-21)

Elisha is dying. When word of this reaches Joash, king of Israel, he comes to the prophet with weeping, addressing him as, “My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha tells him to take a bow and arrows, then instructs him to shoot an arrow out the window. When this is done, Elisha declares that the arrow signifies his victory over his Syrian enemies.

Elisha then tells Joash to hit the ground with the arrows. The king, however, does this with hesitancy, apparently not excited to claim the promise of victory. When he stops after three blows, Elisha is furious – why did he not hit more times, since each blow represents a decisive victory over Syria?

Finally, Elisha dies. He is buried, but the drama is not over. Later, a burial party is preparing another man for burial. Suddenly, bands of Moabite warriors appear in the distance. In their haste to bury the man, the grave-diggers throw him into the tomb of Elisha. Upon touching the bones of Elisha, the man comes back to life. The power of Elisha – or of Elisha’s God – is so significant that it becomes hard to avoid the obvious: God is at work, among his people, through his chosen instruments.