מלכים ב, פרק י״ג, פסוק כ״א

A hurried burial interrupted by an enemy raid unexpectedly becomes the site of a profound miracle, revealing that a prophet's holiness endures long after his passing. A group of people were busy preparing a man for burial when they suddenly spotted a raiding band of Moabites approaching [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Seized by panic and eager to escape, the mourners abandoned their plans to dig a proper grave. Instead, they opted for the fastest solution available: they opened the nearby burial cave of the prophet Elisha and hastily threw the body inside, near the prophet's resting place [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The body tumbled down the slope of the cave until it came into direct physical contact with Elisha's remains [מצודת דוד, רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Since about a year had passed since Elisha's death, his flesh had decomposed, leaving only his bones [מלבי״ם]. The moment the dead man touched these bones, an extraordinary event occurred: he instantly came back to life and stood up. Unlike the prophet's earlier miracle of reviving the Shunammite woman's son, which happened gradually, this revival was sudden and complete, with the man immediately regaining his full strength [רלב״ג].

Commentators offer two contrasting perspectives regarding the identity of this man and the nature of his resurrection. One approach suggests he was a highly righteous leader of his generation, Shallum the son of Tikvah, who was famous for his charity and for providing water to weary travelers. A massive crowd of Israelites had gathered to escort him to his grave before the enemy raid forced them to flee. According to this view, the man was restored to a full, normal life and even went on to father children [רד״ק, חומת אנך]. This miraculous event served a specific divine purpose: to fulfill Elisha's earlier request to inherit a double portion of his master Elijah's spirit. Because Elijah had brought one person back to life, Elisha was granted the power to revive two, one during his lifetime and one after his death [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

A second approach argues that the deceased was actually a wicked individual, possibly the false prophet from Bethel, whose sons had intentionally tried to bury him near the holy prophet. Because the physical remains of a righteous person are considered sacred vessels, it is highly inappropriate for them to come into contact with impurity [מלבי״ם, חומת אנך]. Consequently, Elisha's spirit simply could not tolerate the presence of this wicked man lying beside him [מצודת דוד]. In this scenario, the revival was not a gift of extended life. The man was revived just long enough to stand up and walk out of the cave, preserving the honor of the prophet. As soon as he exited, he died once more and was buried in a different location [רלב״ג, רד״ק]. Following this interpretation, the promise of a double portion of Elijah's spirit was not fulfilled through this brief resurrection, but rather when Elisha cured Naaman of his leprosy, as a person suffering from a severe skin disease like leprosy is considered akin to the dead [רד״ק].