Who Else In The Bible Died And Were Brought Back (Besides Jesus)?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, October 8, 2026 (Donate)
I sometimes feel for Lazarus! He died, and it was likely a
painful death. Then he comes out of the grave alive by the power of Christ. I
often wondered if one of the first things running through his mind was, “you’ve
got to be kidding me, I have to die twice!”
Lazarus wasn’t alone in his resurrection. The Bible records
at least nine distinct accounts of people being restored to life after death. Nevertheless,
these other resurrections include three Old Testament accounts and six New
Testament accounts, one of which involves an unspecified number of people. This
excludes the resurrection of Jesus Christ, whose resurrection bears a
significance not worthy of being in a mere list next to others.
God has power over death and these miraculous events prove
it. However, an important distinction must be made between being restored to
ordinary physical life, as Lazarus was, and being resurrected into a glorified,
immortal body, as Jesus Christ was (e.g., Romans 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:42-49).
This general resurrection is what we look forward to
for an eternity with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is when we
will have new resurrected bodies (e.g., 1 Corinthians 15:52). The instances in
Scripture are largely that of returning to physical life as we currently
know it. Let’s begin with the Old Testament and flow through chronologically.
Old Testament Accounts
1. The Widow of Zarephath's Son (1 Kings 17:17-24)
In Elijah's day, a widow's son where he was lodging became very
sick and died. Elijah carried the boy upstairs, prayed to the Lord, and
stretched himself over the child three times. God answered his prayer, and the
boy’s soul returned and miraculously came back to life. This is the first
explicitly recorded resurrection back to life after death in Scripture.
2. The Shunammite Woman's Son (2 Kings 4:18-37)
A young boy died suddenly after complaining about his head.
His mother sought the prophet Elisha, who returned to her home, laid his staff
over him, prayed, and then he stretched himself over the boy. The child became
warm, sneezed seven times, and opened his eyes.
3. The Man Who Touched Elisha's Bones (2 Kings 13:20-21)
After Elisha died, another deceased man was hastily placed
in Elisha's tomb because of approaching Moabite raiders. When the man's body
touched Elisha's bones, he revived and stood on his feet. One can’t help but
see hints of the double portion of Elijah’s spirit placed on Elisha (2 Kings
2:9). Where Elijah was used by God to resurrect the widow’s son, Elijah was
used by God to bring two back to life!
New Testament Accounts
4. Jairus's Daughter (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:35-43; Luke
8:49-56)
As we flip to the New Testament, Jesus restored a
twelve-year-old girl to life after her death. Taking her by the hand, He
commanded her to arise. She immediately stood up and walked.
5. The Widow of Nain's Son (Luke 7:11-17)
Jesus encountered a funeral procession in the city of Nain carrying
the only son of a widow. Moved with compassion, Jesus approached the bier and
commanded the young man to arise. He sat up and began speaking.
6. Lazarus of Bethany (John 11:1-44)
Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus arrived.
Despite concerns about decomposition, Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of
the tomb. Lazarus emerged alive, still wrapped in burial cloths. This miracle
powerfully demonstrated Jesus' authority over death.
Note in the instances of Jesus raising people from the dead,
He did it by His power and authority, since He is God.
7. The Saints Raised Following Jesus' Death (Matthew
27:52-53)
God’s Word records that many bodies of deceased saints were
raised and subsequently appeared to people in Jerusalem after Jesus'
resurrection. This was surely a shock to many, who might recognize them, but to
others, they may not even have been noticed—especially if they were saints from
long ago. Also, we don’t know the precise number of resurrectees, nor do we
know their names. Their ultimate fate isn’t explained either! So Scripture doesn’t
explicitly establish whether they later died again or were taken into heaven as
“first fruits”.
8. Tabitha (Dorcas) (Acts 9:36-42)
Tabitha, a Christian woman known for her charitable works,
became sick and died. Peter prayed to the Lord and then commanded her to arise,
and presented her alive to the believers.
9. Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12)
While Paul was preaching, Eutychus fell asleep and tumbled
from a third-story window. This is why we shouldn’t fall asleep in church! The Bible
records that he was dead. Paul embraced him, and the young man was subsequently
brought back to life. I wonder if he had one of those dreams where you are
falling, though I digress!
What About Jesus Christ?
Jesus' resurrection stands apart from these accounts. Jesus laid
down His life willingly on our behalf. Furthermore, Lazarus and the others were
restored to mortal life, whereas Jesus rose bodily, glorified, and immortal,
never to die again (Romans 6:9; Revelation 1:18).
Our Lord has all authority on heaven and earth and He
ascended into heaven and with His glorified, resurrected body. He sits at the
right hand of power on the Throne of God ruling over heaven and earth as the King
of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Conclusion
You would think that when the Pharisees and chief priests
heard about Lazarus[1] being
raised to life, that they would recognize the power of God in Jesus Christ—because
of the Old Testament instances of God raising people back to life. But they
didn’t. Instead, they plotted to kill Lazarus! Oh, the murderous thoughts of
those who opposed Christ.
Shortly after Lazarus was raised, the Jews arrested Jesus
and began the torturous process of his beatings and crucifixion by the hands of
the Romans. But Christ had the power to lay down His life and take it up again.
The Bible recorded nine different accounts of people being
restored to life, including the many saints mentioned in Matthew 27. Thus, the
number of individuals is greater than nine, and the exact total is simply unknown.
But we will all be raised at the general resurrection.
The power of God unto resurrection should give a taste of
how amazing our God of Life is. And these should obvious shadows pointing to
the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (John 11:25-26; 1
Corinthians 15:20-22).
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
*Image by generative program as requested by Bodie Hodge
[1] I’ve
always pondered if there was connection between Lazarus and the one mentioned
in Luke 16:19-31. Though I seriously doubt they are the same for good reasons
not discussed here, one can’t help but draw the parallel that someone named Lazarus
was the one in both instances that was the center point of a resurrection after
he died.
