The big picture
2 Kings 2 opens in verse 1 with “And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 13 with “He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the…”, and closes in verse 25 with “And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, Elisha, Elijah, liveth, pray. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
2 Kings · King James Version · 252 Kings 2:1-7
1–7: It came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a…
2 Kings 2:1–7 opens with “And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah…” and reaches “And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 2 develops its own movement around LORD, Elisha, Elijah, liveth, pray, with particular weight carried by LORD, Elisha, liveth.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 2 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
“And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him…” Naming Beth and Elisha keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
2 Kings 2:1-7
King James Version1And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.
3And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
4And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.
5And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.
6And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.
7And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
2 Kings 2:8-14
8–14: Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters…
2 Kings 2:8–14 opens with “And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided…” and reaches “And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 2 develops its own movement around LORD, Elisha, Elijah, liveth, pray, with particular weight carried by Elijah, Elisha, took.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither…” The number two makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
“And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
2 Kings 2:8-14
King James Version8And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.
9And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
10And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
13He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
2 Kings 2:15-21
15–21: When the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him…
2 Kings 2:15–21 opens with “And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit…” and reaches “And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 2 develops its own movement around LORD, Elisha, Elijah, liveth, pray, with particular weight carried by LORD, barren, city.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on…” Naming Elijah and Elisha keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
2 Kings 2:15-21
King James Version15And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
16And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
17And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
18And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
19And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.
20And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD , I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
2 Kings 2:22-25
22–25: So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of…
2 Kings 2:22–25 opens with “So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.” and reaches “And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 2 Kings 2 develops its own movement around LORD, Elisha, Elijah, liveth, pray, with particular weight carried by bald, children, head.
Context that brings the passage to life
“So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
2 Kings 2:22-25
King James Version22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
23And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
24And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD . And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
25And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
2 Kings 2:1 begins with “And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.”
Where the chapter turns
2 Kings 2:14 forms a natural hinge: “And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the…”
The final note
2 Kings 2:25 leaves the reader with “And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, Elisha, Elijah, liveth, pray, waters help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Which gifts come before the prohibition?
Life, the garden, food and meaningful work. The command occurs inside generosity.
How does chapter 2 deepen chapter 1?
It concentrates on dependence, partnership and responsibility within the shared human calling.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.