The big picture
The prophet Elijah, who speaks for God, is about to be taken away. Elisha, his helper and chosen successor, refuses to leave him as they travel between towns. Groups of prophets know that the parting is near. At the Jordan, the river they must cross, Elisha asks for what he needs to continue the work. The events that follow show both God's care through him and the danger of mocking his new calling.
In this chapter
- Elisha Refuses to Leave 2 Kings 2:1-6
Elijah sets out from Gilgal with Elisha.
- Elijah Is Taken Into Heaven 2 Kings 2:7-12
Fifty prophets watch from a distance as Elijah and Elisha reach the Jordan.
- The Cloak and the River 2 Kings 2:13-18
Elisha picks up Elijah's fallen cloak and returns to the Jordan.
- The Town's Water Is Healed 2 Kings 2:19-22
Jericho's residents tell Elisha that their town is well placed but its water is bad and the ground unfruitful.
- Mockery Meets a Severe Judgment 2 Kings 2:23-25
As Elisha goes towards Beth-el, children come out from the town and mock his bald head.
Central truth
God takes Elijah away, and Elisha receives the help and authority to carry on his work.
Scripture beside the summary
2 Kings · King James Version · 252 Kings 2:1-6
Elisha Refuses to Leave
Elijah sets out from Gilgal with Elisha. At each stage he tells his helper to stay while God sends him onward. Elisha swears that he will not leave him. They go to Beth-el and then Jericho, towns with groups of prophets. Those groups tell Elisha that God will take his master away that day. He says he knows and asks them to be quiet. The two continue towards the Jordan. Elisha faces the coming loss by staying close rather than turning aside.
In everyday life
A retiring midwife walks through the wards with the colleague who will take her place. Each time she offers to finish the rounds alone, the younger woman stays beside her. She knows this is their last shift together and does not want it cut short. Elijah's departure will be an act of God.
Notice
2 Kings 2:3 Elisha already knows what the other prophets tell him. His request for silence does not deny the coming loss; it shows he is facing it closely.
2 Kings 2:1-6
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.
2 Kings 2:7-12
Elijah Is Taken Into Heaven
Fifty prophets watch from a distance as Elijah and Elisha reach the Jordan. Elijah strikes the water with his rolled cloak, and it parts for them to cross. Elisha asks for a double share of his spirit, the share associated with an heir. Elijah says this depends on seeing him taken away. Fiery horses and a chariot separate them, and a whirlwind takes Elijah into heaven. Elisha sees it and cries out like a son losing his father. He tears his clothes in grief.
In everyday life
An apprentice restorer asks her departing teacher to leave her the knowledge needed to carry the workshop's work forward. She wants more than his bench and tools. When he leaves, she stands holding the apron he gave her. Elijah is taken into heaven, and only God can supply the spirit Elisha seeks.
Notice
2 Kings 2:11 The fiery chariot separates the two men, while the whirlwind takes Elijah up. The account names both, rather than saying he rides away in the chariot.
2 Kings 2:7-12
King James Version7And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8And 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.
2 Kings 2:13-18
The Cloak and the River
Elisha picks up Elijah's fallen cloak and returns to the Jordan. He calls on Elijah's God and strikes the water. It divides, and he crosses. The watching prophets recognise that Elijah's spirit rests on him and bow before him. Yet they urge a search for Elijah, fearing he has been left on a mountain or in a valley. Elisha first refuses, then yields to their pressure. Fifty men search for three days and find nothing. He reminds them that he had advised against it.
In everyday life
A canal lock trainee takes the controls after the senior keeper leaves and opens the gates correctly before the watching crew. They now see that the work can continue in new hands. Familiar equipment has passed to a new user. Elisha's river crossing depends on God's power rather than learned operation.
Notice
2 Kings 2:15 The watching prophets recognise Elisha after the river parts for him. Their response rests on what God does through him, not merely possession of a cloak.
2 Kings 2:13-18
King James Version13He 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.
15And 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?
2 Kings 2:19-22
The Town's Water Is Healed
Jericho's residents tell Elisha that their town is well placed but its water is bad and the ground unfruitful. He asks for a new container with salt in it. He goes to the spring, throws in the salt, and speaks God's promise that the water is healed. It will no longer cause death or barren land. The change lasts according to the word he speaks. A problem affecting the whole town is met at the source of its water.
In everyday life
A water technician follows complaints from several houses back to the spring feeding the village supply. She works at that shared source instead of treating each tap as a separate problem. One repair can reach many homes. Elisha declares God's healing, and salt is not offered as a general water-treatment method.
Notice
2 Kings 2:21 Elisha acts at the spring rather than at each household. The promised healing reaches the source from which the town's damaging water has flowed.
2 Kings 2:19-22
King James Version19And 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.
22So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
2 Kings 2:23-25
Mockery Meets a Severe Judgment
As Elisha goes towards Beth-el, children come out from the town and mock his bald head. He turns and curses them in God's name. Two bears come from the woods and tear forty-two of them. The account gives no further explanation of their injuries or fate. It reports a severe judgment connected with rejection of God's prophet. Elisha then goes to Mount Carmel and returns to Samaria. The healing of the spring is followed by an event that cannot be softened into a harmless warning.
In everyday life
The school counsellor sits with a shaken class after news of severe injuries in their community. She lets the room grow quiet instead of turning the event into a light warning about manners. The weight of harm changes every conversation. Elisha's curse and the bears belong to a divine judgment account.
Notice
2 Kings 2:24 The number injured is stated, but their later fate is not described. The severity is clear without adding deaths or details the account does not give.
2 Kings 2:23-25
King James Version23And 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.
KJV words made clear
- sons of the prophets
- Members of groups devoted to prophetic service, not necessarily the prophets' children.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
