2:1-25. Elijah. Translation.

D  d  1-. Translation purposed.
    e  -1. Elisha accompanies Elijah from Gilgal.
   d  2-24. Translation effected.
    e  25. Elisha returns to Samaria.

802-800

2 Kings 2)

1 And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heavens and elsewhere by a whirlwind (see v.11), that Elijah went with Elisha (my God is salvation. See his call [1 Kings 19:16] 10 years before) from Gilgal (the reverse route taken by Israel on entering the Land).

2-24. Translation Effected.

d  f  2,3. Beth-el.     Journey.
    g  4,5. Jericho."
     h  6-18. Jordan. Translation.
    g  19-22. Jericho.    Return.
   f  23,24. Beth-el."

2 And Elijah said to Elisha, Tarry here, I pray you; for the Lord has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said [to him, As] the Lord lives, and [as] yourself lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Beth-el (therefore Gigal in v.1 cannot be the well-known Gilgal near Jericho, but another between Tibneh and Shiloh. See 4:38 Gilgal = circle; and there may have been several such).
3 And the sons of the prophets that [were] at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Know you that the Lord will take away your master from over you today? ("head" put by fig., for himself) And he said, Yes, I know [it]; hold you all your peace.

4 And Elijah said to him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray you; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. And he said, [As] the Lord lives, and [as] yourself lives, I will not leave you. So they came to Jericho.
5 And the sons of the prophets that [were] at Jericho came to Elisha, and said to him, "Know you that the Lord will take away your master from over you today"? And he answered, "Yes, I know [it]; hold you all your peace".

6-18. Jordan. Translation.

h  i  6. There journey to that place.
    k  7. Sons of the prophets. Observation.
     l  8. Passage of Jordan. From Jericho
      m  9,10. Elisha. Request made. 
       n  11. Translation of Elijah.
      m  12. Elisha. Request granted.
     l  13,14. Re-passage of Jordan. To Jericho.
    k  15. Sons of the prophets. Observation.
   i  16-18. Their journey to that place, and return.

6 And Elijah said to him, Tarry, I pray you, here; for the Lord has sent me to Jordan. And he said, [As] the Lord lives, and [as] yourself lives, I will not leave you. And they two went on.

7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped [it] together, and smote the waters, and they were divided to this place and to that place, so that they two went over on dry ground.

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I be taken away from you. And Elisha said, I pray you, let a double portion (see v.15) of your spirit be upon me (= ruach. Fig., put for the gifts and operations of the Spirit of God).
10 And he said, You have asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if you clearly see me [when I am] taken from you, it shall be so to you; but if not, it shall not be [so].

11 And 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 (not a fiery chariot, according to a certain hymn. See Isaiah 6:1-13. Ezek. 1:4-28).

12 And Elisha saw [it], and he cried, My father, my father (the repetition = my reverend, or beloved father), the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and tore them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where [is] the Lord God of Elijah? (or, Where is Yehovah the Elohim of Elijah? After this the Hebrew text has aph hu = "even he". The Vulgate reads this as the end of the question. But the Massorites, by the accent [ath-nach], throw it onto the next sentence, "and when even he smote the waters") and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted from this place and to that place (the 1st of 16 miracles [#16 = love]. See v.15): and Elisha went over (the 19th Sedar ends here. See note on 1 & 2 Samuel intro).

15 And when the sons of the prophets which [were] to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah has rested on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. (Cp. 1 Pet. 4:14. Rest in "double portion" according to v.9. Seen in the fact that Elijah wrought 8 miracles [8 = new beginnings] and Elisha 16 [16 = love], and all were parables in action)

Elijah's 8 Miracles [1 and 2 Kings]
1. Shutting heaven [17:1].
2. Oil multiplied [17:14].
3. Widow's son raised [17:22,23].
4. Fire from heaven[18:38]. 
5. Rain [18:45].
6. Fire on 50 [2 Kings 1:10].
7. Fire on 50 [2 Kings 1:12].
8. Jordan [2 Kings 2:8].

Elisha's 16 Miracles [2 Kings]
1. Jordan divided [2:14]. 
2. Waters healed [2:21]. 
3. Bears from wood [2:24]. 
4. Water for kings [3:20]. 
5. Oil for widow [4:1-6]. 
6. Gift of son [4:16,17]. 
7. Raising from dead[4:35] 
8. Healing of pottage[4:11] 
9. Bread multiplied [4:43].
10. Naaman healed [5:10].
11. Gehazi smitten [5:27].
12. Iron to swim [6.6].
13. Sight to blind [6:17].
14. Smiting blindness [6:18].
15. Restoring sight [6:20].
16. One after death [13:21].

16 And they said to him, Behold now, there be with your servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray you, and seek your master: lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, You all shall not send.
17 And 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.
18 And when they came again to him, {for he tarried at Jericho,} he said to them, Did I not say to you, Go not?

19 And the men of the city said to Elisha, Behold, I pray you, the situation of this city [is] pleasant, as my lord sees: but the water [is] nothing, and the ground barren.
20 And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought [it] to him.
21 And he went forth to the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there (Elisha's 2nd miracle), and said, Thus says the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from that place any more death or barren [land].
22 So the waters were healed to this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spoke.

23 And he went up from that place to Bethel (one of the seats of Israel's calf-worship [1 kings 12:26-30]): and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young men out of the city (Heb. na ar. Used of Isaac [28 years old]; Joseph [39]; Rehoboam [40]), and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, you bald head; go up, you bald head. (An open insult, avenged by Elisha's God in a way that suited for that dispensation, though not for this. "Go up" may have refereed to Elijah's translation; and thus a blasphemous insult outraging Yahaveh's own act. Elisha's baldness premature. He lived 50 years longer [13:14])
24 And 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 (see 1 Sam. 17:34-36), and tore forty and two progeny of them (not the same word as v.23. #43 = Israel's oppression...Lord's advent).

25 And he went from that place to mount Carmel, and from that place he returned to Samaria.

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