2 Kings 2

This is the second chapter of 2 Kings. Elijah, who in 2 Kings 1 pronounced death upon King Ahaziah, is taken up to heaven in this chapter, and Elisha succeeds him. From this chapter onward, the narrative in the early part of 2 Kings centers on Elisha.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Elijah leaves Gilgal and travels to Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan. Three times Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind, and three times Elisha swears an oath and follows him. The sons of the prophets at Bethel and at Jericho ask Elisha whether he knows that his master will be taken from him that day.
• Verses 7–10 Fifty of the sons of the prophets watch from a distance. Elijah rolls up his mantle and strikes the Jordan; the waters divide, and the two men cross over. Elisha asks that a double portion of Elijah's spirit be upon him, and Elijah answers that it will be granted if Elisha sees him when he is taken.
• Verses 11–14 A chariot of fire and horses of fire separate the two men, and Elijah goes up by a whirlwind. Elisha tears his own clothes, then strikes the water with the mantle that had fallen from Elijah, parts the Jordan, and crosses over.
• Verses 15–18 The sons of the prophets at Jericho bow down before Elisha. Although Elisha tries to dissuade them, they press him, and fifty men search for Elijah for three days but do not find him.
• Verses 19–22 Because the water of Jericho is bad, the land's produce fails to ripen and falls off; Elisha throws salt from a new cruse into the spring and heals the water.
• Verses 23–25 On the way to Bethel, children mock him, saying, "Go up, thou bald head." Elisha curses them in the name of the LORD, and two she-bears come out of the woods and maul forty-two of them. Elisha then travels by way of Mount Carmel and returns to Samaria.

Key Verses

• 2 Kings 2:9 "let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" — This verse reveals what Elisha sought as Elijah's successor.
• 2 Kings 2:11 "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" — This verse records that Elijah departed without passing through death.
• 2 Kings 2:14 "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" — This marks Elisha's first miracle and shows that the prophetic ministry continued.

Characters and Places

• Elijah A prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel.
• Elisha Elijah's disciple and successor.
• Sons of the prophets A company of men who learned under the prophets. They were gathered at Bethel and Jericho.
• Gilgal The place from which Elijah and Elisha set out. Many hold that it is a different location from the Gilgal of the time of Joshua.
• Bethel, Jericho, Jordan River, Mount Carmel, Samaria

Points for Reflection

• The double portion A widely known interpretation connects this request with Deuteronomy 21:17, where the firstborn receives a double share of the inheritance, and reads Elisha as asking for the portion of a successor akin to a firstborn son. There is also a tradition that counts Elisha's miracles as twice as many as Elijah's, but the text itself does not state this.
• Parting the Jordan Some readers link Elisha's parting of the Jordan with the crossing of the Jordan in Joshua 3, reading it as a succession of leadership parallel to that from Moses to Joshua.
• The incident of the bears The Hebrew term rendered "little children" in verses 23–24 is used broadly for anyone from a small child to a young man. For this reason, some interpreters understand them as a band of youths. Other interpreters, noting that Bethel was a center of golden calf worship and that "Go up" may have been a taunt mocking Elijah's ascension, understand the incident as an insult against the prophet and against God. Nevertheless, ethical questions about the seemingly excessive severity of the curse's outcome continue to be raised.
• Connections with the New Testament Malachi 4 prophesies that God will send Elijah again. The New Testament presents John the Baptist as one who comes "in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17). Elijah also appears at the Transfiguration. Some readers compare Elijah's ascension and Elisha's inheritance of his spirit with the ascension of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

In the Korean Church

The scene in which Elisha asks for a double portion of the spirit is frequently cited in sermons on calling and the passing on of spiritual heritage. It is also used as a sermon text at services marking a pastor's installation and retirement and at ordination services.