General Comments on 2 Kings 2-8 These chapters relate episodically various miracles and prominent acts associated with Elisha. I cannot discern any type of overarching pattern in the text so I would assume the events are presented chronologically. A quick summary of the events follows: 2:12-18 Mantle transferred to Elisha, Jordan parted 2:19-22 Bad water made potable 2:23-25 Curses obnoxious children 3:1-27 Elisha spurns Jehoram and predicts delivery of Moab 4:1-7 Widow's oil multiplied 4:8-17 Barren woman bears son 4:18-37 Barren woman's son dies and is revived 4:38-41 Poisonous food made non-poisonous 4:42-44 Little food feeds many with leftover 5:1-14 Naaman healed 5:15-27 Gehazi afflicted with Naaman's disease 6:1-7 Axe head recovered 6:8-23 Arameans seek to capture Elisha, but are captured 6:24-7:20 Samaria besieged, Elisha predicts delivery of Aram 8:1-6 Barren woman's lands restored 8:7-15 Elisha predicts Ben-hadad's assassination by Hazael Some of the miracles are repeats of Elijah's, both part the Jordan with the mantle, both revive a dead son, both have dealings with Gentiles, both miraculously support widows, both have food provided miraculously. This continuity in the miraculous implies inspiration. As both are inspired by the same source, both are performing similar sorts of acts (note that not a single documented miracle by Elisha occurs prior to ch. 2 where Elisha gets the double portion of Elijah's spirit). But, there are some notable differences as well. Elisha never calls down fire from heaven to consume his enemies. He doesnt perform big, flashy miracles. His miracles are very quiet and discreet. And if we assume that all of their respective miracles were documented, which certainly may not be the case, Elisha performed more miracles than did Elijah but they were generally less spectacular. Also, in the cases of both Elijah and Elisha they have people out to kill them. Elijah's response is to have them killed in return (e.g., 2 Kings 1). Elisha's response is to spare them (e.g., 2 Kings 6). Even when those cursed by him die, their death is presented as an indirect result of it (e.g., 2 Kings 2:23-25). Elijah is more justice oriented while Elisha is mercy oriented. Elisha is also apolitical, where Elijah was very much interested in Israelite politics. Elijah plotted the overthrow of Ahab and Jezebal, and was summarily rebuked for it by the Lord as that was not His plan. But, Elisha is quite averse to politics. When Naaman comes and the king fears political sabotage (5:7), Elisha turns it into an opportunity for religuous proselyting (5:8), and Naaman's conversion results in him never coming to battle against Israel. Elisha puts the spiritual first, and therefore the political falls in line. So what is the cause for these differences between Elijah and Elisha? We know from the events in ch. 2 that they were quite close. And we know from the last installement of LDSS that Elijah was rebuked for his political activities and that the Lord makes it cleat to Elijah that He doesn't do things in big, impressive, flashy ways. It is therefore safe to assume Elijah was teaching Elisha how to be a prophet, as he knew very well that he was to be his successor (cf. 1 Kings 19:16). And as part of this education he taught Elisha not to repeat the same mistakes he made. Thus, while the double portion of the spirit did not fall onto Elisha until Elijah's departure, it is evident Elijah prepared Elisha for the office well in advance. Comments on 2 Kings 2 v1-15 Elijah makes three stops prior to being taken up (v. 1), from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jericho, and finally to the river Jordan. Each time Elijah tells Elisha he doesn't have to go with him, and each time Elisha insists he wants to. At each of two towns they stop in to inform them Elijah is leaving, and the rumor mill carries the message back to a none-too-happy Elisha (v. 2-5). They set off for the river Jordan (v. 6) with a company of prophets in tow (v. 7). Upon reaching the Jordan, Elijah splits the water and he and Elisha cross over leaving the prophets on the other side (v. 8). Once safely in private, Elijah asks Elisha what it is he can do for him before departing, and Elisha requests that he inherit the firstborn's portion of Elijah's inheritance, i.e. the Spirit Elijah enjoyed in his ministry (v. 9). Elijah says what he has asked for is not something easily granted, and makes his receipt of such contingent upon his own spirituality (v. 10). As they continue walking and talking, a "fiery" chariot and horses appear, and Elijah gets aboard and leaves (v. 11). Elijah sees the manifestation, cries out, see Elijah depart, and tears his robe overwhelmed by the emotion of the event (v. 12). Elisha then collects himself, picks up Elijah's mantle and heads back to re- cross the Jordan (v. 13). He strikes the water with the mantle as did Elijah, and it separates in the eyes of the prophets they left behind there (v. 14), and they acknowledge him as successor (v. 15). v1 "a whirlwind", the chariot mentioned in v. 11 is clearly presented as the means by which Elijah is taken up into heaven. It is equated with the whirlwind here and elsewhere, cf. Ps. 104:2-4, Isa. 66:15, Jer. 4:13, Ezek. 1:4, Abr. 2:7. The imagery implied is that God and angels are exalted above men, so they may rise above man into heaven. As man can observe the sky and the winds and so forth in a natural means, they become symbols of transcendence. So, God and angels can supernaturally "ride" on these winds into heaven while man is bound to the earth. In this case however, Elijah is permitted to ride the winds into heaven. v2-5 These two sets of two verses (v. 2-3, 4-5) are nearly identical in content with only the settings of Bethel and Jericho changing. It would appear Elijah's purpose in going to these two towns is to inform the prophets in residence that he will be imminently departing. It causes quite a stir among the "sons of the prophets", or the disciples in residence, and they gossip about it. The gossip ultimately gets back to Elisha and they act as though they know something he doesn't. To which he gives them a rather terse, and probably annoyed, reply "I know already, be quiet". The same kind of rumor mill is active in both towns, and the announcement of Elijah's imminent departure gets both mills cranking in the same way. Its also plain that Elisha and Elijah have grown quite close and Elisha is not looking forward to his imminent departure. Elisha must surely be aware he is in line for succession, and it doesn't appear he is looking forward to it as he doesn't want Elijah to go. This would give us some insight into why Elisha wants a double portion of Elijah's spirit, as he feels he won't be able to fill his shoes. v9 "a double portion of the spirit be upon me", Elisha here is asking Elijah to consider him his firstborn son and therefore bequeath a double portion of the inheritance to him. The inheritance being the Spirit Elijah enjoyed in his ministry. The other "sons" Elisha would be competing with would be those prophets left behind on the other side of the Jordan. Elijah's hesitancy in granting such a request is manifest in v. 10, as he doesn't really have the power to grant such a thing the same what a typical father would grant a firstborn son a double portion of land or cattle or whatever. So, Elijah defers to Elisha's own spirituality and the Lord's Providence and makes the granting of the blessing contingent upon his seeing the miraculous manifestation of the heavenly chariot. If Elisha's spiritual eyes are developed enough to behold such a manifestation, then Elijah is confident the Lord will grant Elisha's request. Otherwise, Elijah is off the hook and Elisha doesn't get his request. v12 "the chariot of Israel", cp. Exod. 23:20-33, Deut. 20:1-4, Joshua 5:13-15, 2 Kings 6:17. v13 "He took up also the mantle of Elijah", Elisha requested the double portion of Elijah's spirit, and it was contingent upon his seeing the chariot. As he saw it, the double portion is his, and he is to take up the position Elijah had filled. That the mantle was left for him to pick up is obviously symbolic of the transfer of office, and the subsequent miracle performed with it in v. 14 is an overt act indicating as much to the prophets. v16-18 The prophets, not witnessing Elijah's departure as Elisha had, want to keep searching for Elijah because perhaps he was simply carried away someplace far away. He tells them not to, but they keep bugging him so he relents. When they return from searching having not found him, Elisha says "I told you not to". It is not surprising the prophets want to conduct a search for Elijah as he had previously had a penchant for coming and going like the wind, cp. 1 Kings 18:12. v19-22 Apparently while still at Jericho the people in town ask him to perform a miracle, and he does so. The local water supply is bad, and causing problems apparently resulting in death at times. Elisha responds and heals the water in the name of the Lord. The symbol of casting salt into has obvious application as a purification, as the salting of meat was well known to prevent decay. It seems to me this may have been something of a test the people put Elisha to, to see if he really is the new prophet. If is was, Elisha went ahead with it probably because its also something that will be beneficial to the town. One would assume it was a test because Elijah was there previously in v. 4 and they didn't ask him to fix it. v23-25 Traveling from Jericho to Bethel, Elisha runs into some children. They tell him to go away and mock him and he curses them for it. They are then caught by two female bears and a considerable number of them are killed. The bear attack is presented as being a result of the cursing. Elisha did not curse them with a bear attack. Attack by wild animals is a common covenant curse, cp. Lev. 26:22, Deut. 32:24, 1 Kings 13:28, Hela 7:19. It is unclear to me from what town these children are from. Is he approaching Bethel and they are telling him to go away, or is he leaving Jericho and they are telling him to get lost, or is there some town on the way that he passes by and they tell him to get lost? I would guess from v. 24 where it says he had to turn around to look on them he was leaving Jericho and the kids followed him out from Jericho and mocked him. The problem there is the passage never says he gets to Bethel, only that he passed on to Mt. Carmel and then Samaria in v. 25. So, perhaps this incident was what happened when he got to Bethel, resulting in him skipping it and moving on to Mt Carmel. But if this is the case, then why would he have to turn around as the town would be before him? If these children are from Jericho, then the curse would be more fitting as he had just done the whole town a big favor by fixing their water supply and here are their children running around mocking him. Copyright © 2002 by S. Kurt Neumiller . All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form or by any means for commercial gain without the express written consent of the author. Digital or printed copies may be freely made and distributed for personal and public non-commercial use.