2 Kings 2:12

2:12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” ¹  Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two.

2 Kings 2:15

2:15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, ²  who were standing at a distance, ³  saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah ⁴  rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.

2 Kings 2:19

Elisha Demonstrates His Authority

2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our ⁵  master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.” ⁶ 

2 Kings 4:38

Elisha Makes a Meal Edible

4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him ⁷  and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire ⁸  and boil some stew for the prophets.” ⁹ 

2 Kings 5:10

5:10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored ¹⁰  and you will be healed.”

2 Kings 5:25

5:25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.”

2 Kings 6:1

Elisha Makes an Ax Head Float

6:1 Some of the prophets ¹¹  said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you ¹²  is too cramped ¹³  for us.

2 Kings 6:31

6:31 Then he said, “May God judge me severely ¹⁴  if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!” ¹⁵ 

2 Kings 7:1

7:1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says, ‘About this time tomorrow a seah ¹⁶  of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’”

2 Kings 8:4

8:4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s ¹⁷  servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.”

2 Kings 8:7

Elisha Meets with Hazael

8:7 Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king ¹⁸  was told, “The prophet ¹⁹  has come here.”

2 Kings 8:10

8:10 Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’ ²⁰  but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.”

2 Kings 9:1

Jehu Becomes King

9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild ²¹  and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container ²²  of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.

2 Kings 13:16

13:16 Then Elisha ²³  told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.” ²⁴  He did so, ²⁵  and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands.

[2:12]  ¹ sn Elisha may be referring to the fiery chariot(s) and horses as the Lord’s spiritual army that fights on behalf of Israel (see 2 Kgs 6:15-17; 7:6). However, the juxtaposition with “my father” (clearly a reference to Elijah as Elisha’s mentor), and the parallel in 2 Kgs 13:14 (where the king addresses Elisha with these words), suggest that Elisha is referring to Elijah. In this case Elijah is viewed as a one man army, as it were. When the Lord spoke through him, his prophetic word was as powerful as an army of chariots and horses. See M. A. Beek, “The Meaning of the Expression ‘The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel’ (II Kings ii 12),” The Witness of Tradition (OTS 17), 1-10.

[2:15]  ² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[2:15]  ³ tn Heb “and the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, [who were standing] opposite, saw him and said.”

[2:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “the spirit of Elijah.”

[2:19]  ³ tn Heb “my.”

[2:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “miscarries” or “is barren.”

[4:38]  ⁴ tn Heb “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.”

[4:38]  ⁵ tn The words “the fire” are added for clarification.

[4:38]  ⁶ tn Heb “sons of the prophets.”

[5:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “will return to you.”

[6:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “the sons of the prophets.”

[6:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “sit before you.”

[6:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “narrow, tight.”

[6:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”

[6:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on him today.”

[7:1]  ⁸ sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 7 quarts.

[8:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “man of God’s.”

[8:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “man of God” (also a second time in this verse and in v. 11).

[8:10]  ¹¹ tc The consonantal text (Kethib) reads, “Go, say, ‘Surely you will not (לֹא, lo’) recover” In this case the vav beginning the next clause should be translated, “for, because.” The marginal reading (Qere) has, “Go, say to him (לוֹ, lo), ‘You will surely recover.” In this case the vav (ו) beginning the next clause should be translated, “although, but.” The Qere has the support of some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions, and is consistent with v. 14, where Hazael tells the king, “You will surely recover.” It is possible that a scribe has changed לוֹ, “to him,” to לֹא, “not,” because he felt that Elisha would not lie to the king. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 90. Another possibility is that a scribe has decided to harmonize Elisha’s message with Hazael’s words in v. 14. But it is possible that Hazael, once he found out he would become the next king, decided to lie to the king to facilitate his assassination plot by making the king feel secure.

[9:1]  ¹² tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”

[9:1]  ¹³ tn Or “flask.”

[13:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Cause your hand to ride on the bow.”

[13:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and he caused his hand to ride.”