2 Kings 2:2

2:2 Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” ¹  But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

2 Kings 2:4

2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” ²  But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

2 Kings 2:1

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

2:1 Just before ³  the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.

2 Kings 1:16

1:16 Elijah ⁴  said to the king, ⁵  “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! ⁶  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” ⁷ 

[2:2]  ¹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[2:4]  ² map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.

[2:1]  ³ tn Or “when.”

[1:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”

[1:16]  ⁷ sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.