2 Kings 2:10 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 2:9-12

Here, I. Elijah makes his will, and leaves Elisha his heir, now anointing him to be prophet in his room, more than when he cast his mantle upon him, 1 Kgs. 19:19. 1. Elijah, being greatly pleased with the constancy of Elisha's affection and attendance, bade him ask what he should do for him, what blessing he should leave him at parting; he does not say (as bishop Hall observes), ?Ask of me when I am gone, in heaven I shall be better able to befriend thee,? but, ?Ask before I go.? Our friends... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 2:10

And he said, thou hast asked a hard thing ,.... Not a common privilege, but what is rarely enjoyed, and difficult to obtain, few are so favoured of God: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee , but if not, it shall not be so; meaning, that if his rapture was visible to Elisha, and he was favoured with a sight of his assumption, and be an eyewitness of it, this would be a token both to Elijah that it was agreeable to the Lord to ask of him this... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 2:10

A hard thing - This is what is not in my power, God alone can give this; yet if thou see me taken away from thee, it shall be so. Perhaps this means no more than, "If thou continue with me till I am translated, God will grant this to thee;" for on the mere seeing or not seeing him in the moment in which he was taken away, this Divine gift could not depend. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-10

Preparation for our departure from earth. Abnormal as was the mode of Elijah's departure from the earth, his conduct in prospect of departure may be to some extent a lesson to Christians. Note— I. HIS RESIGNATION . No murmur escapes him; he shows no unwillingness to depart, no clinging to earth, no fear of removal, no shrinking from entrance on the unseen world. When God determines that the objects with which he has been placed upon the earth are accomplished, and that the Divine... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-14

The departure of good men. "And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven." Two subjects are here presented for notice— I. THE DEPARTURE OF A GOOD MAN FROM THE EARTH . Death is a departure from the world; it is not an extinction of being, but a mere change in its mode. There are two facts concerning Elijah's departure which mark the departure of all men. 1. The time is of God. "It came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah." There is an... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-25

THE REMOVAL OF ELIJAH FROM EARTH , AND SOME EARLY MIRACLES OF ELISHA . The great prophet of Israel was to have a departure from earth as marvelous as his life had been. Ewald's words, though not intended in an historical, but only in a literary sense, embody very forcibly what the humble believer may accept as the actual rationale of the occurrence related in 2 Kings 2:1-12 : "An earthly career which had no equal in the purity of its devotion to the service of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:2-12

Faithful friendship. Though Elisha is said to have " ministered " to Elijah ( 1 Kings 19:21 ), and to have "poured water on his hands" ( 2 Kings 3:11 ), yet he was far more Elijah's friend than his servant. There was no broad difference of rank between the two to hinder this. Rather Elisha was, in original worldly position, the higher of the two. The glimpse we get of his early home in 1 Kings 19:19-21 is indicative of comfort and wealth. In education and manners he must have been... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:7-15

Elijah taken up. The translation was to take place on the eastern side of Jordan. Dean Stanley quotes the remark, "The aged Gileadite cannot rest till he again sets foot on his own side of the river," I. CROSSING JORDAN . 1. The fifty disciples . "On the upper terraces, or on the mountain heights behind the city, stood 'afar off,' in awe, fifty of the young disciples; 'and they two stood by Jordan'" (Stanley). Of all the prophetic company, Elisha alone was permitted to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:10

And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing ; literally, thou hast been hard in asking ( ἐσκλήρυνας τοῦ αἰτήσασθαι , LXX .). Perhaps the "hardness" of the request was in the thing asked, not in the quantity of the thing. Had Elisha asked for anything that Elijah had it directly in his power to give, as for his mantle, or his blessing, or his prayers in the other world, to grant the request would have been easy. But he had asked for something that was not Elijah's to give, but only... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 2:10

It would be better to omit the words “when I am,” which are not in the original. The sign was to be Elisha’s seeing the actual translation, which he did 2 Kings 2:12. read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 2:9-12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Kings 2:10

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Kings 2:10

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-10

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-14

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-25

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:2-12

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:7-15

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Kings 2:10

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Kings 2:10

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