And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off ,.... To have a view, if they could, of the assumption of Elijah to heaven, and be witnesses of it: and they two stood by Jordan ; on the banks of it, even Elijah and Elisha. read more
Fifty men of the sons of the prophets - They fully expected this extraordinary event, and they could have known it only from Elijah himself, or by a direct revelation from God. read more
Parting visits. Here, through the telescope of Scripture story, we are permitted to witness the closing scene of a great life. Let us draw near and look carefully at what happens there, for the like of it only happened once before—and of that we have little record—and it has never happened since. Only two men, Enoch and Elijah, went straight from earth to heaven without passing through the valley of death. It was true of Elijah as well as of Enoch, that " he walked with God." It is a... read more
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
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
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
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
The sons of the prophets. It is surely instructive to find, even in godless Israel, these numerous bands of young men, congregated under prophetic oversight, and receiving sacred instruction. The origin of "schools of the prophets" seems traceable to Samuel ( 1 Samuel 19:20 ). But the order took a new impulse under Elijah. "The companies of the prophets now reappear, bound by a still closer connection with Elijah than they had been with Samuel. Then they were 'companies, bands, of... read more
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view. It is a harsh judgment to blame the "sons of the prophets" for an idle and shallow curiosity in merely "standing" at a distance "to view" the wonderful event, which Elisha was determined to witness as closely, and associate himself with as intimately, as possible. For the sons of the prophets to have approached nearer, and hung on the skirts of Elijah, would have been an impertinence, Elisha's persistence is only justified by... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Kings 2:1-8
Elijah's times, and the events concerning him, are as little dated as those of any great man in scripture; we are not told of his age, nor in what year of Ahab's reign he first appeared, nor in what year of Joram's he disappeared, and therefore cannot conjecture how long he flourished; it is supposed about twenty years in all. Here we are told, I. That God had determined to take him up into heaven by a whirlwind, 2 Kgs. 2:1. He would do it, and it is probable let him know of his purpose some... read more