2 Kings 2:5 - Exposition

And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him; Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, Yea, I know it hold ye your peace. At Jericho, too, as well as at Bethel, there was a school of the prophets, though the two places were not more than about twenty miles apart. This would seem to imply the existence of a large number of such seminaries at this period. No doubt, when the secular power was most strongly opposed to true religion, the prophetical order had to make increased efforts to raise its numbers and multiply its schools. The prophets of Israel, it must be remembered, were, after the withdrawal of the priests and Levites ( 2 Chronicles 11:13 , 2 Chronicles 11:14 ), the sole teachers of the people in true religion.