2 Kings 2:10

2:10 Elijah ¹  replied, “That’s a difficult request! ²  If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

2 Kings 2:12

2:12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” ³  Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two.

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 ⁴  master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.” ⁵ 

2 Kings 3:17

3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel ⁶  any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’

2 Kings 6:17

6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that ⁷  the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:20

6:20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria. ⁸ 

2 Kings 6:30

6:30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. ⁹ 

2 Kings 9:17

9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. ¹⁰  He said, “I see troops!” ¹¹  Jehoram ordered, ¹²  “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” ¹³ 

2 Kings 23:17

23:17 He asked, “What is this grave marker I see?” The men from the city replied, “It’s the grave of the prophet ¹⁴  who came from Judah and foretold these very things you have done to the altar of Bethel.”

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

² tn Heb “You have made difficult [your] request.”

³ 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.

⁴ tn Heb “my.”

⁵ tn Heb “miscarries” or “is barren.”

⁶ tn Heb “see.”

⁷ tn Heb “and he saw, and look.”

⁸ tn Heb “and they saw, and look, [they were] in the middle of Samaria.”

⁹ tn Heb “the people saw, and look, [there was] sackcloth against his skin underneath.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “the quantity [of the men] of Jehu, when he approached.” Elsewhere שִׁפְעַה (shif’ah), “quantity,” is used of a quantity of camels (Isa 60:6) or horses (Ezek 26:10) and of an abundance of water (Job 22:11; 38:34).

¹¹ tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.

¹² tn Heb “said.”

¹³ tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”

¹⁴ tn Heb “man of God.”