2 Kings 2 Study Notes

2:11 Adding marvelous deed upon marvelous deed was additional evidence of God’s power for those who were willing to see (Is 6:9-10).

2:12 The words chariots and horsemen of Israel show that the value of the miracle-working men of God was more than just moral or didactic. They were channels for real power. These words would be repeated at Elisha’s death (13:14). In the case of Elisha, there were specifically military grounds for the phrase as in the examples of miraculous military assistance rendered by Elisha in the wars with Aram (6:8-7:20).

2:13-15 Elijah’s mantle showed that Elisha was the legitimate heir to Elijah. We should not attribute magic to the mantle any more than we attribute it to Moses’s staff (Ex 14:16); the mantle was a concrete symbol of God’s power to the watchers. The sons of the prophets recognized Elisha’s new role with proper deference.

2:16-18 The unsuccessful search for Elijah’s body confirmed that a miraculous work of God had occurred.

2:19-22 Elisha confirmed his role as a channel for God’s works by performing a miracle—one that demonstrated the practical benefits of God’s great acts.

2:23-24 In a context in which the destiny of the nation depended on its willingness to recognize God, and where the “man of God” (1:10) had replaced the apostate king as God’s representative, it is understandable that severe penalty came to those who mocked God’s chosen servant. God’s severity had a purpose. The word translated as boys is often used for mature men (Boaz’s “servant,” Ru 2:5), but the behavior of the group suggests they were young. In all likelihood the children were preteens or young teens. This passage is often overstated as if all the mockers were killed; mauled often connotes being wounded rather than killed.

2:25 Elisha lived at Samaria under the eyes of the unfaithful kings of Israel.