2 Kings 2:16

16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men * ; let them go , we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up , and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said , Ye shall not send .

2 Kings 2:16 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 2:16

And they said unto him, behold, now, there be with thy
servants fifty strong men
Perhaps meaning themselves, ( 2 Kings 2:7 ) who were young, stout, and strong, and able to travel for days together:

let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master;
for though they knew he was to be taken away, yet knew not for what time, and imagined he might be found again:

lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up;
as it seems he was wont to do, see ( 1 Kings 18:12 )

and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley;
where he sometimes had his abode; or they might fancy, if he was taken up to heaven, yet in his soul only, and that, when that was separated, his dead body would be left on a mountain, or in a valley; and therefore they were desirous of seeking and finding it, that it might not be exposed to birds and beasts of prey, but that they might bury it in a decent and honourable manner:

and he said, ye shall not send;
he knew it was to no purpose, since he was translated to heaven, body and soul, and which he was an eyewitness of.

2 Kings 2:16 In-Context

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said , Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over .

15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said , The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

16 And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men ; let them go , we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up , and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said , Ye shall not send .

17 And when they urged him till he was ashamed , he said , Send . They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

18 And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

Footnotes

• [a]. strong...: Heb. sons of strength