2 Kings 2:17

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.

2 Kings 2:17 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 2:17

And when they urged him until he was ashamed
To deny them any longer, being so very pressing and importunate:

he said, send;
lest they should think he had not the respect for his master he should have had; or was so fond of his office, that he did not choose he should be found alive if he could, and return and reassume it:

they sent therefore fifty men;
some one way, and some another:

and they sought three days, but found him not;
and then returned.

2 Kings 2:17 In-Context

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?
19 And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth : but the water is naught, and the ground barren .
The King James Version is in the public domain.