Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
Parallel translations
- WEB He also took up Elijah’s mantle that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
- KJV He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
- NKJV He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
- NASB He also took up the coat of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
- NLT Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elisha picks up Elijah's fallen mantle and returns to the Jordan's bank. The mantle becomes the visible sign that the prophetic office now rests on him.
Overview
The mantle Elijah had once cast on Elisha to call him (1 Kings 19:19) now passes to him fully. Taking it up signals Elisha's acceptance of the prophetic mission left behind. The continuity of God's work through successive servants is displayed in this simple act.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 1 Kgs 19:19So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him.
- 2 Kgs 2:8And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
- 1 Kgs 9:26King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.
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Christ at the center
Amid the long decline toward exile, the promise to David's house refuses to die; the flickering lamp kept burning anticipates the coming King who will not fail or be cut off.
How 2 Kings 2:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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