2 Kings 2:5 (ASV)

Passage

And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

2 Kings 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that Jehovah will take away thy master from thy head to-day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

2 Kings 2:6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to the Jordan. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

2 Kings 2:7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood over against them afar off: and they two stood by the Jordan.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "prophets", "jericho", "came", "near", "elisha", "said", and "knowest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sons" and "prophets", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And Elijah said unto him Elisha tarry..." into verse 6's "And Elijah said unto him Tarry here...", so "sons" and "prophets" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "sons" and "prophets" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.