2 Kings 2:9 (ASV)

Passage

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

Nearby Context

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.

2 Kings 2:8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

2 Kings 2:10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: [nevertheless], if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

2 Kings 2:11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "came", "pass", "gone", "over", "elijah", "said", and "elisha". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped..." into verse 10's "And he said Thou hast asked a...", so "Spirit" and "came" 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 "Spirit" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.