2 Kings 2:3 (DBY)

Passage

And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Dost thou know that Jehovah will take away thy master from over thy head to-day? And he said, I also know it: be silent!

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:1 And it came to pass when Jehovah would take up Elijah into the heavens by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2 Kings 2:2 And Elijah said to Elisha, Abide here, I pray thee; for Jehovah has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee! So they went down to Bethel.

2 Kings 2:3 And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said to him, Dost thou know that Jehovah will take away thy master from over thy head to-day? And he said, I also know it: be silent!

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

2 Kings 2:5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho drew near to Elisha and said to him, Dost thou know that Jehovah will take away thy master from over thy head to-day? And he said, I also know it: be silent!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "prophets", "bethel", "came", "forth", "elisha", "said", and "dost". 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 2's "And Elijah said to Elisha Abide here..." into verse 4's "And Elijah said to him Elisha abide...", 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.