2 Kings 2:8 (DBY)

Passage

And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither; and they two went over on dry ground.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:6 And Elijah said to him, Abide here, I pray thee; for Jehovah has 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 opposite 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; and they two went over on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:9 And it came to pass when they had gone over, that Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I am taken away 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: if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so to thee; but if not, it shall not be [so].

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "took", "mantle", "wrapped", "together", "smote", "waters", and "divided". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "took", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And fifty men of the sons of..." into verse 9's "And it came to pass when they...", so "elijah" and "took" 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 "elijah" and "took" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.