2 Kings 2:10 (DRB)

Passage

And he answered: Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have what thou hast asked: but if thou see me not, thou shalt not have it.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:8 And Elias took his mantle, and folded it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, and they both passed over on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:9 And when they were gone over, Elias said to Eliseus: Ask what thou wilt have me to do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Eliseus said: I beseech thee, that in me may be thy double spirit.

2 Kings 2:10 And he answered: Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have what thou hast asked: but if thou see me not, thou shalt not have it.

2 Kings 2:11 And as they went on, walking and talking together, behold, a fiery chariot and fiery horses parted them both asunder: and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2 Kings 2:12 And Eliseus saw him, and cried: My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the driver thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own garments, and rent them in two pieces.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "thou", "hast", "asked", "hard", "nevertheless", and "taken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And when they were gone over Elias..." into verse 11's "And as they went on walking and...", so "answered" and "thou" 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 "answered" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.