2 Kings 2:12 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

2 Kings 2:13 And he took up the mantle of Elias, that fell from him: and going back, he stood on the bank of the Jordan;

2 Kings 2:14 And he struck the waters with the mantle of Elias, that had fallen from him, and they were not divided. And he said: Where is now the God of Elias? And he struck the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, and Eliseus passed over.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "eliseus", "cried", "father", "chariot", "israel", "driver", and "thereof". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "eliseus" and "cried", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And as they went on walking and..." into verse 13's "And he took up the mantle of...", so "eliseus" and "cried" 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 "eliseus" and "cried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.