2 Kings 2:7 (GNV)

Passage

And fiftie men of the sonnes of the Prophets went and stoode on the other side a farre off, and they two stoode by Iorden.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:5 And the children of the Prophets that were at Iericho, came to Elisha, and saide vnto him, Knowest thou, that the Lord will take thy master from thine head this day? And he sayde, Yea, I knowe it: holde ye your peace.

2 Kings 2:6 Moreouer Eliiah saide vnto him, Tarie, I pray thee, here: for the Lord hath sent me to Iorden. But he saide, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. So they went both together.

2 Kings 2:7 And fiftie men of the sonnes of the Prophets went and stoode on the other side a farre off, and they two stoode by Iorden.

2 Kings 2:8 Then Eliiah tooke his cloke, and wrapt it together, and smote the waters, and they were deuided hither and thither, and they twaine went ouer on the dry lande.

2 Kings 2:9 Nowe when they were passed ouer, Eliiah saide vnto Elisha, Aske what I shall doe for thee before I be taken from thee. And Elisha saide, I pray thee, let thy Spirit be double vpon me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fiftie", "sonnes", "prophets", "went", "stoode", "other", "side", and "farre". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fiftie" and "sonnes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Moreouer Eliiah saide vnto him Tarie I..." into verse 8's "Then Eliiah tooke his cloke and wrapt...", so "fiftie" and "sonnes" 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 "fiftie" and "sonnes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.