2 Kings 2:9 (GNV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

2 Kings 2:10 And he saide, Thou hast asked an hard thing: yet if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt haue it so: and if not, it shall not be.

2 Kings 2:11 And as they went walking and talking, beholde, there appeared a charet of fire, and horses of fire, and did separate them twaine. So Eliiah went vp by a whirle winde into heauen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "nowe", "passed", "ouer", "eliiah", "saide", "vnto", and "elisha". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "nowe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Then Eliiah tooke his cloke and wrapt..." into verse 10's "And he saide Thou hast asked an...", so "Spirit" and "nowe" 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 "Spirit" and "nowe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.