2 Kings 2:2 (LSB)

Passage

And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:1 Now it happened when Yahweh was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2 Kings 2:2 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here please, for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they went down to Bethel.

2 Kings 2:3 Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they came to Jericho.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "said", "elisha", "stay", "here", "please", "yahweh", and "sent". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "Now it happened when Yahweh was about..." into verse 3's "Then the sons of the prophets who...", so "elijah" and "said" 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 "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.