2 Kings 2:5 (LSB)

Passage

Then the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over you today?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

Nearby Context

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.

2 Kings 2:5 Then the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over you today?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

2 Kings 2:6 Then Elijah said to him, “Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan.” And he said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So the two of them went on.

2 Kings 2:7 Now fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, but the two of them stood by the Jordan.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "prophets", "jericho", "approached", "elisha", "said", "yahweh", and "take". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sons" and "prophets", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And Elijah said to him Elisha please..." into verse 6's "Then Elijah said to him Please stay...", so "sons" and "prophets" 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 "sons" and "prophets" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.