2 Kings 2:3 (WEB)

Passage

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 your head today?” He said, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:1 When Yahweh was about to take Elijah up by a whirlwind into heaven, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

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

2 Kings 2:3 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 your head today?” He said, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”

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

2 Kings 2:5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from your head today?” He answered, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "prophets", "bethel", "came", "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 2's "Elijah said to Elisha Please wait here..." into verse 4's "Elijah said to him Elisha please wait...", 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.