2 Kings 2:8 (WEB)

Passage

Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they both went over on dry ground.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:6 Elijah said to him, “Please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan.” He said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” Then they both went on.

2 Kings 2:7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood opposite them at a distance; and they both stood by the Jordan.

2 Kings 2:8 Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they both went over on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:9 When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be on me.”

2 Kings 2:10 He said, “You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it will be so for you; but if not, it will not be so.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "took", "mantle", "rolled", "struck", "waters", "divided", and "here". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "took", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Fifty men of the sons of the..." into verse 9's "When they had gone over Elijah said...", so "elijah" and "took" 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 "took" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.