2 Kings 2:10 (YLT)

Passage

and he saith, `Thou hast asked a hard thing; if thou dost see me taken from thee, it is to thee so; and if not, it is not.'

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:8 And Elijah taketh his robe, and wrappeth <FI>it<Fi> together, and smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and they pass over both of them on dry land.

2 Kings 2:9 And it cometh to pass, at their passing over, that Elijah hath said unto Elisha, `Ask, what do I do for thee before I am taken from thee?' and Elisha saith, `Then let there be, I pray thee, a double portion of thy spirit unto me;'

2 Kings 2:10 and he saith, `Thou hast asked a hard thing; if thou dost see me taken from thee, it is to thee so; and if not, it is not.'

2 Kings 2:11 And it cometh to pass, they are going, going on and speaking, and lo, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and they separate between them both, and Elijah goeth up in a whirlwind, to the heavens.

2 Kings 2:12 And Elisha is seeing, and he is crying, `My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen;' and he hath not seen him again; and he taketh hold on his garments, and rendeth them into two pieces.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "thou", "hast", "asked", "hard", "dost", and "taken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And it cometh to pass at their..." into verse 11's "And it cometh to pass they are...", so "saith" and "thou" 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 "saith" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.