2 Kings 2:12 (YLT)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

2 Kings 2:13 And he taketh up the robe of Elijah, that fell from off him, and turneth back and standeth on the edge of the Jordan,

2 Kings 2:14 and he taketh the robe of Elijah that fell from off him, and smiteth the waters, and saith, `Where <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah, God of Elijah--even He?' and he smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and Elisha passeth over.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elisha", "seeing", "crying", "father", "chariot", "israel", and "horsemen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elisha" and "seeing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "And it cometh to pass they are..." into verse 13's "And he taketh up the robe of...", so "elisha" and "seeing" 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 "elisha" and "seeing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.