2 Kings 2:3 (YLT)

Passage

And sons of the prophets who <FI>are<Fi> in Beth-El come out unto Elisha, and say unto him, `Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, `I also have known--keep silent.'

Nearby Context

2 Kings 2:1 And it cometh to pass, at Jehovah's taking up Elijah in a whirlwind to the heavens, that Elijah goeth, and Elisha, from Gilgal,

2 Kings 2:2 and Elijah saith unto Elisha, `Abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me unto Beth-El;' and Elisha saith, `Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they go down to Beth-El.

2 Kings 2:3 And sons of the prophets who <FI>are<Fi> in Beth-El come out unto Elisha, and say unto him, `Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, `I also have known--keep silent.'

2 Kings 2:4 And Elijah saith to him, `Elisha, abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho;' and he saith, `Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they come in to Jericho.

2 Kings 2:5 And sons of the prophets who <FI>are<Fi> in Jericho come nigh unto Elisha, and say unto him, `Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, `I also have known--keep silent.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "prophets", "beth-el", "come", "elisha", "hast", "thou", and "known". 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 "and Elijah saith unto Elisha Abide I..." into verse 4's "And Elijah saith to him Elisha abide...", 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.