Elisha
The prophet of miracles
Elijah’s successor with a double portion of the Spirit; he healed Naaman and multiplied the widow’s oil.
The cloak that fell
Elisha was a farmer when Elijah threw the cloak of the calling over him. He burned his work tools and followed, with no plan to go back. He asked for “a double portion” of his master's spirit and received it when Elijah was taken up, picking up the cloak that fell.
Miracles of mercy
Unlike Elijah's fire, Elisha's miracles are often about provision and healing: the widow's oil that never runs out, the Shunammite's son raised to life, the axe head that floats, Naaman healed of leprosy by dipping seven times in the Jordan, a hundred men fed with a few loaves, a sign that points to the multiplication Jesus would do.
Surrounded by fire
When an army surrounds the city and his servant panics, Elisha prays: “O LORD, please open his eyes”. And the young man sees the hills full of horses and chariots of fire. The lesson crosses the centuries: “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).
Where to read in the Bible
- 2 Reis 2–13
Connections
- foreshadows The feeding of the five thousand · cross-reference · 2 Reis 4:42–44
- linked to Elijah · stated in the text · 2 Reis 2:9–13
- successor of Elijah · stated in the text · 2 Reis 2:9