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NASB | 2 Kings 2:9 ¶ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Kings 2:9 ¶ And when they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me." |
Bible Question: In 2 Kings 2:9-15, Elisha asks Elijah for his...spirit? Like, is he asking for his SOUL here? Kinda creepy!!! Ok joke aside, what is it that Elisha is really asking for here? |
Bible Answer: Here is yet a third view. In all of these we see it going back to right of a first born to get a double portion of the father's estate. What Elijah did he accomplished under the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit. What Elisha was asking for was a double portion of that. 2:9 Elisha requests of Elijah one last thing, a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. Since the double portion was the privilege of the firstborn (see Deut. 21:17), it has been suggested that Elisha is asking to be Elijah’s successor. Yet this is more than just a petition to be Elijah’s successor, because that had already been established (see 1 Kin. 19:16-21). Elisha realized that he did not have the capability to fulfill the awesome responsibility of carrying on Elijah’s work. As Elijah’s successor, Elisha applies the principle of the firstborn to ask for a spiritual inheritance. This is described as the spirit of Elijah (vv. 9, 15), and is either an indirect or direct reference to the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for “spirit” has a wide range of meaning (it can refer to the human spirit, the Holy Spirit, an evil spirit, a prophetic gift, or even the wind). Here it probably refers to the energizing power of the prophetic spirit that characterized the life of Elijah. The Holy Spirit is the author of Elijah’s prophetic gift (see 1 Sam. 10:6, 10; 19:20, 23) and the energizing power of his ministry (see the text and notes of 1 Kin. 18:12 and 18:46). Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, ed. Jack W. Hayford, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 2 Ki 2:9. |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 2 Kin 2:9 | Author | ||
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wingsofhopeministry | ||
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lightzabor77 | ||
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