2 Kings 2:11

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
KJV
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
WEB
As they continued on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
ASV
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
DARBY
And it came to pass as they went on, and talked, that behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire; and they parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into the heavens.
BLB
And it came to pass, [as] they were walking, walking on and speaking, that behold a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and they separated between the two of them, and Elijah went up in the whirlwind into the heavens.
ÅB
Mens de så gikk og talte sammen, kom det med én gang en gloende vogn og gloende hester og skilte dem fra hverandre; og Elias fór i stormen opp til himmelen.
OTB
Mens de gikk og snakket sammen, dukket plutselig en ildvogn og ildhester opp og skilte de to, og Elia gikk opp til himmelen i en stormvind.
B1930
Mens de så gikk og talte sammen, kom det med én gang en gloende vogn og gloende hester og skilte dem fra hverandre; og Elias fór i stormen op til himmelen.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • 2 Kings 6:17

    And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

    Read in context
  • Psalms 104:3–4

    Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

    Read in context
  • Hebrews 1:14

    Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

    Read in context
  • Psalms 68:17

    The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

    Read in context
  • Ezekiel 10:9–22

    And when I looked, behold the four wheels by the cherubims, one wheel by one cherub, and another wheel by another cherub: and the appearance of the wheels was as the colour of a beryl stone.

    Read in context
  • Ezekiel 1:4–28

    And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.

    Read in context
  • Zechariah 3:8

    Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

    Read in context
  • Mark 16:19

    So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

    Read in context