2 Kings 2 - NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible
2:1 take . . . up to heaven. Extra-Biblical texts underline the unusual nature in the ancient Near Eastern context of any idea that mortals can enter and remain in heaven, the best known of which is the Akkadian myth of Adapa, the son of Ea, who visits heaven and almost obtains eternal life but is compelled in the end to return to earth. Another tale of a journey from earth to heaven is told of Etana, one of the fabled rulers of the Sumerian dynasty of Kish, who is compelled to visit heaven (with the help of an eagle) in order to obtain the plant of birth and overcome his childlessness.
Here it is unclear whether Elijah is taken to heaven, referring to the dwelling place of God, or to the heaven, referring to the sky. The other prophets assume the latter since they go looking for where he might have come down. The same Hebrew verb is used with regard to Enoch in Ge 5:24, but there the destination is unspecified.
2:9 a double portion of your spirit. This is the language of inheritance. Elisha requests of Elijah what an eldest son would expect of a father in Israel (cf. v. 12): a double portion (cf. Dt 21:15–17). In this case, however, the inheritance is not land—Elisha has already left normal life and normal rules of inheritance behind (cf. 1Ki 19:19–21). Elisha is asking to receive the status of the principal successor of Elijah.
2:11 chariot of fire. Commonly associated with divine manifestation. Some deities, like the sun-god Shamash and the storm-god Hadad, are assigned charioteers or depicted in chariots. It is possible that Yahweh is here appearing as a familiar manifestation of a storm-god.
2:12 took hold of his garment and tore it in two. Elisha tears his clothing in the customary gesture of sorrow (cf. Ge 37:34; 2Sa 13:31; Isa 37:1), but perhaps also to indicate the end of an old life and the beginning of a new one as Elijah’s successor, symbolized by the picking up of Elijah’s cloak (v. 13)—“new” clothing (see next note).
2:13 cloak. The “mantle” has passed, quite literally, from Elijah to Elisha; and the cloak that was used in 1Ki 19:19–21 to symbolize Elisha’s prophetic call has now become Elisha’s permanent possession. New clothing was also symbolic of new life elsewhere in the ancient Near East. In the Akkadian myth of Adapa and the South Wind (see note on v. 1), Adapa is offered in heaven both the food of life and a new garment, which he declines.
2:24 boys. The age of the mockers is uncertain. The Hebrew can refer to prepubescent children, but can also refer to “the younger generation”; the same Hebrew word describes Rehoboam’s peers in 1Ki 12:8 (“young men”), and they are over 40. This is probably a group of young teens.
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