2nd Kings Chapter 2 verse 11 Holy Bible
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.
read chapter 2 in ASV
And while they went on their way, going on talking together, suddenly there were carriages and horses of fire separating them from one another and Elijah went up to heaven in a great wind.
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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.
read chapter 2 in DARBY
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.
read chapter 2 in 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.
read chapter 2 in WBT
It happened, as they still went on, and talked, that behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both apart; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
read chapter 2 in WEB
And it cometh to pass, they are going, going on and speaking, and lo, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and they separate between them both, and Elijah goeth up in a whirlwind, to the heavens.
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Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 11. - And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked (comp. Luke 24:50, 51,). The antitype answers to the type in little details as well as in the general outline. That behold, there appeared a chariot of firs, and horses of fire. God's "angels are spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:4). When the eyes of Elisha's servant were opened, and he saw the angelic host that protected his master, it appeared to him that "the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17). Material fire is, of course, not to be thought cf. But the glory and brightness of celestial beings, when made visible to man, has some analogy with fire, or at any rate brings the conception of fire before the mind. The historian doubtless reports the account which Elisha gave of what he saw on this memorable occasion. And parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven; literally, and Elijah went up in a storm into the heavens. There is no mention of a "whirlwind;" and "the heavens" are primarily the visible firmament or sky which overhangs the earth. Elijah, like our Lord, rose bodily from the earth into the upper region of the air, and was there lost to sight. Three only of the seed of Adam - Enoch, Elijah, Jesus - have passed from earth to heaven without dying.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(11) And it came to pass . . . talked.--Literally, And it came to pass, they (emphatic) were walking a walking and talking, i.e., were going on farther and farther, talking as they went. Whither they went is not told; probably some height of the mountains of Gilead, Elijah's native country, was the scene of his departure. (Comp. Deuteronomy 34:5; Numbers 20:28.)That, behold, there appeared . . . fire.--Literally, and, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire. Rekeb is generally collective; so the Targum here. (Comp. 2Kings 6:17 : "Horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.")Parted them both asunder.--Or, made parting between them twain, i.e., the appearance of fiery chariots and horses came between Elijah and Elisha, surrounding the former as with a flaming war-host. (Comp. 2Kings 6:17.)Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.--Rather, Elijah went up in the storm heavenward, or, perhaps, into the air. S?'?r?h, properly storm-blast; and so storm, thunderstorm. (Comp. Ezekiel 1:4, seq., where Jehovah appears in a "whirlwind," which is described as a great fiery cloud; and Job 38:1, where He answers Job "out of the whirlwind;" and Nehemiah 1:3 : "The Lord hath His path in whirlwind and in storm (s?'?r?h), and the clouds are the dust of His feet.") The Hebrew mind recognised the presence and working of Jehovah in the terrific phenomena of nature; the thunder-cloud or storm-wind was His chariot, the thunder His voice, the lightning His arrow. (Comp. Psalm 18:6-15; Psalm 104:3.) We must therefore be cautious of taking the words before us in too literal a sense. The essential meaning of the passage is this, that God suddenly took Elijah to Himself, amid a grand display of His power in and through the forces of nature. The popular conception, which we see embodied in such pictures as William Blake's Translation of Elijah, that the prophet ascended to heaven in a fiery car drawn by horses of fire, is plainly read into, rather than gathered from, the sacred text. . . .
