2 Kings 2:12 - Exposition

And Elisha saw it . The condition was fulfilled which Elijah had laid down, and Elisha knew that his request for a "double portion" of his master's spirit was granted. And he cried, My father! my father! It was usual for servants thus to address their masters ( 2 Kings 5:13 ), and younger men would, out of respect, almost always thus address an aged prophet ( 2 Kings 6:21 ; 2 Kings 13:14 , etc.). But Elisha probably meant something more than to show respect. He regarded himself as Elijah's specially adopted son, and hence had claimed the "double portion" of the firstborn. That his request was granted showed that the relationship was acknowledged. The chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof ; i.e. the best earthly defense of Israel. "In losing thee," he means, "we lose our great protector—him that is more to us than chariots and horsemen—the strength of Israel, against both domestic and foreign foes." The sight of the fiery chariot and horses may have determined the imagery, but they are not spoken of. Note the substitution of "horsemen" for "horses," and comp. 2 Kings 13:10 , where the same expression is used in reference to Elisha. And he saw him no more. Elijah passed beyond Elisha's ken. So far as we can gather from the expressions employed, no cloud received him ( Acts 1:9 ), but he gradually vanished from sight. And he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces ; an action marking extreme horror or extreme grief—here the latter (comp. Genesis 37:29 ; 2 Samuel 13:19 ; Job 1:20 ; Job 2:12 , etc.).