g Either, r. Double to what is in thee. Which it ſeemsnot pro- bable, that he had confidence either to ask, or to expe&t. Or, rather 2. Double to what the rs{t of the Sons of the Prophets may receive at thy Requeſt upon this occaſion. He alludes ro the double portion of the Firſt-born, Dcut: 21; 175 But though E!.jþs delired nomore, yer God gave him more than he defired or expetted ; and he ſeems to have had a greater portion of the Prophetical and Miraculous Gift of Gods Spirit, than E!7jah had. ;
10 And he ſaid, ||'Chou haſt asked a hard thing +: nevertheleſs, if thouſeeitme when I am taken trom thee, it ſhall beſo unto thee : bur if not, it {hall not be ſo 5.
h i:e. A rare and fingular Blefling, which I cannot promiſe thee, which only God can give ; and he gives it only when, and to whom ke pleaſeth. #- This Sign he propoled, not withour theinſtinQand dire&tion of Gods Spirit, that hereby he might engage him more earneſtly to wair, and more fervently to pray for this mercy, _
11 And itcame to paſs as they (till went on and talk- ed, that behold rhere appeared a * chariot of fire, and horſes of fire &, and parted them both afunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven /.
k A bright Cloud form<d into ſuch alikeneſs, managed by Holy and Blef!ed Angels ſent from Ilcaven to condutt him thither. / Inco the Thizd Heaven, being in the way ſo transformed and changed, as might make him mect to be admitted into thoſe blefied Manitons,
12 T And Elitha ſaw #t, and cried, * My father, my father #, the chariot of Iſrael, and the horſemen there- of y, And heſawhim no more : and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces,
. m So he calls him foc his Fatherly AffeCQtion ro him, and for his Fatherly Authority which by his Office he had over him, in which reſpeCt the Scholars of the Prophets are called their Sons, as 1 Kings 20: 35- Who by thy Example, and Counſels, and Prayers, and Power with God, didſt more for the Defence and Preſervation of Iſrael, than all their Chariots and Horſes, or other Warlike Provi-
lions. The Expreflion alludes to the form of Chariots and Horſes which be had ſcen»
itL KK TAS
Chap. Ty 13 He took vp ziſo the mantle of Elijah, that fell | from him o, and went back and ſtood by the | bank of + Heb. | Jordan. : FE... ? o God ſo ordering it for Elijba's Comfort, and the: ftrengthning of his Faith, as a Pledge, that together with Elijahs Mantle, his Othce and Spirit ſhould reſt upon him. = 14 And he cook the mantle of Elijah, that fell from him, and ſmote the waters, and ſaid, Where zs the LORD God of Elijah p ? and when he had ſmitten the waters, they parted q lither and thither ; and Eliſha went Over. | | p Who at Eltjahs Requeſt divided theſe Waters, and is as able to 4 do it again : and hath given me his Spirit, and Office, and therefore x Wl I humbly beg, and confidently expect his Afffiſtance in this matter. q Bur theſe Words after | Where is the God of Elijah? | are by many rendred otherwiſe, and that agreeably to the Hebrew, even himſelf 2 or, even the ſame ? ( which words they join with the former, as art it Emphatical Addition, or Repetition, which 1s uſual in fervent —_ Prayers. But they may be rendred withour an Interrogation, thus, $ Surely he is, to wir, here preſent. and ready to help me. Or, ſurely he.is the ſame ; to wit, to me, that he was to Elijah, as able and willing to work for me, as for Eljah, Then the following words they render, (as they are in the Hebrew) and he ſmote the water, and it was divided. By which Repetition it may ſeem, that he ſmote it twice, and that at the firſt ſmiting,. the Succeſs did not anſwer his Deſire and ExpeQtation. Which God fo ordered, partly to keep hint in a modeſt and humble ſenſe of his own Inſufficiency, that he might not be puffed up with the great Gifrs which he had now received ; Compare 2 Yor: 12. 7, And partly, to ſtir him up toa more lively Exerciſe of Faith and Prayer, which followed Gods Denial or Suſpenſion of his Help, as it is here expreſſed ; which alfa was attended with defired- Succeſs. _ 8 15 And when the fons of the prophets which were * to * Vert 74 i view atJericho, ſaw him r, they faid s, The ſpirit of \ Elijah doth reſt on Eliſha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themſelves to the ground before him 5. r Or, as 1t is in the Hebrew, And the ſons of the Prophets who lived in Jericho, jaw h1m over-againft them, from ſome Hill where they ſtood at a convenient diſtance, to obſerve the Event, wv 7. 5 Heb. and they Jaid, either by Revelation 3 or rather, by the viſible EffeRs of it which they ſaw. s Thereby teſtifying their Reverence and Subje&ion ro him as El4ja/s Succetſor, and their Maſter and Teacher. 16 Q Andthey ſaid unto hini, Behold now, there be with thy ſervants fifty f ſtrong men 7, let them go, we + Heb? pray thee, and ſeekchy maſter, leſt peradventure * the ſos of {pirit the LORD hath taken him up, and caſt him ftrengch, upon F fome mountain, or into fome valley «. And many he ſaid, Ye ſhall not ſend. Fs
AR:8:393 rt Able totake ſuch a Journey « They thought, either, r- That + Hep?
God had not finally taken him away from them, bur only for a gy- of the time ; comp- 1 Kings 18; 12; which they heartily defired, and there- mountains fore eaſily believed 3 or thar God had only taken away his Soul, and that his Body was caſt down into ſome place, which they deſired to ſeek, that they might give it an honourable Burial.
17 And when they urged him, till he was aſhamed x, he faid, Send. They ſent therefore fifty men, and they fought three days, but found him no:. |
x 1-e. 'Towit, to deny them any longer, leſt they ſhould think his denial proceeded from a neglett of his Maſtez, or a contempt of the Sons of the Prophets, cr a ſecret Gontent he took in his Maſters Lofs, that he might have his Honour and Power. Or, til they were aſhamed, becauſe he did to ofr, and 1o obſtinately deny their Requeſt.
18 And when rthey came again to him( for he tarried
at Jericho ) he {aid unto them, Did I not ſay untoyou, Go not ?
19 4 And the men of the city ſaid unto Eliſha, Be- hoid, I pray thee, che fituation of this city x pleaſant, as my lord ſeeth : but the water is naught, and the ground f barren y. _ NE