2 Kings 2:10

2Ki 2:10 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].

Ver. 10. If thou see me when I am taken from thee.] Vehemence is the way to speed both in earth and in heaven. If but the eyelids of Elisha fall, if his thoughts slacken, his hopes are dashed. {a} There must be fixedness and vigilancy in those that desire double graces.

{a} Bp. Hall’s Contemp.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2Ki 2:10. He said, Thou hast asked a hard thing — A rare and singular blessing, which I cannot promise thee; which God only can give, and which he gives only when and to whom he pleases. Nevertheless, if thou see me, &c. — Mark, this is a sign whether thou shalt obtain what thou desirest or not. This sign he proposed, not without the direction of God’s Spirit, that hereby he might engage him more earnestly to wait, and more fervently to pray for this mercy.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou hast asked a hard thing--an extraordinary blessing which I cannot, and God only, can give. Nevertheless he, doubtless by the secret directions of the Spirit, proposed to Elisha a sign, the observation of which would keep him in the attitude of an anxious waiter, as well as suppliant for the favor.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 10. A hard thing] This is what is not in my power, God alone can give this; yet if thou see me taken away from thee, it shall be so. Perhaps this means no more than, "If thou continue with me till I am translated, God will grant this to thee;" for on the mere seeing or not seeing him in the moment in which he was taken away, this Divine gift could not depend.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(10) Thou hast asked a hard thing.—Because to grant such a petition was not in Elijah’s own power, but in God’s only. And therefore in the next words the prophet connects the fulfilment of his follower’s wish with a condition depending entirely upon the Divine will: “If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee (Keil).” ‘If the Lord think thee worthy to witness my departure, thou wilt be worthy to win thy boon.’ Elijah thus disclaims power to fulfil the request. At the same time, it is implied that his departure will be something exalted above the perception of ordinary men” (Thenius).

When I am taken.—Literally, taken (participle pu’al, shortened form, as in Exo_3:2; Isa_18:2).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. Thou hast asked a hard thing] Because it was not Elijah’s to bestow. He knew that except for God’s strengthening power and comforting revelations his own heart would often have fainted. He therefore leaves the result to depend on God’s judgement. If He permit Elisha to behold the assumption, then it shall be for a token that the petition is granted, and Elisha counted worthy to be blessed as he desires.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked,.... About the donation of the gifts of the Spirit requested, about the state of religion in Israel, and about the training up of prophets in the colleges, and about Elisha's succession as a prophet in his room, and his discharge of that office, and such like things, as may be supposed, in which he gave him instruction and advice:

that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire; either angels in this form, see Psa 104:4, in which they appeared for the glory and honour of the prophet, and as emblems of his flaming love and zeal for the purity of religion, and that his assumption might be conspicuous to Elisha; and perhaps by this means might be seen by the fifty men on the other side Jordan: this chariot, drawn with these horses, was not seen in the heaven, but as running on the earth, and came between the two prophets, and separated them from each other, taking up Elijah into it by means of a wind whirling about him, and which was no other than the ministry of angels; or these might be a conflux of exhalations or clouds, formed in this likeness by a supernatural power, and, by the solar rays striking on them, might appear fiery or red; and so his assumption was much in such like manner as our Lord was taken up in a cloud, Act 1:9,

and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven; body and soul; such a change passing on him, as he went through the region of the air, which divested him of his mortality and corruption, and fitted him for the invisible world.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

It would be better to omit the words “when I am,” which are not in the original. The sign was to be Elisha’s seeing the actual translation, which he did 2Ki 2:12.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hard thing. Hebrew literally, "thou art hardened to ask" a thing so difficult, and which I have not the power to grant. But I will pray that thou mayst receive it; (Calmet) and I feel confident that thou wilt, if God shall grant thee the power to see me, at my departure. (Haydock) --- This he did, ver. 12. (Menochius) --- Elias had perhaps imagined that his disciple would have desired some of his clothes, or some advice. (Calmet) --- He left him his mantle, (ver. 13.; Haydock) and by prayer was enabled to communicate his spirit to him; as Moses and the apostles did to their assistants in the ministry. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A hard thing, i. e. a rare and singular blessing, which I cannot promise thee, which only God can give; and he gives it only when and to whom he pleaseth.

If not, it shall not be so: this sign he proposed not without the instinct and direction of God’s Spirit, that hereby he might engage him more earnestly to wait, and more fervently to pray, for this mercy.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

10. A hard thing — It was a request which Elijah had no power to grant; but his own prayer to God might be largely instrumental in procuring it as a Divine gift to Elisha. The fervent prayer (Jas_5:16-17) that brought abundant showers from heaven (1Ki_18:42-45) might also bring gifts of the Spirit. The passage clearly shows that Elijah was to be somehow instrumental in procuring for Elisha his desire, and he may have prayed for Elisha after he had been translated, or even while he was being carried up into heaven. We may make requests of our departing friends before they leave us, and they may remember us, and pray for us in heaven; but after their departure we may not pray to them.

If thou see me… taken from thee — That is, at the moment when I am taken, not after I am gone. Here was no pledge to appear unto Elisha after his departure. The meaning is explained by what follows; Elisha saw the chariot and horses of fire, and Elijah carried up in a whirlwind, and this sight was to be to him a sign that what he had asked should be granted. Elijah was enabled by Divine inspiration to inform Elisha of this sign beforehand.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing; literally, thou hast been hard in asking (ejsklhrunav tou aijthsasqai, LXX). Perhaps the "hardness" of the request was in the thing asked, not in the quantity of the thing. Had Elisha asked for anything that Elijah had it directly in his power to give, as for his mantle, or his blessing, or his prayers in the other world, to grant the request would have been easy. But he had asked for something that was not Elijah"s to give, but only God"s. Elijah could not bequeath his spirit, as a man bequeaths his property; he could only pray God that Elisha"s pious request might be granted. Nevertheless, if thou see ms when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. Our translators have thought to clear the sense by inserting "nevertheless" and "when I am." But the inserted words would be better away. As Elijah cannot either grant or refuse a request for a spiritual gift, which it is not in his power to Bestow, he is divinely instructed to give Elisha a sign, by which he shall know whether God grants his prayer or not. The sign of acceptance is to be his actually seeing his master"s translation. Probably the chariot and horses were not visible to the natural human eye, any more than the angelic hosts were who compassed Elisha himself about at Dothan. (2Ki_6:17)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A hard thing - A rare and singular blessing, which I cannot promise thee, which only God can give; and he gives it only when, and to whom he pleaseth. If thou seest - This sign he proposed, not without the direction of God's Spirit, that hereby he might engage him more earnestly to wait, and more fervently to pray for this mercy.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

You have made a difficult request. It is impossible [for me] to give you more than I possess.

If you will witness my departure from you. Then I will be able to do more and more.

It will be so for you, and if not, it will not be. That I am unable [to do so].

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

You asked something difficult ~ It would have been enough for you if you had asked a just part of my spirit, or even half, but asking for it twice is something difficult, and even though [it is difficult] if you have the spiritual strength to see me as I am taken from you then I will know that from God this will happen, and so you will have what you asked.

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.