2 Kings 2:11

2 Kings 2:11

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.

a. ASV: 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.

b. YLT: 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.

c. Amplified Bible Classic: As they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire parted the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

d. Septuagint: And it came to pass as they were going, they went on talking; and, behold, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and it separated between them both; and Eliu was taken up in a whirlwind as it were into heaven.

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/Writings: As they were walking and conversing, behold! A Chariot of fire and the horses of fire [appeared] and separated between the two of them, and Elijah ascended to Heaven in the whirlwind.

1. “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked…”

a. [And] it came to pass [Strong: 1961 hayah haw-yaw a primitive root (Compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit (one-)self, require, X use.]

b. [as] they [Strong: 1992 hem haym or (prolonged) hemmah {haym'-maw}; masculine plural from 1981; they (only used when emphatic):--it, like, X (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, X so, X such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.]

c. still [Strong: 1980 hâlak, haw-lak'; akin to H3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):—(all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, be eased, enter, exercise (self), follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, × more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), send, speedily, spread, still, surely, tale-bearer, travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, × be weak, whirl.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1980 in the following manner: go (217x), walk (156x), come (16x), ...away (7x), ...along (6x), miscellaneous (98x).]

d. went on [Strong: 1980 hâlak, haw-lak'; akin to H3212; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):—(all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, be eased, enter, exercise (self), follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, × more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), send, speedily, spread, still, surely, tale-bearer, travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, × be weak, whirl.] [The KJV translates Strong's H1980 in the following manner: go (217x), walk (156x), come (16x), ...away (7x), ...along (6x), miscellaneous (98x).]

e. [and] talked [Strong: 1696 dâbar, daw-bar'; a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue:—answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, × well, × work.] [Strong: The KJV translates Strong's H1696 in the following manner: speak (840x), say (118x), talk (46x), promise (31x), tell (25x), commune (20x), pronounce (14x), utter (7x), command 4 misc (38x).]

2. “.. that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder…”

a. [that] behold [Strong: 2009 hinneh hin-nay' prolongation for 2005; lo!:--behold, lo, see.]

b. [there appeared a] chariot [Strong: 7393 rekeb, reh'-keb; from H7392; a vehicle; by implication, a team; by extension, cavalry; by analogy a rider, i.e. the upper millstone:—chariot, (upper) millstone, multitude (from the margin), wagon.] [The KJV translates Strong's H7393 in the following manner: chariot (115x), millstone (3x), wagons (1x), variant (1x).]

c. [of] fire [Strong: 784 ʼêsh, aysh; a primitive word; fire (literally or figuratively):—burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.] [The KJV translates Strong's H784 in the following manner: fire (373x), burning (1x), fiery (1x), untranslated variant (1x), fire (with H800) (1x), flaming (1x), hot (1x).]

d. [and] horses [Strong: 5483 çûwç, soos; or סֻס çuç; from an unused root meaning to skip (properly, for joy); a horse (as leaping); also a swallow (from its rapid flight):—crane, horse (-back, -hoof).] [The KJV translates Strong's H5483 in the following manner: horse (133x), crane (2x), horseback (2x), horseback (with H7392) (2x), horsehoofs (with H6119) (1x).]

e. [of] fire [Strong: 784 ʼêsh, aysh; a primitive word; fire (literally or figuratively):—burning, fiery, fire, flaming, hot.] [The KJV translates Strong's H784 in the following manner: fire (373x), burning (1x), fiery (1x), untranslated variant (1x), fire (with H800) (1x), flaming (1x), hot (1x).]

f. [and] parted [Strong: 6504 pârad, paw-rad'; a primitive root; to break through, i.e. spread or separate (oneself):—disperse, divide, be out of joint, part, scatter (abroad), separate (self), sever self, stretch, sunder.]

g. [them] both [Strong: 8147 shᵉnayim, shen-ah'-yim; dual of H8145; feminine שְׁתַּיִם shᵉttayim; two; also (as ordinal) twofold:—both, couple, double, second, twain, twelfth, twelve, twenty (sixscore) thousand, twice, two.] [The KJV translates Strong's H8147 in the following manner: two (533x), twelve (with H6240) (105x), both (69x), twelfth (with H6240) (21x), second (10x), twain (7x), both of them (5x), twice (5x), double (5x), miscellaneous (8x).]

h. asunder [Strong: 996 bêyn, bane; (sometimes in the plural masculine or feminine); properly, the constructive form of an otherwise unused noun from H995; a distinction; but used only as a preposition, between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles); also as a conjunction, either...or:—among, asunder, at, between (-twixt...and), + from (the widest), × in, out of, whether (it be...or), within.] [The KJV translates Strong's H996 in the following manner: between, betwixt, asunder, within, between, out of, from.]

3. “...and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”

a. [and] Elijah [Strong: 452 ʼÊlîyâh, ay-lee-yaw'; or prolonged אֵלִיָּהוּ ʼÊlîyâhûw; from H410 and H3050; God of Jehovah; Elijah, the name of the famous prophet and of two other Israelites:—Elijah, Eliah.] [The KJV translates Strong's H452 in the following manner: Elijah (69x), Eliah (2x).]

b. went up [Strong: 5927 ʻâlâh, aw-law'; a primitive root; to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); used in a great variety of senses, primary and secondary, literal and figurative:—arise (up), (cause to) ascend up, at once, break (the day) (up), bring (up), (cause to) burn, carry up, cast up, shew, climb (up), (cause to, make to) come (up), cut off, dawn, depart, exalt, excel, fall, fetch up, get up, (make to) go (away, up); grow (over) increase, lay, leap, levy, lift (self) up, light, (make) up, × mention, mount up, offer, make to pay, perfect, prefer, put (on), raise, recover, restore, (make to) rise (up), scale, set (up), shoot forth (up), (begin to) spring (up), stir up, take away (up), work.] [The KJV translates Strong's H5927 in the following manner: (come, etc...) up (676x), offer (67x), come (22x), bring (18x), ascend (15x), go (12x), chew (9x), offering (8x), light (6x), increase (4x), burn (3x), depart (3x), put (3x), spring (2x), raised (2x), arose (2x), break (2x), exalted (2x), miscellaneous (33x).]

c. [by a] whirlwind [Strong: 5591 çaʻar, sah'-ar; or (feminine) סְעָרָה çᵉʻârâh; from H5590; a hurricane:—storm(-y), tempest, whirlwind.] [The KJV translates Strong's H5591 in the following manner: whirlwind (12x), tempest (6x), stormy (4x), storm (1x), whirlwind (with H7307) (1x).]

d. [into] heaven [Strong: 8064 shâmayim, shaw-mah'-yim; dual of an unused singular שָׁמֶה shâmeh; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve):—air, × astrologer, heaven(-s).] [The KJV translates Strong's H8064 in the following manner: heaven (398x), air (21x), astrologers (with H1895) (1x).]

1). Elijah did not die and he did not go to heaven. No one could go to heaven before the death and resurrection of Christ. Unredeemed man went to hell and redeemed men and women went to Abraham’s bosom which was in the center of the earth (Luke 16:19-31). It was not until Jesus ascended into heaven at the end of his forty days on earth after the resurrection that all redeemed men and women went to heaven when they died (Acts 1:9, 10; 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). Unredeemed men and women still go to hell and it is still in the center of the earth.

2). Even though the prophetic students knew that Elijah was going to be taken away, it appears they did not know that he was taken away permanently, because they still wanted to look for him thinking that the Spirit of God had just taken him to another location not far away (2 Kings 2:15-18). It was commonly known that Elijah had been supernaturally transported probably on more than one occasion (1 Kings 18:8-12).

3). In the New Testament Philip experienced the same supernatural transportation.

a). Acts 8:39, 40 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.

8:40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

4). These examples are foreshadows of the catching away of the saints of the Lord.

a). 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

5). There are only two people who have ever lived and have never died a physical death, Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24), and Elijah. Bible believing scholars teach that both Enoch and Elijah will be the two witnesses who will appear on the earth during the great tribulation and with supernatural power witness for the Lord (Revelation 11:3-7). But they also shall be martyred and after their dead bodies lie in the streets for three days they will be raised to life and will ascend into heaven.

a). Revelation 11:7-12  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

11:11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.