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Elisha
2 Kings 2:2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please,
ELISHA H477 – ‘ĕlîšāʿ, one word for EL YESHUA, meaning “YHWH is Salvation“.
He served from 892 until 832 BC as an advisor to the third through the eighth kings of Judah, holding the office of “prophet in Israel”. He is called a patriot because of his help to soldiers and kings. Elisha’s ministry is marked by various miracles, including healing the water of Jericho, multiplying bread for a large crowd, and raising a dead child.
Elisha loved Elijah like he would a father. He refused to leave Elijah before Elijah was taken into heaven, despite Elijah’s telling Elisha to remain behind. Yeshua even mentioned Elisha, when the people had rejected Yeshua in Nazareth and He told them that “no prophet is accepted in his hometown“
Luke 4:23-27 “And He said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But truly I say to you, many widows were in Yisrael in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a great scarcity of food in all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them, but to Tsarephath of Tsiḏon, to a woman, a widow. And many lepers were in Yisrael in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Na‛aman the Aramean.”
Double Portion
2 Kings 2:9-10 “Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” So he said, “You have asked a hard thing.
The word portion in Hebrew is PE H6310 – pê, meaning mostly Mouth. That which is in your Mouth. Food (like double portion meal), or Words/Responsibility. The other meaning is Commandment or Laws.
It wasn’t Elija’s spirit that was great, nor did Elisha receive two spirits, but the Ruach (Spirit) of YHWH worked twice as much through Elisha. It is a hard thing, because the responsibility and work is immense. It is often a lonely road and you get rejected by the mainstream, as Yeshua mentioned Elijah and Elisha in Luke 4:23-27.
In ancient Israel, a “double portion” was typically given to the firstborn son, indicating special inheritance and leadership. So for example, if there are 5 sons, the inheritance are split into 6 portions. Each son gets one portion, and the firstborn gets two portions. Elisha is essentially asking to be treated as Elijah’s spiritual heir, taking on the mantle of leadership and responsibility that comes with it. A double portion often implies a greater responsibility and call to serve and lead within the family, community, or ministry.
This reminds us the importance of a firstborn as well. They are born into a role and responsibility. But if they can’t or won’t, or if there is no firstborn, one can step in and ask to take that responsibility, or be assigned the responsibility like Elisha as called by YHWH and to follow Elijah in 1 Kings 19:19. Six times in Scripture, specific reference is made to a “double portion.”
- “The right of the firstborn is his””(Deuteronomy 21:17). A firstborn son was entitled to receive twice the inheritance of that of a father’s other sons, in addition to the right of succession.
- Hannah could not have children, her husband tried to assuage her grief with an extra blessing. “But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her” (1 Samuel 1:5)2E
- Elisha’s request was to be considered the successor of Elijah and to be “doubly blessed” with power in the prophetic office. Throughout 2 Kings, the many miracles Elisha performed confirm that he had indeed been granted a double portion.
- Isaiah 61:7 promises a double portion of joy and blessing upon Israel: “Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.”
- Not all double portions convey blessing, however. Revelation 18:6 speaks of judgment upon Babylon, stating, “Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.” Here, the double portion indicates a heavy judgment.
- Since the Law of YHWH stipulated a double portion for firstborn sons, the concept has been used throughout history to refer to YHWH’s abundant blessing. Yeshua is called the “firstborn over all creation”, a title that indicates His position as the Blessed One and rightful Heir of all things.
Psal 37:30 “The mouth H6310 of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.”
