2 Kings 2:9

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And when they had come to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, Say what you would have me do for you before I am taken from you. And Elisha said, Be pleased to let a special measure of your spirit be on me.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיְהִ֣י כְעָבְרָ֗ם וְאֵ֨לִיָּ֜הוּ אָמַ֤ר אֶל־אֱלִישָׁע֙ שְׁאַל֙ מָ֣ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ בְּטֶ֖רֶם אֶלָּקַ֣ח מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֱלִישָׁ֔ע וִֽיהִי־נָ֛א פִּֽי־שְׁנַ֥יִם בְּרוּחֲךָ֖ אֵלָֽי׃

Transliteration

And wayəhî as-kə'ābərām and-'ēlîyāhû 'āmar to-'ĕlîšā', šə'al what 'e'ĕśeh-to-you before 'ellāqaḥ from-with-you. And wayyō'mer 'ĕlîšā', wîhî-nā' pî-šənayim in-rûḥăkā to-me.

Grammar Details

• *wayəhî*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular of *hāyâ* - and it came to pass
• *kə'ābərām*: preposition *kə* + qal infinitive construct + 3rd masculine plural suffix of *'ābar* - as they crossed over
• *'āmar*: qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - said/spoke
• *šə'al*: qal imperative masculine singular of *šā'al* - ask
• *'e'ĕśeh*: qal imperfect 1st person singular of *'āśâ* - I shall do
• *'ellāqaḥ*: niphal imperfect 1st person singular of *lāqaḥ* - I am taken
• *wayyō'mer*: waw-consecutive + qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular of *'āmar* - and he said
• *wîhî*: jussive 3rd masculine singular of *hāyâ* - let there be
• *nā'*: particle of entreaty - please/now
• *pî*: masculine singular construct of *peh* - mouth of/portion of
• *šənayim*: numeral - two
• *rûḥăkā*: feminine singular noun + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your spirit

Word Meanings

• *wayəhî*: and it happened/came to pass
• *kə'ābərām*: as they crossed over/when they had crossed
• *'e'ĕśeh*-to-you: I shall do for you
• *'ellāqaḥ* from-with-you: I am taken from you
• *wîhî*-*nā'* *pî*-*šənayim*: let there please be a double portion/mouth of two
• *rûḥăkā*: your spirit/wind/breath

Referenced Verses

• Deut 21:17 : 17 But he is to give his first son his birthright, and twice as great a part of his property: for he is the first-fruits of his strength and the right of the first son is his.
• Num 11:17 : 17 And I will come down and have talk with you there: and I will take some of the spirit which is on you and put it on them, and they will take part of the weight of the people off you, so that you do not have to take it by yourself.
• Num 11:25 : 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and had talk with him, and put on the seventy men some of the spirit which was on him: now when the spirit came to rest on them, they were like prophets, but only at that time.
• 1 Tim 5:17 : 17 Let rulers whose rule is good be honoured twice over, specially those whose work is preaching and teaching.
• Num 27:16-23 : 16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, put a man at the head of this people, 17 To go out and come in before them and be their guide; so that the people of the Lord may not be like sheep without a keeper. 18 And the Lord said to Moses, Take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and put your hand on him; 19 And take him before Eleazar the priest and all the meeting of the people, and give him his orders before their eyes. 20 And put your honour on him, so that all the children of Israel may be under his authority. 21 He will take his place before Eleazar the priest, so that he may get directions from the Lord for him, with the Urim: at his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, he and all the children of Israel. 22 So Moses did as the Lord said: he took Joshua and put him before Eleazar the priest and the meeting of the people: 23 And he put his hands on him and gave him his orders, as the Lord had said by Moses.
• Deut 34:9 : 9 And Joshua, the son of Nun, was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had put his hands on him: and the children of Israel gave ear to him, and did as the Lord had given orders to Moses.
• 1 Kgs 3:9 : 9 Give your servant, then, a wise heart for judging your people, able to see what is good and what evil; for who is able to be the judge of this great people?
• 2 Kgs 13:14-19 : 14 Now Elisha became ill with the disease which was the cause of his death: and Joash, king of Israel, came down to him, and weeping over him said, My father, my father, the war-carriages of Israel and its horsemen! 15 Then Elisha said to him, Take bow and arrows: and he took bow and arrows. 16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put your hand on the bow: and he put his hand on it; and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. 17 Then he said; Let the window be open to the east: and he got it open. Then Elisha said, Let the arrow go; and he let it go. And he said, The Lord's arrow of salvation, of salvation over Aram; for you will overcome the Aramaeans in Aphek and put an end to them. 18 And he said, Take the arrows: and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, Send them down into the earth; and he did so three times and no more. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, If you had done it five or six times, then you would have overcome Aram completely; but now you will only overcome them three times.
• 1 Chr 29:18-19 : 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the deepest thoughts of your people, and let their hearts be fixed and true to you; 19 And give to Solomon my son a true heart, to keep your orders, your rules, and your laws, and to do all these things, and to put up this great house for which I have made ready.
• 2 Chr 1:9-9 : 9 Now, O Lord God, let your word to David my father come true; for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in number. 10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, so that I may go out and come in before this people: for who is able to be the judge of this great people of yours?
• Ps 72:1 : 1 <Of Solomon.> Give the king your authority, O God, and your righteousness to the king's son.
• Ps 72:20 : 20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended. <A Psalm. Of Asaph.>
• Zech 9:12 : 12 And they will come back to you, O daughter of Zion, as prisoners of hope: today I say to you that I will give you back twice as much;
• Zech 12:8 : 8 In that day the Lord will be a cover over the people of Jerusalem; and he who is feeble among them in that day will be as strong as David, and the family of David will be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.
• Luke 24:45-51 : 45 Then he made the holy Writings clear to their minds. 46 And he said to them, So it is in the Writings that the Christ would undergo death, and come back to life again on the third day; 47 And that teaching about a change of heart and forgiveness of sins is to be given to Jerusalem first and to all nations in his name. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And now I will send to you what my father has undertaken to give you, but do not go from the town, till the power from heaven comes to you. 50 And he took them out till they were near Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he gave them a blessing. 51 And while he was doing so, he went from them and was taken up into heaven.
• John 14:12-14 : 12 Truly I say to you, He who puts his faith in me will do the very works which I do, and he will do greater things than these, because I am going to my Father. 13 And whatever request you make in my name, that I will do, so that the Father may have glory in the Son. 14 If you make any request to me in my name, I will do it.
• John 16:7 : 7 But what I am saying is true: my going is for your good: for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
• John 17:9-9 : 9 My prayer is for them: my prayer is not for the world, but for those whom you have given to me, because they are yours 10 (All mine are yours, and yours are mine) and I have glory in them. 11 And now I will be no longer in the world, but they are in the world and I come to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name which you have given to me, so that they may be one even as we are one. 12 While I was with them I kept them safe in your name which you have given to me: I took care of them and not one of them has come to destruction, but only the son of destruction, so that the Writings might come true. 13 And now I come to you; and these things I say in the world so that they may have my joy complete in them.
• Acts 1:8 : 8 But you will have power, when the Holy Spirit has come on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
• Acts 8:17 : 17 Then they put their hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came on them.
• Acts 20:25-36 : 25 And now I am conscious that you, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom, will not see my face again. 26 And so I say to you this day that I am clean from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not kept back from you anything of the purpose of God. 28 Give attention to yourselves, and to all the flock which the Holy Spirit has given into your care, to give food to the church of God, for which he gave his blood. 29 I am conscious that after I am gone, evil wolves will come in among you, doing damage to the flock; 30 And from among yourselves will come men who will give wrong teaching, turning away the disciples after them. 31 So keep watch, having in mind that for three years without resting I was teaching every one of you, day and night, with weeping. 32 And now, I give you into the care of God and the word of his grace, which is able to make you strong and to give you your heritage among all the saints. 33 I have had no desire for any man's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves have seen that with these hands I got what was necessary for me and those who were with me. 35 In all things I was an example to you of how, in your lives, you are to give help to the feeble, and keep in memory the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, There is a greater blessing in giving than in getting. 36 And having said these words, he went down on his knees in prayer with them all.
• 1 Cor 12:31 : 31 But let your desires be turned to the more important things given by the Spirit. And now I am pointing out to you an even better way.