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Elisha.
Elisha is Elijah's disciple and successor. He asks for "a double portion" of his master's spirit (2 Kings 2:9) and receives it — performing twice as many recorded miracles as Elijah. He heals Naaman the Syrian leper, raises the Shunammite woman's son, multiplies food, and oversees the political revolutions of his era. His ministry covers about fifty years of declining northern-kingdom history. He dies a natural death, an unusual fate for an Old Testament prophet.
Timeline
- Called from the plough by Elijah (1 Kings 19)
- Received double portion of Elijah's spirit (2 Kings 2)
- Healed Naaman the Syrian of leprosy (2 Kings 5)
- Raised the Shunammite's son (2 Kings 4)
- Anointed Jehu king of Israel (2 Kings 9)
Key verses
Why Elisha matters
Elisha's miracles prefigure those of Jesus — healings, resurrections, multiplications of food, cleansings of lepers. The New Testament draws explicit parallels: Jesus mentions Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:27) and the widow of Zarephath alongside his own ministry. Elisha's name (Hebrew "God is salvation") points toward the greater Saviour.
Related tools
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