2 Kings 2 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 2:14
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 2
Elijah taken up; Elisha receives the prophetic mantle
Verse 2:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:1 When YHWH was about to take Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:1 When the Lord was about to take Elijah up in a tumult, as into heaven, Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew says ‘in the whirlwind, to heaven’; Greek says ‘in a tumult, as into heaven’ (ἐν συσσεισμῷ ὡς εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν). The comparative wording is retained without settling its theological implications.
Verse 2:2 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Please stay here, for YHWH has sent me as far as Bethel.’ Elisha said, ‘As YHWH lives, and as your life lives, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your life lives, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Bethel.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both retain the refusal under oath; Hebrew specifies going down, while Greek simply says they came.
Verse 2:3 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:3 The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today YHWH is taking your master away from over your head?’ He said, ‘I too know it. Be silent.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:3 The sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord is taking your master away from above your head?’ He said, ‘I too know it. Be silent.’
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both preserve the sons of the prophets, their question, the image ‘above your head,’ and Elisha's demand for silence.
Verse 2:4 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:4 Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, please stay here, for YHWH has sent me to Jericho.’ He said, ‘As YHWH lives, and as your life lives, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:4 Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your life lives, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both repeat the command, oath, and journey to Jericho; Greek identifies Elisha as speaker explicitly.
Verse 2:5 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today YHWH is taking your master away from over your head?’ He said, ‘I too know it. Be silent.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:5 The sons of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord is taking your master away from above your head?’ He said, ‘Indeed, I too know it. Be silent.’
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both repeat the warning and response at Jericho; Greek's καί γε gives the response a modest emphasis without changing its content.
Verse 2:6 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:6 Elijah said to him, ‘Please stay here, for YHWH has sent me to the Jordan.’ He said, ‘As YHWH lives, and as your life lives, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:6 Elijah said to him, ‘Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as the Jordan.’ Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as your life lives, I will not leave you.’ So both of them went on.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both preserve the third request to remain, Elisha's oath, and the two men's continuing journey.
Verse 2:7 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:7 Fifty men from the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, while the two of them stood beside the Jordan.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:7 Fifty men, sons of the prophets, stood opposite them at a distance, while both of them stood beside the Jordan.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Hebrew expressly says the fifty men ‘went’; Greek gives their standing position without that verb.
Verse 2:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:8 Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water. It divided to this side and that, and the two of them crossed on dry ground.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:8 Elijah took his sheepskin, rolled it up, and struck the water. The water divided to this side and that, and both of them crossed over on barren ground.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew אַדֶּרֶת is a mantle; Greek μηλωτή specifies a sheepskin. Hebrew חָרָבָה describes dry ground; Greek ἐρήμῳ says a deserted or barren place, here the exposed riverbed.
Verse 2:9 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I should do for you before I am taken away from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double share of your spirit be mine.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Ask what I should do for you before I am taken up from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let a double measure of your spirit be upon me.’
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both ask for a double share or measure of Elijah's spirit. Hebrew's taking is unspecific in direction; Greek ἀναλημφθῆναι specifies taking up.
Verse 2:10 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:10 He said, ‘You have asked a difficult thing. If you see me being taken from you, it will be so for you; but if not, it will not be.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:10 Elijah said, ‘You have made a difficult request. If you see me being taken up from you, it will be so for you; but if not, it certainly will not happen.’
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both condition the request on Elisha's seeing. Greek explicitly names Elijah, retains upward motion, and uses an emphatic negative.
Verse 2:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:11 As they continued walking and speaking, look—a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:11 As they went, walking and speaking, look—a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah was taken up in a tumult, as into heaven.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew ‘went up … to heaven’ contrasts with Greek passive ‘was taken up … as into heaven.’ Neither source says here that Elijah rode in the chariot; both say it separated the men.
Verse 2:12 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:12 Elisha was watching and crying out, ‘My father, my father! Israel's chariot and its horsemen!’ He saw him no more. He seized his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:12 Elisha was watching and crying, ‘Father, father! Israel's chariot and its horseman!’ He saw him no more. He seized his clothes and tore them into two pieces.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew has ‘my father’ and plural ‘horsemen’; Greek has ‘father’ and singular ἱππεύς, ‘horseman.’ Both retain Elisha's sight and torn clothing.
Verse 2:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:13 He picked up Elijah's mantle, which had fallen from him, and returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:13 He picked up Elijah's sheepskin, which had fallen upon Elisha, and Elisha returned and stood on the edge of the Jordan.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Greek names Elisha as the one upon whom the sheepskin fell. Hebrew says it fell ‘from him,’ naturally referring to Elijah. The source-specific garment terms remain distinct.
Verse 2:14 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:14 He took Elijah's mantle, which had fallen from him, and struck the water. He said, ‘Where is YHWH, the God of Elijah?’ He too struck the water, and it divided to this side and that, and Elisha crossed over.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:14 He took Elijah's sheepskin, which had fallen upon him, and struck the water, but it did not separate. He said, ‘Where is the God of Elijah—Appho?’ He struck the waters, and they split to this side and that, and Elisha crossed over.
Classification & Notes
Disparate
Text: Greek explicitly narrates failure of the first strike (‘it did not separate’); Hebrew does not, and names YHWH. Hebrew אַף־הוּא is rendered ‘he too’; Greek preserves the unexplained transliteration αφφω, ‘Appho.’ This provisional rendering displays a real textual difficulty rather than silently deleting it.
Verse 2:15 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:15 The sons of the prophets at Jericho saw him from opposite him and said, ‘The spirit of Elijah has rested upon Elisha.’ They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:15 The sons of the prophets in Jericho saw him from opposite him and said, ‘The spirit of Elijah has come to rest upon Elisha.’ They came to meet him and bowed before him to the ground.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both declare that Elijah's spirit rests on Elisha and narrate the prophets' bowing. The action is rendered as bodily obeisance without inserting divine worship.
Verse 2:16 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:16 They said to him, ‘Look, your servants have fifty capable men with them. Please let them go and search for your master, lest the spirit of YHWH has lifted him and cast him onto one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.’ He said, ‘Do not send them.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:16 They said to him, ‘Look, with your servants are fifty capable men. Please let them go and search for your master, lest a spirit of the Lord has lifted him and cast him into the Jordan, or onto one of the mountains, or onto one of the hills.’ Elisha said, ‘Do not send them.’
Classification & Notes
Divergent
Text: Greek adds the Jordan and has ‘hills’ where Hebrew has ‘valleys.’ Both make this the speakers' possibility, not the narrator's assertion that Elijah fell there. Spirit/wind remains lexically possible in the ancient terms.
Verse 2:17 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:17 They pressed him until he was ashamed, and he said, ‘Send them.’ They sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:17 They pressed him until he was ashamed, and he said, ‘Send them.’ They sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both preserve the pressure, permission, fifty searchers, three days, and failure to find Elijah.
Verse 2:18 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:18 They returned to him while he was staying in Jericho, and he said to them, ‘Did I not tell you, Do not go?’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:18 They returned to him while he was staying in Jericho, and Elisha said, ‘Did I not tell you, Do not go?’
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both close the search with Elisha's reminder of his original prohibition.
Verse 2:19 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Look, the city's situation is good, as my lord sees, but the water is bad and the land causes bereavement.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, ‘Look, the city's settlement is good, as the lord sees, but the waters are bad and the land is bereaved of offspring.’
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Hebrew מְשַׁכָּלֶת can denote causing loss of offspring; Greek ἀτεκνουμένη presents the land as deprived of children. The phrasing retains the reproductive image rather than reducing it simply to poor crop yield.
Verse 2:20 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:20 He said, ‘Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.’ They brought it to him.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:20 Elisha said, ‘Bring me a new small water jar and put salt in it.’ They brought it to him.
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew צְלֹחִית is a bowl or flask; Greek ὑδρίσκη specifies a small water jar. Both require a new vessel and salt.
Verse 2:21 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:21 He went out to the source of the water, threw salt there, and said, ‘Thus says YHWH: I have healed these waters. No longer will death or bereavement come from there.’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:21 Elisha went out to the outlet of the waters, threw salt there, and said, ‘Thus says the Lord: I have healed these waters. No longer will death or loss of offspring come from there.’
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both attribute healing to the divine speaker and end death and loss of offspring. Hebrew describes the water's issuing place; Greek διέξοδος describes its outlet.
Verse 2:22 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:22 The waters have remained healed to this day, according to the word Elisha spoke.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:22 The waters have remained healed to this day, according to the word Elisha spoke.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both state the continuing healing and its correspondence to Elisha's word.
Verse 2:23 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up along the road, small boys came out from the city and mocked him, saying to him, ‘Go up, baldhead! Go up, baldhead!’
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up along the road, small children came out from the city and made fun of him, saying to him, ‘Go up, baldhead! Go up!’
Classification & Notes
Different
Text: Hebrew נְעָרִים קְטַנִּים and Greek παιδάρια μικρά indicate young or small youths; neither specifies exact ages. Hebrew repeats ‘baldhead’; Greek's second call lacks it.
Verse 2:24 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:24 He turned around, saw them, and cursed them in the name of YHWH. Two she-bears came out of the forest and tore open forty-two of the children.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:24 He turned back toward them, saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Look, two bears came out of the woodland and tore open forty-two of the children.
Classification & Notes
Similar
Text: Both retain the curse and forty-two victims. Hebrew's feminine verb forms indicate she-bears; Greek uses the common bear noun without an explicit sex specification. Neither column adds a statement that all victims died.
Verse 2:25 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
2:25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
2:25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Classification & Notes
Same
Text: Both preserve the journey to Carmel and return to Samaria.