2 Kings 2:8

Young's Literal Translation

And Elijah taketh his robe, and wrappeth [it] together, and smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and they pass over both of them on dry land.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Hebrew Names Version
Eliyah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground.

King James Version
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

English Standard Version
Then Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

New Century Version
Elijah took off his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. The water divided to the right and to the left, and Elijah and Elisha crossed over on dry ground.

New English Translation
Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Amplified Bible
And Elijah took his mantle (coat) and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they were divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

New American Standard Bible
And Elijah took his coat, folded it, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Eliiah tooke his cloke, and wrapt it together, and smote the waters, and they were deuided hither and thither, and they twaine went ouer on the dry lande.

Legacy Standard Bible
And Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Contemporary English Version
When they got there, Elijah took off his coat, then he rolled it up and struck the water with it. At once a path opened up through the river, and the two of them walked across on dry ground.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then Eliyahu took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it; and the water divided itself to the left and to the right; so that they crossed on dry ground.

Darby Translation
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither; and they two went over on dry ground.

Easy-to-Read Version
Elijah took off his coat, folded it, and hit the water with it. The water separated to the right and to the left. Then Elijah and Elisha crossed the river on dry ground.

George Lamsa Translation
Then Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and struck the waters of the Jordan, and they were divided half hither and half thither, so that they two crossed on dry ground.

Good News Translation
Then Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it; the water divided, and he and Elisha crossed to the other side on dry ground.

Lexham English Bible
Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water. It divided in two, and the two of them crossed over on dry land.

Literal Translation
And Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the waters. And they were divided here and there, so that they both went over on dry ground.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then toke Elias his cloke, and wrapped it together, and smote the water, which deuyded it selfe on both the sydes, so that they wete dry shod thorow it.

American Standard Version
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

Bible in Basic English
Then Elijah took off his robe, and, rolling it up, gave the water a blow with it, and the waters were parted, flowing back this way and that, so that they went over on dry land.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Elias toke his mantell, & wrapt it together, and smote the waters, and they were deuided parte the one way, and part the other, so that they two went ouer through the drye lande.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

King James Version (1611)
And Elijah tooke his mantle, and wrapt it together, and smote the waters, and they were diuided hither and thither, so that they two went ouer on drie ground.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Eliu took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the water: and the water was divided on this side and on that side, and they both went over on dry ground.

English Revised Version
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote me waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

Berean Standard Bible
And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Elie took his mentil, and wlappide it, and smoot the watris; whiche weren departid `into euer ethir part, and bothe yeden bi the drie.

Update Bible Version
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that both of them went over on dry ground.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped [it] together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

World English Bible
Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that they two went over on dry ground.

New King James Version
Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

New Living Translation
Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground!

New Life Bible
Then Elijah took his coat and rolled it up and hit the water. And the water divided to one side and to the other, so the two of them crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

New Revised Standard
Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided, hither and thither, - so that they two, passed over, on dry ground.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Elias took his mantle, and folded it together, and struck the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, and they both passed over on dry ground.

Revised Standard Version
Then Eli'jah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the water, and the water was parted to the one side and to the other, till the two of them could go over on dry ground.

THE MESSAGE
Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and hit the water with it. The river divided and the two men walked through on dry land.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Elijah took his mantle and folded it together and struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Contextual Overview

¹ And it cometh to pass, at Jehovah's taking up Elijah in a whirlwind to the heavens, that Elijah goeth, and Elisha, from Gilgal, ² and Elijah saith unto Elisha, `Abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me unto Beth-El;' and Elisha saith, `Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they go down to Beth-El. ³ And sons of the prophets who [are] in Beth-El come out unto Elisha, and say unto him, `Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, `I also have known -- keep silent.' ⁴ And Elijah saith to him, `Elisha, abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho;' and he saith, `Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they come in to Jericho. ⁵ And sons of the prophets who [are] in Jericho come nigh unto Elisha, and say unto him, `Hast thou known that to-day Jehovah is taking thy lord from thy head?' and he saith, `I also have known -- keep silent.' ⁶ And Elijah saith to him, `Abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me to the Jordan;' and he saith, `Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they go on both of them, ⁷ -- and fifty men of the sons of the prophets have gone on, and stand over-against afar off -- and both of them have stood by the Jordan. ⁸ And Elijah taketh his robe, and wrappeth [it] together, and smiteth the waters, and they are halved, hither and thither, and they pass over both of them on dry land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his mantle: חם לחכשפחם בץפןץ, his sheep skin, says the Septuagint; the skins of sheep being formerly worn by prophets as the simple insignia of their office. See note on 2 Kings 1:8. 1 Kings 19:13, 1 Kings 19:19

were: 2 Kings 2:14, Exodus 14:21, Exodus 14:22, Joshua 3:14-17, Psalms 114:5-7, Isaiah 11:15, Hebrews 11:29, Revelation 16:12

Reciprocal: Joshua 3:17 - stood firm 1 Samuel 28:14 - a mantle 2 Kings 2:13 - the mantle 2 Kings 4:29 - lay my staff 2 Kings 5:12 - better Psalms 74:15 - flood Ezekiel 27:24 - clothes Zechariah 10:11 - smite

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed;

Genesis 2:9
and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:24
yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 4:16
And Cain goeth out from before Jehovah, and dwelleth in the land, moving about east of Eden;

Genesis 13:10
And Lot lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the whole circuit of the Jordan that it [is] all a watered country (before Jehovah's destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, as Jehovah's garden, as the land of Egypt,) in thy coming toward Zoar,

2 Kings 19:12
did the gods of the nations deliver them whom my fathers destroyed -- Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden, who [are] in Thelassar?

Isaiah 51:3
For Jehovah hath comforted Zion, He hath comforted all her wastes, And He setteth her wilderness as Eden, And her desert as a garden of Jehovah, Joy, yea, gladness is found in her, Confession, and the voice of song.

Ezekiel 27:23
Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, merchants of Sheba, Asshur -- Chilmad -- [are] thy merchants,

Ezekiel 28:13
In Eden, the garden of God, thou hast been, Every precious stone thy covering, Ruby, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle, and gold, The workmanship of thy tabrets, and of thy pipes, In thee in the day of thy being produced, have been prepared.

Ezekiel 31:16
From the sound of his fall I have caused nations to shake, In My causing him to go down to sheol, With those going down to the pit, And comforted in the earth -- the lower part, are all trees of Eden, The choice and the good of Lebanon, All drinking waters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together,.... Folded it up close together, in a position to smite with it; this is thought to be not his hairy garment, but a shorter robe, that was worn upon his shoulders; but the Greek version renders it by "melotes", and so in 2 Kings 2:14, which, according to Isidore l, was a goat's skin, hanging down from the neck, and girt at the loins; and being thus clothed, perhaps, may be the reason of his being called an hairy man, 2 Kings 1:8,

and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither; just as Moses lifted up his rod, and the waters of the sea were divided for the Israelites:

so that they two went over on dry ground; in like manner as the Israelites did through the sea.

l Origin. l. 19. c. 24.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They were divided ... - The attestation to the divine mission of Elijah furnished by this miracle would tend to place him upon a par in the thoughts of men with the two great leaders of the nation named in the marginal references.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 2:8. Took his mantle — την μηλωτην αυτου, his sheep-skin, says the Septuagint. The skins of beasts, dressed with the hair on, were formerly worn by prophets and priests as the simple insignia of their office. As the civil authority was often lodged in the hands of such persons, particularly among the Jews, mantles of this kind were used by kings and high civil officers when they bore no sacred character. The custom continues to the present day; a lamb's skin hood or cloak is the badge which certain graduates in our universities wear; and the royal robes of kings and great officers of state are adorned with the skins of the animal called the ermine.

They were divided hither and thither — This was a most astonishing miracle, and could be performed only by the almighty power of God.