And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for you, before I be taken away from you. And Elisha said, I pray you, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.
All Commentaries on 2 Kings 2:9 Go To 2 Kings 2
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Double spirit. A double portion of thy spirit, as thy eldest son and heir: or thy spirit, which is double, in comparison of that which God usually imparteth to his prophets; (Challoner) or the power of working miracles, as well as of prophesying. (Worthington)
He wishes to excel his fellow disciples, rather than his master. (Tirinus) (Cajetan) (Amama)
Double often means, great and perfect, Jeremias xvii. 18. If Eliseus even begged that he might perform more and greater wonders than his master, (as Christ enabled his disciples to surpass himself, in this particular, John xiv. 12.; Haydock) he might do it without pride, purely for the glory of God. He certainly shone forth with peculiar splendour; and some have enumerated sixteen or twenty-four of his miracles, while they can only find eight (Lyranus) or twelve recorded of Elias. See Cornelius a Lap ide, in Ecclesiasticus xlviii. 13. (Calmet)
We read a similar expression in Pindar, (Olym. vi.) where Neptune gave his son Jamus (Thesauron didumon mantosunas) "the double treasure of divination "p. 50. Ed. Step. (Haydock)
