Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 6
Elijah taught Elisha; and in many ways, the special work for God of these two men was very similar. However, one very clear difference between them was in the way that God guided them.
Elijah often seemed to appear in places where nobody expected him (1 Kings 18:7; 1 Kings 21:20). For long periods of time, God hid him away from the people (1 Kings 17:2-9). The king of Israel tried hard to find him, but he did not succeed (1 Kings 18:10). People even believed that God’s Holy Spirit was taking Elijah to each place, without any need for him to travel (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16). However, we do not know whether that actually happened during Elijah’s life on earth (compare Acts 8:39-40).
On the other hand, although Elisha travelled much, people knew where to find him (3:11; 4:22-25). He seemed to make his home for a time in a particular place; and then he moved to another place. For example, we read that he lived in Jericho (2:18), at Carmel (4:25), by the river Jordan (6:3-4), and in Samaria (6:32). We even read that he camped with Israel’s army (3:11).
When the king of Aram tried to find Elisha, he was living in Dothan. Dothan, like many of these places, was in the central part of Israel. It was about 10 miles (16 kilometres) north of Samaria, the capital city that ruled over northern and central Israel.
Next part: A plan to take Elisha to Aram (2 Kings 6:14)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 1000+ page course book.
© 2025, Keith Simons.