25 Details About the Life of Elisha - 'A' to 'Z' Quiz

Answer: He caused an axhead to float on the Jordan River.

According to 2 Kings 6:1-7, Elisha caused an axhead to float on the Jordan River. The story of the floating axhead appears in 2 Kings 6:1-7. In a nutshell, Elisha and a group of prophets were cutting trees along the Jordan River to build a new place to live when suddenly an axhead fell into the water.

The prophet who lost the axhead was apparently filled with distress as it was borrowed. When Elisha asked the man where the axhead fell, the spot was pointed out to him. 2 Kings, 6-7, in the NIV Bible, states: "Elisha cut a stick and threw it there, and made the iron float. 'Lift it out,' he said.

Then the man reached out his hand and took it."

Answer: Scripture doesn't say

The dead man who came back to life when his body touched the bones of Elisha is not identified. Unfortunately, Scripture is short on details all around when it comes to this amazing story that is told in two verses. 2 Kings 13:20-21, in the NKJV Bible, states: "Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once, while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb. When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet." No further details are given.

According to Wikipedia, some people believe the dead man was Shallum (son of Tikvah), keeper of the temple-wardrobe in the reign of Josiah and husband of Huldah the prophetess. However, the question is based on Scripture, and with that point of view, the correct answer is 'Scripture doesn't say'.

Answer: Syria

According to the KJV and the NKJV, the army that was blinded by Elisha and then captured was from Syria. (In the NIV, the soldiers are described as Arameans from Aram.) The account is found in 2 Kings 6:8-22.

Verse 18 tells of the Syrian army preparing to attack and Elisha praying to the LORD, "Strike this army with blindness." And sure enough, Elisha's prayers were answered and the Syrians were struck with blindness. Elisha in turn led the blind soldiers to Samaria where they were all captured.

Just prior to all this, Elisha's servant had become terrified after seeing the enemy surrounding them. So Elisha prayed that his eyes would be opened and he would see a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire protecting them. In other words, you could say it's an open-and-shut case of eyes being closed and opened in Scripture.

Answer: Elijah's spirit

According to Scripture, Elisha requested, and apparently received, a double portion of Elijah's spirit.

2 Kings 2:9-10, in the NKJV, tells of Elisha making his request.

"And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?' Elisha said, 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me'."

Scripture goes on to tell of Elijah suddenly being taken up to heaven in a whirlwind and a distraught Elisha taking up Elijah's mantle. According to Verse 14, Elisha struck the waters of the Jordan River and "it was divided this way and that and Elisha crossed over".

Verse 15 goes on to state: "Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him."

Answer: Elijah

Elijah, of course, is the correct answer. 1 Kings 19:16 tells of Elijah receiving a command from God to anoint Elisha as his replacement. Scripture is short on details, simply stating Elijah was to anoint "Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah" as prophet in his place. Elijah served as Elisha's mentor for a while before Elijah was taken up to heaven, as per 2 Kings 2:11.

Answer: 100

The correct answer is one hundred men. 2 Kings 4:42-44 in the NKJV tells the story this way: "A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. 'Give it to the people to eat,' Elisha said. 'How can I set this before a hundred men?' his servant asked. But Elisha answered, 'Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: 'They will eat and have some left over.' Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD."

Notes in the NKJV Study Bible offer this explanation of this miracle by Elisha: "The firstfruits were to be presented to God and His priests (Leviticus 23:15-17, 20). With an entrenched false priesthood and a debased state religion prevailing in the northern kingdom, the man brought his offering to Elisha. The faithful prophet miraculously multiplied the loaves -- with some left over."

It reminds Christians a little bit of Jesus feeding the multitudes with a pittance of food on two different occasions. Details of the first miraculous feeding by Jesus can be found in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6. Details of the second miracle can be found in Matthew 15 and Mark 8. In the first incident, Christ fed 5,000 men with five loaves and two fish. In the second incident, He fed 4,000 men with seven loaves and a "few small fish".

Note the two figures -- 5,000 and 4,000 -- refer to men. As per the custom of the day, women and children were not included in census figures and the like. As a result, theologians believe Jesus fed 15,000 people in the first miracle and another 12,000 in the second miracle. But we digress.

Answer: Gehazi

Yes, Gehazi is the correct answer. It's a long story, but after Naaman, a commander of the Syrian army, was cured of leprosy he offered Elisha a reward which the prophet declined. Scripture reports Gehazi caught up with Naaman after his departure and asked to receive a talent of silver and two sets of clothing. Naaman promptly responded to Gehazi's request, giving him two talents of silver and two sets of clothing.

Later, Gehazi would deny his actions to Elisha and after he left the prophet's presence, Scripture reports he was leprous, as white as snow. The account of Gehazi being afflicted with leprosy is found in 2 Kings 5:20-27.

Answer: Hazael

Hazael is the correct answer. The account of Elisha predicting Hazael would become king of Syria is contained in 2 Kings 8:7-15. In making his prediction, Scripture tells of Elisha weeping because he knew Hazael would be a cruel and ruthless adversary of the Israelites.

The very next day, according to Scripture, Hazael would take a "thick cloth" dipped in water and spread it over the face of Ben-Hadad and smother the reigning king of Syria. And just as Elisha had said, Hazael ruled in his place.

Answer: False

According to Scripture, the woman gave birth, just like Elisha said she would, but there is no indication of the name she gave the baby. It's possible she called the baby Elisha. And it's also possible she called the baby Elijah, or hundreds of other names. Because there is no mention in Scripture about the boy's name, the answer has to be 'false'.

Here's how 2 Kings 14-17 reads in the NKJV:
"And Gehazi answered, 'Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.' So he said, 'Call her.' When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, 'About this time next year you shall embrace a son.' And she said, 'No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!' But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her."

Answer: True

True. Similar to Elijah, Elisha performed a miracle for a widow in which a jar of oil figured prominently. 2 Kings 4:1-7 tells the touching story of a distraught widow who pleads with Elisha for help as a creditor is coming to take her two sons as slaves as she is unable to repay a debt. On top of this, the widow said she has nothing in her house "but a jar of oil".

We pick up the story in 2 Kings 4:3-7 with Elisha giving specific instructions to the widow: "Then he said, 'Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors -- empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.' So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, 'Bring me another vessel.' And he said to her, 'There is not another vessel.' So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, 'Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest'."

Meanwhile, Elijah's miracle involving a jar of oil and a widow appears in 1 Kings 17:8-16.

Answer: False

False. There is no Scripture to support such a claim. In fact, no genealogy‎ is given for Elisha. The only information about his family is Shaphat of Abel Meholah was his father, as per 1 Kings 19:16. What's more, there is no such passage as 2 Kings 27:53. The book ends at Chapter 25, Verse 30.

You can find details about Keturah at Genesis 25:1-4.

Answer: Naaman

Naaman is the correct answer. The story of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, is found in 2 Kings 5:1-26. After coming down with leprosy, Naaman followed the advice of a Jewish slave girl who served his wife. In 2 Kings 5:3, she told him to see the "prophet in Samaria." The end result is this: Elisha the prophet told Naaman to bathe himself seven times in the Jordan River. Afterward, he was cleansed of the dread disease. 2 Kings 5:15, in the NKJV Bible, states: "And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, 'Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant'." Elisha, however, refused to accept any gift.

(See the answer to Question No. 7 for more information.)

Answer: True

True. In fact when the Shunammite woman found out to her horror her son had died, she went looking for "the man of God at Mount Carmel" as per 2 Kings 4:25.

"In the geography of Elisha's actions Mount Carmel appears," states the Website Muhraqa.org. "Even though a number of texts lead us to hold that he might have fixed his dwelling in Samaria (cf. 2 kings 5:3; 6,18-23), the episode narrated in 2 Kings 4:8-37 presents him to us as 'the man of God on Mount Carmel'."

The Website continues with this interesting observation: "A woman of Shunem who had lost her son decides to go to Elisha for help and leaves precisely in the direction of Carmel; the objection of her husband: 'Why do you want to go today? It's neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath!', makes us think straightaway that on Carmel there might have existed a sanctuary, or that anyway it was normal to go there on occasions of particular feasts or anniversaries. All of this agrees fully with the information we have from tradition and archaeology regarding Carmel as a sacred mountain, sparsely populated and a cultic site. We read also in 2 Kings 2:25 that Elisha 'went to Mount Carmel and then returned to Samaria'."

Answer: True

Elisha's name appears once in the New Testament. It can be found in Luke 4:27, a quote from Jesus while talking to unbelieving people in His hometown Nazareth.

To give the verse context, here's how Luke 4:23-30 reads in the NKJV:

"He said to them, 'You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.' Then He said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.'

"So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way."

This is the only incident in which Elisha's name appears in the New Testament of the NKJV. To put things in perspective, Elijah's name appears thirty times in the New Testament.

Answer: 12

The correct answer is twelve. The fact Elisha was with twelve oxen gives credence to the view he came from a wealthy family.

Here's how 1 Kings 19:19-21 reads, Scripture telling of Elisha's decision to follow Elijah:

"So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, 'Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.' And he said to him, 'Go back again, for what have I done to you?' So Elisha turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen's equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and followed Elijah, and became his servant."

Answer: stew

'Stew' is the correct answer. According to Scripture, stew was being served to the sons of the prophets and the taste was so bad no one could eat it. In fact, Scripture states they told Elisha "there is death in the pot." However, Elisha quickly rectified the situation by adding some flour to the mixture.

Here's how the story is told in 2 Kings 4:38-41 in the NKJV:
"And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said to his servant, 'Put on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.' So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were. Then they served it to the men to eat. Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, 'Man of God, there is death in the pot!' And they could not eat it. So he said, 'Then bring some flour'" And he put it into the pot, and said, 'Serve it to the people, that they may eat.' And there was nothing harmful in the pot."

Answer: They were talking about Elijah being taken away.

The sons of the prophets of both Bethel and Jericho had mentioned to Elisha that his "master" Elijah would be taken away by the LORD on that very day. It was simply a case that Elisha did not want to hear the sad news that Elijah would no longer be with him.

2 Kings 2:3, in the NIV, states: "The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, 'Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?' 'Yes, I know,' Elisha replied, 'so be quiet'." Verse 5 reads almost identical with the exception the placename 'Bethel' is replaced with 'Jericho'.

Answer: Shunem

According to Scripture the miracle took place in Shunem. The Website Christiananswers.net reports Shunem "was a little village in the tribe of Issachar, to the north of Jezreel and south of Mount Gilboa."

In the NKJV Bible, 2 Kings 4:32-35 tells of the miracle: "When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes."

Scripture also tells of Elijah raising a young boy from the dead in much the same manner. 1 Kings 17:7-24 tells of Elijah raising a widow's son from the dead at Zarephath in the region of Sidon. Verses 21-24 in the NKJV Bible state: "Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, 'LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!' The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, 'Look, your son is alive!' Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.'"

Answer: Shaphat

Shaphat is the correct answer. However, not much is known about him as he is mentioned in passing reference. 1 Kings 19:16 states he was from Abel Meholah. The Website Presciousseed,org states Shaphat means 'judge'. The same Website states Elisha means 'my God is salvation', indicating Shaphat was loyal to God and did not worship Baal like many of the Israelites during the reign of King Ahab.

Answer: True

True. We know Elisha was bald because 2 Kings 2:23-24 tells of a group of youths taunting him because of his baldness. Their taunting had deadly ramifications, however. Scripture tells of Elisha putting a curse on them and two female bears mauling forty-two of the taunters.

2 Kings 2:23-24, in the NKJV, states: "Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up the road, some youths came from the city and mocked him, and said to him, 'Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!' So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths."

I find it highly interesting that while Elisha was bald, Elijah, his mentor, was known for being hairy as 2 Kings 1:8 describes him as "a hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist."

Answer: Shooting arrows out of a window

The correct answer is shooting arrows out of a window. The story is told in 2 Kings 13:14-19 with Elisha basically being on his deathbed when he is approached by Joash, king of Israel. Elisha in turn tells Joash to shoot some arrows out of a window and as a result, the prophet of God was able to predict the future for him.

Here's how the story is told in 2 Kings 13:15-19 in the NKJV:
"And Elisha said to him, 'Take a bow and some arrows.' So he took himself a bow and some arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, 'Put your hand on the bow.' So he put his hand on it, and Elisha put his hands on the king's hands. And he said, 'Open the east window'; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, 'Shoot'; and he shot. And he said, 'The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them.' Then he said, 'Take the arrows'; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, 'Strike the ground'; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, 'You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times'."

The NIV offers this wording for the final verse of the passage above: "The man of God was angry with him and said, 'You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.'"

Answer: Jehu

Jehu is the correct answer. His ascension to the throne brought about the demise of the house of Ahab, the evil king, as well as his wicked wife Jezebel. According to Scripture, Ahab and Jezebel worshiped Baal and were bitter opponents of the prophets of God.

Jezebel's violent death is told in 2 Kings 9:30-37 and the killing of Ahab's seventy sons is reported in 2 Kings 10:1-11. Chapter 10 goes on to tell about the rest of Ahab's family being killed as well as worshipers of Baal.

Ahab had previously been killed in a battle at Ramoth Gilead, as per 1 Kings 22:29. According to 1 Kings 22:40, Ahab was replaced by his son Ahaziah.

Answer: Added some salt to the source of the water

According to Scripture, Elisha healed the water by adding some salt to its source.

2 Kings 2:19-22, in the NKJV tells of the miracle:

"Then the men of the city said to Elisha, 'Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.' And he said, 'Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.' So they brought it to him. Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, 'Thus says the LORD: 'I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.' So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke."

According to Scripture this was the second miracle Elisha performed. The first one was the parting of the Jordan River which he struck in grief after the departure of Elijah, as per 1 Kings 2:12-14. Verse 14 states Elisha took Elijah's mantle and struck the Jordan River and the water was "divided this way and that".

Answer: Scripture doesn't say

Scripture doesn't provide any details about the boy's name or his age, or the name of his mother, who was a widow. The account of Elisha raising him from the dead at Shunem is found in 2 Kings 4:18-37.

More information can be found in the answer to Question No. 18.

Answer: None. This is where Elijah performed two miracles.

Zarephath is where Elisha's mentor Elijah performed two miracles. According to 1 Kings 17:8-24, it was in Zarephath where Elijah miraculously raised a widow's son from the dead after miraculously providing food for the two of them.

However, there is no indication in Scripture that Elisha even visited Zarephath. And yes, Elisha did raise a young boy from the dead, just like Elijah, but Scripture states the miracle took place in Shunem. More information about the miracle can be found in the answer to Question No. 18.