Background
He came from Gilead in Transjordan, and prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of kings Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Jehoash. He was the outstanding disciple and successor of the prophet Elijah.
The Bible relates that when Elijah was on Mount Horeb he was commanded, in a vision, to anoint Elisha as a prophet. Elijah followed the divine command by laying his mantle on Elisha, who at the time was working as a farmer tending his father’s land. Elisha served as Elijah’s attendant until the latter’s miraculous ascent to heaven, at which time he received Elijah’s mantle and commenced his own work.
Career
Many miracles were ascribed to him over a career that lasted six decades. These included dividing the river Jordan so that he could cross it; replenishing a poor widow’s cruse of oil; restoring the life of an apparently dead child; and curing the Aramean army captain, Naaman, of leprosy (Naaman, in gratitude, undertook to worship the Israelite God exclusively).
Unlike Elijah, who was a recluse, living much of his life in the desert, Elisha was a city dweller, appearing frequently in public in the main Israelite religious centers. He lived with a group called the sons of the prophets, who were probably his disciples.
His story is told in 1 Kings 19-2 Kings 13.
Personality
Although the stories seem to incorporate legendary elements, it is evident that Elisha made a deep impression on his contemporaries and was a man of great courage and deep convictions. The Bible stresses his moral demands and his total domination of the spiritual life of the people in his time.
