And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
Elijah ... Ask what I shall do for thee - trusting either that it would be in his power to bequeath it, or that God, at his entreaty, would grant it.
Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me х piy (H6310) shªnayim (H8147)] - a portion of two; i:e., a double portion (Deuteronomy 21:17). This request was not, as is commonly supposed, for the power of working miracles exceeding the magnitude end number of his master's, nor does it mean a higher endowment of the prophetic spirit; because Elisha was neither superior to, nor perhaps equally great with, his predecessor. But the phrase, "a double portion," was applied to the first-born; and therefore Elisha's request was simply to be heir to the prophetic office and gifts of his master.