Elisha

God of salvation or God shall save. Attendant and disciple of Elijah, and afterwards his successor (1 Kgs. 19:16–21; 2 Kgs. 3:11); but while Elijah was a child of the desert, Elisha lived in cities. He was of a gentle and affectionate disposition and without that fiery zeal by which his master had been distinguished. They seem to have been together some six or seven years. After Elijah’s translation, Elisha was the leading prophet of the northern kingdom and the trusted adviser of the kings of Israel. His miracles form the chief part of his recorded work. These were for the most part acts of kindness and mercy and included healing a bitter spring; dividing the waters of the Jordan; obtaining water for the people and livestock to drink; multiplying the widow’s oil; raising a boy from the dead; curing Naaman of leprosy; healing a poisonous pottage; causing an iron axe to float; and striking the Syrians with blindness (2 Kgs. 2:19–6:18). His ministry lasted more than 50 years, during the reigns of Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, and Joash.