2 Kings 6:1

Sons of the prophets. These were students at one of the schools of the prophets, probably the one at Jericho, for they went to the Jordan to secure timber (v. 2).

Where we dwell. Literally, “the place where we sit before thee,” probably the place where they assembled under the charge of the prophet to hear his teaching. Elisha did not regularly make his home at this school, but only visited it from time to time in the course of his circuits among the various schools. The common hall where the students assembled to sit at the feet of the teacher seems to be the place referred to.

Too strait. The students in attendance at this school had become so numerous that they could no longer be accommodated in the available quarters. This was indicative of the prevailing interest in proper education as fostered by both Elijah and Elisha.

Let us go. The suggestion came not from Elisha but from the students. These young men were not afraid of work. One of the objectives of the schools of the prophets was to give the students a practical training for life. The young men were trained to work like the people about them, for they were not to hold themselves aloof from those it was their responsibility to serve. Training the hand was in perfect accord with training the mind and the heart.

Go ye. The fact that permission was asked of Elisha and that it was he who gave the orders to proceed with the project shows that the prophet was a man of authority, having under his charge the direction of the various schools.