He took up the mantle of Elijah …: For mantle see verse 8. The notion that the passing on of this article of clothing symbolized the turning over of prophetic authority is seen in 1 Kgs 19.19. In this case the cloak that had been left behind by Elijah is picked up by Elisha instead of it being placed on his shoulders by his mentor. If necessary, translators may add a footnote explaining the meaning of passing on the cloak. Certainly readers should not be left to understand that Elisha took the cloak simply because he had torn his own in the previous verse.

Went back …: This implies that Elisha retraces the steps previously taken with his master and described at the beginning of verse 11 by the verb “went on.” In some languages translators may say “returned to the edge of the Jordan River and stood there.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .