Elijah is one of the well-known prophets from the Old Testament. His name means: (my) God is YAHWEH. Elijah is often mentioned in the same breath as his successor Elisha, whose name means: God is salvation. Their names are similar and we also find many similarities in their histories. For example, both visited a widow and in both cases we find a jar of oil that does not run dry. Also, both Elijah and Elisha raise a dead boy, they both split the waters of the Jordan, etc.
Jehoshua
The endings of the names of Elijah and Elisha together form the name Jehoshua, the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek Jesus. Elijah and Elisha are therefore together, or both, a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the image below you can see the names of Elijah and Elisha. The last letters of their names (reading from right to left) together form the name Jehoshua.
differences
Although there are many similarities between these two prophets, there are also differences. Elijah is always on the run from Ahab and Jezebel and he has to suffer a lot. Elisha is not. He is calm and does what he wants. For example, when Naaman comes to him, who was a high-ranking foreigner, he does not even come outside. He stays inside and sends a messenger to him who tells him what to do. Elijah is therefore a picture of Jesus in His first coming, in humiliation. Elisha is a picture of Christ, sitting at rest at God’s right hand, in glory.
