Albert Barnes Commentary 2 Kings 2:11

"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." — 2 Kings 2:11 (ASV)

Elijah went up ... - No honest exegesis can explain this passage in any other sense than as teaching the translation of Elijah, who was taken from the earth, like Enoch (Genesis 5:24), without dying. Compare Ecclesiasticus 48:9.