Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 2:4

"And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho." — 2 Kings 2:4 (ASV)

And Elijah said. —The exact repetition of the language of 2 Kings 2:2–3 in this and the next two verses appears to indicate that the narrative had originally been handed on by oral tradition, probably in the prophetic guilds at the local sanctuaries.