Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 27:47

"And some of them stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calleth Elijah." — Matthew 27:47 (ASV)

According to 2 Kings 2:1–12, Elijah did not die but was taken alive to heaven in a whirlwind. Some Jewish tradition, perhaps as old as the first century, held that he would come and rescue the righteous in their distress.