2 Kings 4:29

Gird up thy loins] The direction was necessary, for the garments were usually worn loose and flowing. Salute him not] To do so would waste time.

Lay my staff] Elisha seems to have thought that as Elijah's mantle had been powerful in his own hand (2 Kings 2:14), so his own staff would be equally potent in the hands of another. But the secret of miracles must be looked for in personalities, not in inanimate things.