Many a preacher has confused the two above prophets, fumbling while preaching and wondering who came first and who did what. Some of the uncertainty can be avoided by recalling the meanings of their names.
Elijah means YHWH is God, derived from El and Yah. This was in fact the chant of the Israelites after Elijah had successfully challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:39). Some English Bibles use LORD for the tetragrammaton YHWH. Elisha means God is salvation, derived from El and yasha. He came after Elijah and had a double portion of the Spirit who was on Elijah.
(See https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Elijah.html and https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Elisha.html)
The Jews expected and still expect Elijah to come before the appearance of the Messiah. This notion is based on Malachi 4:5. Jesus said John the Baptist was the Elijah they were waiting for (Matthew 17:12-14). It makes sense therefore to compare Jesus to Elisha. Joseph was to call him Jeshua because he would save his people from their sin (Matthew 1:21).
I would go further by believing it is not a coincidence that the Hebrew for salvation starts with "ya". It is just another indication that Yah is salvation. In other words, Jesus is none other than YHWH in the flesh! Is that why neither of the words Jesus or Yahweh are to be pronounced by adherents of Judaism?
