1 Kgs 19:16-21
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
The Old Testament > 1 Kings > Chapter 19
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Questions
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Lexical notes
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Verse 19
- Twelve yoke. "Yoke" is sometimes translated team (see the Anchor Bible), though "yoke" typically is taken to mean two oxen.
- Cast his mantle on him. Compare Num 20:25-28. This is most likely an act calling Elisha to serve God with Elijah, and possibly even entails a calling for Elisha to succeed Elijah.
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Exegesis
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Verse 19
- Elisha's riches. The detail about Elisha's "twelve yoke of oxen" is like a sign of the riches that Elisha has, and therefore must give up to follow Elijah.
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Verse 20
- For what have I done to thee? This phrase may be referring to the cloak that Elijah set upon Elisha in verse 19, symbolically calling Elisha to follow him. Elijah's posing this question to Elisha may be a challenge posed to Elisha to choose whether to accept the call that Elijah has extended to him. An alternate reading might take this phrase to mean that Elijah did not mean to seprate Elisha from his family (in which case the farewell feast in v. 21 might be read to include Elisha's father and mother).
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Verse 21
- Farewell or dedication feast. Some scholars interpret this as a dedication feast where Elisha is dedicating himself to following Elijah. Others interpret this as a farewell feast.
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Related links
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